Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

-PLEASE READ!-

Yo! This fic was probably one of the most enjoyable I've ever written. It follows the one piece plot, but I changed a lot of things, as I have my own plot inside, too! I butchered a ton of the arcs, so please don't assume things will be the same. I did everything I wanted here. Killed off people I hated and let people live that I like!

I have to warn for  inappropriate  jokes and moments, as well as a lot of slightly worse than cannon violence. LOTS of blood, obviously lol. I did my best to keep everyone in character, but I did make the main cast more complex. Luffy has a much wider range of emotion, but is still the protective, lovable and curious dumbass.

Anyways, enjoy! And I hope you stick around the whole way! All art by me.

Luffy wore sunglasses as he bought his first pair of brown colored contacts in Goa for his journey away from the island. He looked at them in awe, red eyes wide and excited. He could be normal to people with these. Nobody would ask any questions. He would wear a shirt, and hide his weird hair. With those and his eyes covered up, he looked normal!

He just had to act it! He ran back to the bandit hut and put the contacts on in the bathroom. His vibrant red eyes were not a muddied, dark brown. It was amazing! The seventeen year old went into the main room to his "caretakers" and showed them off, taking down the sunglasses. "Ta da!" Dadan was in the corner smoking. "I'm gonna be going now," he said.

"Get outta here! Just go!" Luffy knew this behavior from when Ace left.

"When I find out what I am, I'll send you a letter, promise! And I'll be in the papers, too! Thanks for taking care of me and accepting me," Luffy said, and Dadan started crying. "I know, Ace told me first. Only find people I trust."

She bawled and nodded, and Luffy said goodbye to everyone before he went to Sabo's grave. He bowed to the empty grave of his fallen brother. "I'll figure it out and become Pirate Kingon the way!" He plopped his hat on firmly on the black and white hair, and ran down to Foosha. The rowboat was already waiting with the bag of "necessities'' that Makino nabbed for him.

One of the only outsiders who knew of Luffy's condition gladly enabled it for him, which he needed and appreciated. The ice chest of blood bags was sitting behind the barrel of apples and the smaller barrel of water. Everything he needed to set off. He was nervous to do so. He was used to being around people who knew. Now he was going out into a big, huge world where nobody knew. Nobody but Ace and Garp.

He hoped to never see "grandpa" out there. To ruin his day, no doubt. But he would definitely see Ace. He'd meet him and show him how strong he was. Luffy had hope he was happy out there. Ace wouldn't surround himself with people he disliked or wasn't comfortable around. He was out there waiting somewhere for Luffy to make his name.

"Are you sure you want just that?" Davers asked, gesturing to the rowboat. "You can barely fit!" he added. But Luffy was fine with this. He wanted to start out simple. He heard and smelled the bandits watching, even though he couldn't see them. He gave an extra loud goodbye so they could hear, waving widely. Dadan cried out a good luck. "I'll be fine!" he assured everybody.

He got away from the island easily, the Lord of the Coast like all other animals, afraid of the non-human kid. Luffy rowed out to sea, and drank a blood bag. He had 16 left. He could make it without one for at least three days and at most six. He did like to drink it more than he needed, but was careful with rationing anyways. He'd need to do that now. Until he found a ship that could store blood.

And he also needed to save money to buy them from hospitals. He wasn't a good thief yet, and he didn't want to get caught stealing with something he needed to live. Nobody knew why, but Luffy was weird. He had to eat and drink water, but also needed to ingest blood. There wasn't anybody in his family like him. At least, Garp didn't tell him that. Luffy knew nobody in the world like him, and a big dream along with his ambition to become the Pirate Kingwas to find out what he is, and that he wasn't alone.

Garp would be furious about Luffy leaving. He could be found out easily by anybody. He always told Luffy he could get caught and taken somewhere for his condition. Told him to never leave the house, forbade him from making friends besides Makino. But once Luffy met Shanks and then spent the rest of his childhood with Ace and Sabo, well, he wanted to be free. He didn't care what stupid grandpa thought, he would be a pirate. The Pirate King!

Screw Garp. Luffy would be free, just like Ace was. And he'd find people he could be honest with. He wasn't too good a liar, even though he had never been caught, so it might be tricky. But he'd find somebody. He checked the compass and map he had no idea to really use and made his way to wherever he ended up. He didn't really have a plan, but would just latch on to the nearest scent of an island he came up with.

Too bad he got swallowed into a whirlpool and was only able to stuff himself into the barrel to live. All of his blood went down with the little tub, and he was left to float around and hope something happened. Being a devil fruit user didn't really make swimming in the ocean any safer after all.

When he heard a ship coming over, he was nervous and excited. He would be around other people! And thank goodness he had his hat and contacts with him. But this ship was raided and his barrel was moved around more. He ended up falling asleep and woke up on a pirate ship next to an annoying boy.

It wasn't somebody he'd been around forever, and he didn't salivate like a monster his grandpa thought he could be. He ended up saving Coby and punting his tyrant captain off her ship and into the ocean to who knows where? Then they sailed towards the first place Luffy wanted to go to. Meeting a "demon". He was the demon there. Maybe there was another like him! He could be friends with somebody that wasn't forced to be around him.

Luffy ended up drinking from Coby on the island they went to. He'd panicked, to be honest. He'd just bopped Coby upside the head, cut his arm a little bit and just had a mouthful. When he saw Zoro and wanted to keep him, and then fought with him and he agreed, Luffy knew he'd be stuck on a small ship with him and wanted to be able to last as long as he could.

Coby didn't remember and wasn't harmed from it. Luffy was sure he'd not been seen, too.

On the boat, saying goodbye to the island, Luffy felt bad. Keeping it from Coby was right, he'd freak out over it if he knew. He'd be scared. He was already a scaredy cry baby. He would have thought Luffy was a monster. Though he did technically assault him. It was a mistake. But he didn't want to lie to his first crew member. He didn't want to trick him.

Luffy wanted Zoro to stay even if he knew Luffy was severely abnormal. And what would be a better test of loyalty, to be comfortable stuck with a blood drinking monster out to sea with limited resources? He looked at Zoro closely, but he seemed like he'd be happier with the truth than being lied to.

"Zoro? Can I tell you something? You might want to leave after it, but I gotta tell you," Luffy said hesitantly, sitting across from Zoro on the tiny boat. Maybe he should have said it before he got trapped on it with him.

Zoro was leaning back with his arms behind his head. "Is it about drinking Coby's blood? Yeah, I saw it. You a vampire or some shit?" he asked casually. Luffy furrowed his brows, baffled. He asked if it didn't bother him. "Depends. Why did you do it? For fun?" Luffy loudly said he didn't do it for fun. "Then why?"

Luffy looked at his hands, fisting them in his shorts, deliberating. He was glad Zoro wasn't freaked about the blood drinking, or so it seemed, but what about the rest? Who would want to be around somebody like Luffy anyways? Besides his brothers, Makino and Shanks.

Garp would much rather just try to ignore it and bring Luffy tons of blood bags every time he visited and insist he never leave the island. But it didn't taste as fresh or good like living people did. It was yummy and a rare treat, but he had control over it. He could do fine on cold blood, but warm blood was the best.

Stop it! He hated doing that, getting lost in the moment. Compared to what it felt like to other people, it kind of felt really… nice.

"I need it to stay alive," he said. "I can eat regular food and all. And I need that too or I'll starve, but I also need blood, too." Zoro asked why. "I… I - I'm kinda not all human," he said the last part quickly. He looked up, and Zoro looked unbothered, and just asked what he was. If he wasn't fully human, then what was his non-human part? He leaned forward, finally seeming really interested.

Luffy took out his colored contact on his left eye and showed the red iris. The pupil was round like a human's, not slitted like a cat or snake. Then he lifted his shirt to show the black markings that looked like tattoos on his chest. "I'm half 'demon'. Sometimes I call it a 'monster', too. It's just easy to sum it up like that when I don't know the rest."

Zoro raised his brows. "Demon?" Luffy nodded. "Were you born like that?" The younger nodded again. "That's kinda cool. I'm not scared or anything. I just hope you didn't bring me along to be your blood bank. I'm kidding," he said quickly when Luffy looked very upset. "So, you can drink from blood bags?"

Luffy nodded. "But drinking from people feels better and lasts longer," he said honestly. "I drank from Coby and he didn't remember," he confessed in shame. Zoro pointed out he was alive and fine when they met. "Still… he was my friend, and I messed with him. It was wrong-"

"But necessary, right?" Luffy half shrugged. "And he wasn't hurt or traumatized or anything?" He shook his head. "Then what's the big deal? I don't see that big of a problem with it if it doesn't hurt anybody. Unless their enemies, then that is fine with me. Just don't drink from me without me knowing."

Luffy promised he wouldn't. "Wait. Without you knowing? What's that mean?" Did he mean Luffy could drink from him with permission? Zoro confirmed that. If he ran out of blood, then that was the only option, right? "Well, yeah, I guess."

"How long do you have to go before you start getting sick?" Luffy replied that he had to have some every three days to a week, depending on what he'd been doing. If he lost a lot of blood or was overly exhausted, he needed blood sooner. "Well, I'm open if you need it. And hasn't it been three days since we started sailing aimlessly. We don't even have a compass."

That was true. They were just hoping for the best and using Luffy's senses. That they'd find an island, depending on luck. Luffy nodded, saying it had been awhile. And they'd been rationing their food. "So, are you, y'know, thirsty?" He sounded completely curious. He was so weird, but Luffy was glad he didn't think he was a monster!

"Well, maybe a little."

"I wanna see," Zoro said with a grin. "C'mon, just don't kill me or knock me out." Luffy looked uncertain. "I'm giving you permission, aren't I? Besides, I get stabbed and bleed out all the time. Blood loss doesn't affect me. Though I don't exactly want you to suck me dry." This was weird. Was Zoro just toying with him?

But he looked and sounded truly curious. "Okay. But tell me if you want me to stop. I won't take that much." Zoro nodded, and Luffy's heart was beating fast in nervousness. Zoro wanted him to, but he was concerned that it would scare him off. Luffy stood up and walked over, sitting next to him. "Uh, where do you want it?"

"You can try my arm, I guess," Zoro replied fearlessly. "C'mon, a bite is gonna barely hurt compared to everything else I've dealt with. I'm not weak." Luffy nodded, and bit down on his arm, sucking slightly. "Uh… is it supposed to feel nice?"

"What?" Luffy asked. Zoro looked irritated that he stopped. "Feel good? But I hurt you!" Zoro grinned. He was just tough. He told him to keep going. Luffy nodded, and sucked more, holding Zoro's arm to his mouth. He tasted so good. Luffy turned red when the swordsman let out a breathy moan.

He'd never drank from somebody who liked it. Never with somebody willingly, either. Zoro grabbed his head and pushed it down more on his arm to drink harder. He swallowed greedily until Zoro pulled his head away. Both were panting, but in different ways. "Damn, that was weird," Zoro said, completely unashamed by his reaction. "Now I really don't mind if you do it whenever."

Luffy's face was red and then he laughed. "You're weird!" he said in amusement. Zoro hit his head, saying he wasn't weird. "But you liked it! That is weird, nobody ever likes it."

"Well, aren't they all unconscious when it happens?" Zoro asked, wiping the blood off on his pants. Luffy asked if he got attracted from it bluntly. Zoro then finally turned red, and then challenged him. "Is that a problem?" he asked. Luffy was so confused by his weird reactions to things.

Luffy smiled and said, "Well I guess not, if it doesn't bother you." He beamed and Zoro asked him about what his childhood was like, as a half demon. Luffy told him all about his brothers being understanding, his friends donating bagged blood. They were understanding, and he'd never fed off of them before. They had never asked, like a certain weirdo.

Zoro kicked him, and Luffy laughed. "Then there was Shanks, who gave me this hat! Wanna know why?" he asked mischievously. Zoro nodded, and Luffy lifted the hat to show white patches on his head. Like there were little areas of hair that were white. "I knew people would make fun of it when I finally did make friends and he gave it to me partly to hide them. And it was also really important to him. So, when I'm the Pirate King, I'll return it to him."

Luffy said he didn't like his spots and didn't really want to call attention to them. "I think they look pretty interesting. Though you won't be able to keep your hat on at all times, you know? It'll fall off some time and show them."

He nodded, and replied that they would be seen, but he wasn't going to flaunt them. "At least there are no horns or ears," Luffy commented, and plopped his hat back on his head with a smile. "I'm glad you came with me. You're really cool." Zoro grinned and said Luffy was cool in a different way. "More like unique or abnormal."

"Who said those are bad things to be?" Zoro asked. Then he yawned, and was going to nap. He assured Luffy it wasn't from blood loss, he just liked to nap a lot. Luffy nodded, and Zoro closed his eyes and went to sleep. Luffy crossed his legs, and smiled. His first crew mate was really cool. And nice. And interesting. Zoro was awesome!

-x-

"I'm hungry," Luffy complained, looking at the sky. "And not for blood. I want meat." They'd been sailing for another three days, Luffy picking up nothing. Like they were in the most unlucky area in the East Blue ever. Zoro said he wanted alcohol. He liked to drink a lot. And he never got drunk. "Then what's the point of drinking?" He said it tasted good. "Smells bad."

"Well, I can see that. Hey, don't fall in," Zoro said when Luffy leaned over the side, looking for fish to catch. Luffy had a rubber devil fruit, so swimming was obviously a no-no. He'd already fallen in once and Zoro pulled him out and scolded him. Luffy just laughed about it, earning a hit to the head in irritation.

They had run out of apples and water completely. Luffy's stomach grumbled loudly. Over and over. "Are you sure blood won't shut that up?" Luffy said it would, but he wanted meat. He looked up and asked if Zoro was just wanting Luffy to do it. "Yeah. It feels hella satisfying." He was so open and honest. And blunt.

Luffy moved to him, glad he was the one asking and not Luffy. It wasn't like he could say no to a request to drink. He was glad to do so, and so was Zoro. Luffy crawled onto his lap, and Zoro wondered why before Luffy said it was easiest this way. Luffy didn't bite on his arm, instead on the junction of his shoulder and neck.

He sucked harshly, and Zoro moaned openly, not even hiding it. Luffy jumped when Zoro's hands grabbed onto his butt. But he kept drinking as Zoro moved his hands up Luffy's back, on the skin, scratching as he moved his head to the side for more access. Zoro leaned forward and licked Luffy's ear, biting the lobe, making Luffy instinctively drink faster.

The pulse was speeding up, and Luffy stopped sucking, instead he licked up his neck, lapping up the blood from the bite mark. It wasn't deep, so it healed quickly. Zoro healed quickly. Luffy assumed Zoro had gotten carried away with how good the feeding felt, and that the groping meant nothing really. He started to pull away, but Zoro gripped his head and pressed his lips to Luffy's. The smaller pirate was shocked, but didn't pull away, he closed his eyes and let Zoro push his tongue into his mouth, no doubt tasting his own blood.

Zoro's hands moved to Luffy's chest and then down, and he wiggled his fingers into Luffy's waistband to rub circles on his hip bones. He pulled away, and he looked composed with a grin while Luffy's lips were pink and his face was flushed, along with his chest. "Um, why?"

"I like you. Obviously. Not only because of the drinking. I liked you from the start, this just added some more spice to it," Zoro said. "Did I make you uncomfortable?" Luffy smiled and asked if he had reacted like someone who didn't like it would. "I guess not. You're still the captain, though." Luffy grinned, and asked if he wanted him to make some captain's orders. Zoro grinned a challenging look.

"Kiss me again. Captain's orders," Luffy said, feeling much more confident than before. Zoro liked him, even though he was a monster. He thought he was cool, not a freak, not an evil demon or something. Zoro kissed him roughly, hands fisted in Luffy's hair. It didn't bother him, but his hat had fallen off. His fingers were fisted, but not pulling hard or anything.

Luffy pulled away. "We can't do the feeding thing in front of other crew members. I don't think anyone but you would be cool with it from the start," Luffy pointed out. Zoro agreed with this. They would keep it a secret, at least for the beginning. Zoro really was odd for his reaction to the whole thing.

Liking it to be done to him, wanting to see his red eyes, not the brown. But Luffy kept them in most of the time, fucked over if he lost one. Zoro was easy to be around. Like Ace and Sabo were. He didn't feel he had to hide himself with him. Obviously, Zoro wanted him to be himself, be the demon he was. Part demon. He made Luffy not feel ashamed.

The whole story is NOT about the romance, I promise. But it's very prominent in much of the plot. There are some other relationships here, too, but Zolu is the only main one. So I guess you could call this chapter a sort of warning to those who aren't into this ship. I won't just have the story 50,000 words in and be "oh and there's a gay couple by the way!" lol. So, hope you stick around as the mystery of what Luffy is runs very thickly in the plot. Hope to see you next chapter! Since this one is more a prologue, I'll post the second chapter immediately. Art below by me.

Chapter Text

You made it to chapter 2! Yay! I'll be honest, the chapters in the Paradise and East Blue arcs vary greatly in word length. I didn't make any breaks in the story while writing it, so some chapters might feel jarring with how the cut off, but it was necessary! Enjoy chapter 2~

"Island! Island!" Luffy screamed, shaking Zoro awake. "Island!" he screeched again. He could smell it before seeing it. Zoro pushed his face away. "Where?" Luffy started paddling with his hands, trying to get there faster. Zoro moved the boat over so the wind got them there. "That way! It's a place that smells like towns and people! Food, meat… food, meat…"

"Booze," Zoro said, grinning. Both were craving food and drinks. Luffy wanted orange juice. "Orange juice? What are you, a kid?"

"Hey! Blood tastes good but even too much of that gets boring." Zoro scowled. "Haha, Zoro's sensitive. I mean I like drinking stuff other than blood. Even if it's super tasty," he explained. They reached the island and tied the ship to the dock, and both of them jumped out. They were completely out of any food. The apples were gone, the water long gone except for some lucky rain water.

Zoro was the one in the worst shape, since Luffy just lived off of his blood. He never seemed to suffer blood loss, though. But he was stoic, even his stomach wouldn't rumble. And he never complained about being hungry, just wanting some good alcohol. Well, now he just wanted any alcohol, desperate to get rid of his craving.

They walked into town, Luffy shouting out for anyone he couldn't hear, as it seemed completely empty. The scents of people were fairly old. He wondered where everyone went. "Who cares? All these empty houses have to have food, right?" Zoro asked. Luffy grinned and nodded, and both went to the nearest empty house. It was like dine and dashing, only also breaking and entering.

Well, they were pirates, it wasn't so strange. They broke into the first with Luffy destroying the door handle. He had been distracted and not even noticed somebody was in there. Oops. They found a girl was already in there. "Aw, I thought nobody was here," he said, irritated with himself. She had orange hair, and was looking out the third story window. She jerked to look at them, brandishing a pole. Wooden, not a pipe like he'd used for a long time.

Luffy could smell meat, though. It smelled so good! He ran past her, getting hit in the head but only bouncing back as he hurried to the fridge and ate everything he saw. "Oi, Zoro! They got alcohol," Luffy said.

"Hell yes," Zoro said and got the alcohol out. He was a bit disappointed it was wine, but he was starved for booze, and chugged the bottle immediately. The girl demanded to know who they were. Luffy said his name around a mouthful of chicken.

She eyed Zoro, looking at his swords as he drank the second bottle of wine, white wine this time. Luffy wondered what his mouth tasted like now. "Are you both strong?" Luffy nodded, asking who she was. "I'm Nami. A thief that steals from pirates. Hey, you wanna team up with me? We can get some serious cash if we team up."

Luffy looked to Zoro, who gave a shrug. It was his choice. Luffy was the captain after all. And he thought it would be good to make friends when he could. "What do you have in mind?" Luffy asked curiously, now munching on dessert dishes. He wondered if Nami hadn't eaten any of the food in there. What a waste! Though it was all there for him, so that was nice.

Nami gave her plan, but Luffy didn't think it was that good. He didn't really want to be bait, he wanted to fight. "But I can't fight! And I need that money!" she snapped. Zoro asked why. "None of your business."

"Are you sure you should be rude to people who you want help from?" Zoro asked, a challenge in his voice, amused as well. "Besides, how do we know you won't just run off with the money?" Luffy chimed in that he could catch her if she tried. Nami demanded to know if it was a threat.

"Nope. Just a fact. Hey, where is everyone? It's like a ghost town here! All the houses are completely empty," Luffy said, munching on crackers now.

Nami leaned against the wall, her staff still in her hand. She wasn't brandishing it at them, and it couldn't hurt either of them anyways. She explained the situation to them. Buggy the Clown, a pirate, had taken over the city. Everyone fled the place, so she took advantage of it. She was here to steal a map of the Grand Line, as well as all the treasure they had.

"But they know what I look like and that I'm a thief. So I'm limited on my options. Besides, I don't want to seduce pirates of all people," she said harshly. Luffy could tell she didn't like pirates. He asked why. "They're evil and selfish. They do whatever they want with no regard to anyone else's lives or happiness. They're the worst scum in this world." His voice was cold and hateful.

Luffy said, "Well, not all pirates are bad. One crew was on my island for a year and they got along with everyone and helped out with things-"

"Pirates are bad. I don't care if there's one crew with guys that seem nice, pirates are terrible." She insisted this pretty strongly, so Luffy didn't mention that he was a pirate, building a crew and chasing the dream to become the Pirate King. Though he didn't want to be a bad pirate to regular people, even if they'd be bad for marines.

He didn't care about them, though. "Well, I guess a lot of pirates are bad. And these Buggy guys are jerks from driving people out. I'm sure we could take them," he said confidently. Zoro nodded, but said he needed to eat first.

Nami frowned, clearly wondering if this was the right thing to do. Luffy sat on the kitchen counter as Zoro pulled everything left out of the cupboards. The inside of the house was smaller than he expected. The kitchen was small, as well. From the outside, it looked a lot bigger. There were photos on the walls.

Luffy thought it was mean to drive people out of their homes. But were they really that scary in the first place? East Blue pirates were weak, weren't they? Garp had said that before, and so had Shanks. So how strong was he, or the crew as a whole? And what kind of name was "Buggy the Clown". It didn't really sound tough or anything. Maybe he was a clown because people were afraid of clowns, so he was betting on them being scared of them! He giggled to himself quietly, earning an amused look from Zoro.

Now he wanted to see the guy for himself. After Zoro stuffed himself, and all of the food in the kitchen was gone, the alcohol was depleted completely. "So, we just go and kick their asses and then come back? With money?" Luffy asked cheerily. Nami nodded. The three lef the house, and Luffy rocketed himself up to the roof to look.

He saw their base easily. It was on top of another building, and was set up like a circus. He could smell them, and they reeked. His senses were better, but sometimes that was really a drawback. Sound and smell were stronger. His eyes weren't any better than normal. He hadn't told Zoro, and he hadn't asked about Luffy smelling the island. He didn't know why. Maybe he didn't want to come across any weirder than he already was. Zoro said he liked it, but there had to be a limit, right?

There was a huge path of destruction from the circus camp, having blown apart a whole street of shops and houses alike. Obliterated, burnt away with piles of rock and wooden debris. No dead bodies, or he'd be able to smell them. He closed his eyes and filtered out the birds, the sea, the wind, until he only heard the pirates. He could hear them talking about the bomb they'd been using.

Also, talking of hunting Nami for stealing from them. Maybe it wasn't good to have her come with them. She'd be a target, but she looked like she wanted to take part in it. To have her own share of treasure. Why would she get any share if she did none of the work? Luffy couldn't tell Zoro and Nami that he could hear them, though. He dropped down and landed with a bounce to his feet.

"There's a circus that way. It doesn't look fun, though. I thought circuses had rides and candy and popcorn. It's a fake circus. Jerks got my hopes up," Luffy complained. "But it still looks interesting! Let's go, let's go," Luffy said, and went running down the street. Zoro ran after without a word, with Nami asking why they were running.

"To get there faster, duh," Zoro said dismissively. Nami bristled. Luffy asked why she wanted the money.

"To buy back my village," she said. "I need 100 million berrieses." Luffy wondered why she didn't just take it by force. "There's no way I could pull that off! Those pirates are strong, and evil." So, that's why she hated pirates, huh? That was sad. Her home was taken over by bad pirates. Hopefully she could buy it back successfully. But 100 million was a lot of money. Well, he planned on having her on his crew already, so he would gladly help her get her village back.

He wouldn't say that for now. He didn't want to bribe her in! He also bribed Zoro, though his actions made it clear he didn't really feel it was a bribe anymore. He made it very clear in multiple ways. Luffy's face turned red at just the thoughts.

When they made it to the building with the circus on the roof, Luffy looked up, hearing the sounds of a lot of guys. God, they smelled bad. Though he and Zoro both didn't smell the best, not having bathed since Rika's house. Nami said nothing about it, which was nice. Luffy wished he didn't smell, though he got used to his and Zoro's on the boat. Oh well. They could shower at one of these houses probably. They also stole food, what's a few showers bad for? They looked up, and Luffy told them to hang onto them.

"Why?" Zoro asked, not grabbing on. Luffy said they'd get there quicker that way. "Or we could just use the stairs right there," Zoro said, pointing to the side. Luffy laughed and said that wasn't as fun but was easier. Zoro smiled.

"You two together or something?" Nami asked, a teasing look on her face, a smug one. Luffy just simply said they were together. And that it was awesome. Zoro grinned and looked at her. She looked a bit disappointed that she couldn't tease them about it. They weren't blushing with embarrassment about it.

They hurried up the stairs and to the roof. "Hey! It's you! Give us back our map!" a guy with strange hair said. It was like it covered his whole face. Maybe it was weird facial hair, or a headband, a furry one. He was sitting on a lion! "Richie, get them!" he ordered. The lion didn't, looking at Luffy with wide eyes.

Luffy let out an almost silent growl, but the lion could hear it, and ran away and off the roof. "Richie! Where are you going!?" the guy called, his lion ignoring him, out of sight. Luffy could hear it's heavy paws pounding on the cobblestone ground. It was still running. The guy turned and demanded to know what they did to Richie.

Zoro asked, "Did it look like we did anything?" The Buggy crew looked a bit worried, with the lion deserting them out of fear for one of the two teenagers. Nami was staying behind them, her staff out. She looked nervous and like she was regretting this completely. Zoro drew two swords. Buggy, the guy with the captain's hat, turned to them, a dark look on his face.

"Wow! Is your nose real?" Luffy wondered. A tick formed on Buggy's head and he erupted. Apparently his nose was a sore spot. He was very angry about it, and used a devil fruit to chop his body up into pieces that he flung at Zoro and Luffy. They ducked, and Luffy punched them away.

Despite being a demon with better senses, he did not have super strength or super speed. So he worked really hard to be strong all on his own with his own efforts and years of training harshly. He grabbed and squeezed his gut, punching it when it came close. Apparently, even when he was split apart, he still felt pain. Luffy found his groin and grabbed that part by the hip by stretching his arm, and snapped it back to punch him straight in the crotch. Buggy screamed in pain, and Zoro laughed around his sword as he cut down enemies.

Nami got in on the action and was confident enough to beat up some of the pirates. So, she wasn't useless at all. Smart, since she stole from pirates, and courageous when push came to shove. Or maybe when she felt she was safer. Well, either option wasn't shameful.

He wasn't paying attention when one of Buggy's hands, with three knives in it, were jammed into his side. He grabbed the hand and broke the fingers by crushing it. He threw it away, and pressed his hands to the puncture wounds. "I'll be back, Zoro, Nami!" he shouted, and grabbed the nearest unconscious pirate, jumping off of the roof and down. He hurried into an alleyway and sat.

He lifted his shirt to see it was bleeding badly. The wounds were very deep. He bit down on the pirate's neck and sucked out enough of the gross blood for the wounds to stitch themselves up. It was still bright red, and sensitive. He would need rest and some time for it to heal completely. He threw the guy aside, and made his way back up. He wiped his mouth on his shirt.

When he landed, he found Buggy's parts tied up in a sack that Nami was forcing shut. His head was all that was out of it. "Damn you!" he screeched, his voice shrill. Luffy picked him up and placed his head on the sack of body parts, unable to reconnect. Nami smirked, and said they'd be taking his treasure and maps now. "Damnit!" he shouted when Zoro punted him off with a powerful kick.

Luffy asked if he was hurt. He had minor cuts and bruises, and said he was fine otherwise. But then his side was a deep red and Luffy obviously smelled blood. Luffy frowned and pulled his shirt up and haramaki down. He lied, he had been stabbed, too. Luffy said they were going to the hospital now. "Nami, don't run off with the treasure."

"I'll come, too… I-I have some bumps and cuts as well," she said, dragging the treasure bag while Luffy carried the bag of maps and navigation tools. They should be very helpful. Zoro insisted he was fine. He pointed out Luffy had blood on his shorts.

Luffy told the truth when he said it was no big deal for him. He lifted it up, and showed scratches but not stab wounds. "Wait, I saw you get hurt! How… how did that happen?" she asked, looking at the three slices. They looked like they were poorly stitched up. Zoro simply said his devil fruit let him heal super quick, so Luffy didn't have to lie. Though that was the one thing he could lie about, out of self-preservation. "Lucky," Nami sighed.

She was able to carry the bag of treasure pretty well. "Hey, wanna join our crew?" Luffy suddenly asked. Nami frowned in confusion. "We're pirates. Want to join us?" Zoro and Luffy watched her closely. Then a knife was thrown at them and Luffy grabbed Nami and pulled her out of the way right before it hit, slamming into the ground hard enough to break the blade.

Nami was shaking, looking at the knife that was to impale her neck. Luffy let loose a punch that stretched far enough to slam the guy in the face. "Maybe we should walk down a different street," Zoro said. He was bleeding a lot, but had already shown he didn't get sick from blood loss easily. Maybe that wasn't actually a good thing…

"You saved my life," Nami said, still shaken.

"He does that a lot. Rescued me from execution, too," Zoro said. He started to look unstable, so Luffy put him on his back regardless of being several inches shorter. They should hurry. The three ran to the hospital, where Nami knew the villagers were. When they got there, Zoro was immediately taken in for treatment, while Luffy and Nami waited in the small lobby. It was lucky there weren't many people there.

But Luffy could hear a lot of voices outside, so that was probably where all the villagers were. "So, wanna join? We're not bad pirates, right? It'll be fun!" Nami frowned, but then smiled.

"For now. You won't have a better navigator with you! Plus, we have a map of the Grand Line. That's very rare to find and really valuable. I was going to sell it, but I guess I don't have to anymore," she said. Luffy cheered loudly. He touched his hat, only to realize there was a hole in it. He took it off, and looked at the slice in the brim.

Nami offered to fix it for him. "Really?!"

"Yeah. It's not like it would take a long time," she said. She sounded actually happy, which was really nice! And he could tell she wasn't lying. Hearing the signs of lies wasn't much useful up until now, since he was surrounded by honest people on Dawn Island.

Luffy wanted his crew to be happy when sailing with him and was glad she wasn't seeming like a bad person so far. She commented on his hair. "Did you dye it like that?" she wondered. Luffy put the hat back on and said he was born with that. "Wow, it looks really unique." She looked at a strand of her own hair in disappointment, but didn't say anything about it. Luffy asked if she was jealous, and she shoved his shoulder, making Luffy giggle.

"You really don't seem like a pirate," Nami said. Luffy didn't know if it was praise of a sort of disappointed sound.

"I'm super strong and cool, but I won't kill people. I'll try not to. Neehee, I'll get better at stealing, though. I dined and dashed with my brother a lot," Luffy explained. Nami got invested in sharing her exploits and skill as a thief. It seemed a topic she was proud to brag about.

They waited in the lobby for Zoro to come out, grumpy and scowling. He was moving cautiously, slowly. Luffy asked if he was okay. "Yeah. I just gotta be careful with the stitches," Zoro said. "So, did you join us yet?" he asked bluntly.

"Yup. I'm going to be your navigator. For now," she said confidently. "And we have all this money to buy a better ship. You two have a boat you came in, right?" Luffy made a pinched face. "What?"

"It's tiny. It barely fits the two of us," Luffy replied. Nami frowned. They could just buy one with all of the treasure they had. But they were still spitting them in half. Half for them, half for her, though she initially wanted more than half. Luffy agreed to this, and they left. Zoro still walked slowly. They passed part of the decimated city, and Nami frowned, stopping walking.

The other two stopped, but didn't ask anything. She was clearly thinking about something. "This place needs the money more than I do, doesn't it?"

Zoro replied, "Well, that's your decision. It's your money right now, you choose what to do with it, don't you?" Luffy stayed quiet, wondering what Nami would choose to do. He had a feeling she'd do the right thing. They could keep some of the money. There were only three of them. She sighed and closed her eyes. She walked off, saying she'd be back later.

Luffy looked to Zoro. "Well, we should go get some food and water right? And alcohol." Zoro nodded. "Okay, you go back to the ship and I'll go shopping."

"Hell no. You can't go shopping on your own." Luffy pouted, but then laughed, admitting he was probably right. Zoro smiled and the two walked through the city, following the smell. Zoro asked how Luffy knew where the market was. He couldn't lie, of course, which was annoying. "Is there more to your thing than you told me? Your wound healed pretty well unnaturally fast."

The youngest had a fairly straight face, but Zoro was patient as they found the market. It was far from the side of the city where the pirates had been, where they'd destroyed so much. So many homes and shops. "Yeah," Luffy finally said. "Nothing major, really. Just better senses of smell and sound. And blood makes me heal faster."

"Cool," Zoro said simply. "Too bad nothing can make me heal fast like that. Though I already heal pretty well on my own. Though this wound is annoying. I can't even run right." Luffy frowned. He asked if the blood loss was really bad. "Not bad enough to go buy some blood bags. Besides, I did ask. The doctor wouldn't tell me, bitch."

Luffy looked down. "It's not a problem. Besides you had some today already. You won't need any before all of my blood is replenished. Don't worry so much, captain." Luffy nodded, and took his hand. Zoro took it without a word, intertwining their fingers. They went shopping and got a lot of apples, booze, water, and jerky. They had no kitchen or fridge to keep food good on their boat. And any boat Nami got wouldn't have a kitchen either. They were sure.

When they got back to the dock, Nami was there, with her own boat. It had a tiny cabin. "Oh, I was wondering where you went," she said. Luffy lifted up the bags, saying they went to the market, unnecessarily. "What did you buy?"

"Meat and apples and booze and water."

"How much did you spend?"

"300 berrieses. Not that much."

"Good. Listen here. All I like is money and tangerines. So we're wasting no money at all! I'll be in charge of all of it," Nami said forcefully, and took the bag of treasure. Zoro scowled, but Luffy just loaded the ships. He could tell they were taking both when he saw Nami had connected them with rope. Luffy was glad Nami had a cabin on hers. They'd no doubt be out to sea more than a week, meaning Luffy would need Zoro.

He wasn't his blood bank. More like his donor. Definitely more that than a blood bank. They got into the boats, and Luffy made to go into hers. "Hey! This is my space, that's yours," she said harshly. Zoro snapped that Luffy was the captain, not her. "I paid for this boat with my side of the money. And I'm the navigator, so all the other supplies belong to me," she countered. "Let's go, now." Zoro seethed at her, but Luffy wasn't especially upset. He got into the boat, and Nami looked at a compass and the map. "We're going to the nearest island."

"Great! Then we can get some meat there. Mmm, I want steak." He took out a strip of jerky. "It's good, but real meat is better. Juicy and hot. Mmmm~" he said, imagining eating a steak. One he'd caught would be best, but he wasn't hunting off the island. Nami frowned.

"How did you two even survive? You had nothing to navigate with." Zoro sat down and told her they just wandered around, hoping for the best. They had run out of food and water a while ago. "You're both idiots! You sailed the open ocean without any navigation tools?" Luffy chimed that he'd had a compass but had lost it quickly.

Zoro snapped back that they were alive. "Just because you can't do something like that doesn't mean we're stupid for doing it." Nami shouted on why on earth she would choose to sail around like that. Luffy interrupted them, putting his hat out. "You said you'd fix it, right?" he asked. He hated seeing it damaged at all. And he felt bad for not even noticing when it happened.

Nami snatched it away, and as they sailed, she stitched it back together quickly. He was so happy when it was given back in perfect condition. "Thanks!" Nami said to not pull it too hard. "Okay." He pulled it to see how durable it was. It ripped. "Hey, that's not durable at all! Ahhh! Fix it, Nami!"

"I just told you not to pull on it," she snapped. But she fixed it again. "If you rip it again I'm not fixing it for you." Luffy promised he wouldn't rip it, and covered his hair. She kept looking at the compass, keeping track of where they were going. The next island. He wondered what it would be like. He assumed the Grand Line islands were more exciting than here. The East Blue was boring, but an easy start.

She asked about his hair again. "I mean, black with white spots is kind of odd, isn't it? Is it genetic?" Luffy asked if it mattered. He didn't want to talk about it. "Is that why you wear your hat?" she wondered, though sounding nicer. "I think it looks cool. Besides, Buggy had blue hair, Zoro had green. What's so weird about black and white?"

Luffy simply said he didn't know it was genetic. He'd never met either of his parents. "Only my grandpa, and then my brothers. But we're not genetically related or anything. So I don't know if my mom or dad had this. But I don't wear it just to cover it. It's just a plus side that it does! s This hat is really important to me. Shanks gave it to me, and once I'm strong and the Pirate King, I'm giving it back." He smiled at the end, his hand on the Straw Hat.

"So, it's a promise."

"Yeah." Nami smiled, and said that was sweet. "Shanks is awesome. I hope I get to see him soon. So, what's your dream? Zoro wants to be the strongest swordsman in the world. I want to be the Pirate King. What's your dream?" Luffy asked curiously. Nami smiled back.

She said, in a dreamy voice, "I want to make a map of the world. But with both of your dreams, it's not that far fetched." Zoro was watched with a thoughtful look on. Luffy sat opposite of him, facing Nami. They sailed for a while before they had apples and jerky for dinner, and then slept. Luffy kept watch the first half, and Nami the second. Zoro was to rest and heal, which he thought was humiliating.

Nami called him ridiculous, and Zoro called her weak. It looked like it would be awhile until they became friends. They sailed for a few days, and Luffy noticed Nami kept watching them when he leaned against Zoro, or sat in his lap. He could hear her in the cabin, saying they were "so cute".

"She thinks we're cute," Luffy said one day, Nami in her cabin. Luffy wished they could have a cabin when it rained or was cold at night. But she wouldn't even let them on that ship, the stolen Buggy one. She lied, she hadn't bought it, she stole it. Though with the pirate flag on it, maybe it was stupid to have believed that lie. Zoro looked down at Luffy in his lap.

"Well, I guess that's partially true," he admitted. Luffy giggled.

-x-

"Island! Island!" Luffy screamed three days after they started their journey. Zoro jerked awake and smacked Luffy on the head for screaming in his ear. Luffy got up and stretched his arm to bang on Nami's cabin wall. He could hear her swearing colofully, threatening to bludgen him with her staff if he was saying something stupid.

Jeez. She said mean things when she thought nobody was listening. "What?!" she demanded. Luffy pointed to the island excitedly. He wanted to explore somewhere fun, and that island smelled like a forest, not a city. The navigator hurried inside and got her telescope and looked at the island. Luffy grabbed at it, but she pulled it away.

"That island is no good! It's unpopulated, so it's useless. Let's keep going," she said. Luffy refused. They would have an adventure on every island they crossed. "That will take forever!"

"You in a hurry for some reason?" Zoro asked calmly. He wasn't sharing the excitement Luffy was, even though he had a look of content on. Nami didn't know what to say for a minute before she admitted there was no real reason to hurry. Luffy grinned, and declared, "Captain's orders, we are going to that island!"

They moved to dock at that island, and Luffy heard and smelled all sorts of different animals. It would be fun, his first time on another island that wasn't a city. When they docked on the shore, they pulled the boats to the sand so they wouldn't float away, and looked up at the dense foliage and large rock mountains.

Nami had her staff out. "Don't worry, we're here!" he said. "Besides, it's not like there's bad people here or anything."

"And how do you know that?" she asked, though it didn't sound snappy. Luffy vaguely said he just did. They went in further, Luffy entering the forest, running, looking for anything interesting. He barely caught sight of interesting animals before they fled from him. His face fell, and he slowed to a stop.

Animals had always been uneasy around him. He didn't always like it. All animals ran from him. He'd never actually pet any animal. Even the dog at the bandit's hut refused to touch him. "What's wrong?" Zoro asked, Nami following behind. Luffy quietly said the animals were all afraid of him. "Like that lion." The youngest nodded.

Nami asked why. Luffy just shrugged. "Hey, Luffy? I have some questions." Luffy looked, nervous that she'd caught onto something. He hadn't done anything in front of Nami with Zoro. he wasn't nearly thirsty enough to risk anything. Maybe they could get some alone time here. Say they were bathing or something, and have Nami ditch. "How did your wound heal? They were deep, I saw them. And how would rubber heal that fast? Then there's all the bite marks on Zoro, and how you scare off animals. Not to mention how you knew an island was there when it wasn't even in sight for the naked eye yet."

Luffy looked down, not knowing if he could trust Nami. he didn't want to scare her away. Zoro was standing with his arms crossed, tense. How did they not notice the bite marks that were visible on him? On his arms, though not completely easy to see under regular light.

"You can tell me," she said sincerely. Luffy said he didn't want her to leave. "I won't. I have my own secrets, too." Luffy knew they were nothing like his. Zoro searched her face, and it was earnest and understanding. He nodded to Luffy, telling him he thought it was safe to tell her.

Luffy turned to her, and said, "I'm not fully human." He took one of his contacts out, and Nami was startled by the red. But she didn't look afraid. She slowly asked what the other part of him was. She promised she wouldn't freak out. "Well, I don't really know. My grandpa and brother called it being half demon, but I don't actually know. It's not like I came from hell or anything."

Nami's eyebrows were raised as high as they could, and her eyes were wide. "Well… I wasn't expecting that. Do you b-bite Zoro?"

"Luffy has to ingest blood to survive. If he doesn't, he'll die. I'm a donor for him." Both boys stared at her hard, Luffy's gaze cold and Zoro's defensive. She asked if he was a vampire or something. "It's not like he burns in the sunlight."

The half human said, "I'd never hurt you. And it's not like I have claws, or super strength or speed. All I have is some enhanced smell and hearing senses. Other than that, I can't really do much. I only healed my wound by drinking from one of the pirates," he explained. Now was the moment of truth. Would she run away and ditch them, or accept him how he was?

They were all quiet for a beat. "I'm not scared of you. I'm a little unnerved about the blood drinking thing, which I think is kind of warranted. But it's not like you've attacked me when I'm sleeping and vulnerable or anything. And I don't think you're evil, either." She smiled at Luffy, who beamed, too. "Your hair has to do with it, too, doesn't it?" Luffy nodded. He thought so.

She then turned to Zoro, asking him why he let Luffy drink from him. It wasn't in disgust or shock, just curiosity. It was clear Zoro liked Luffy more than a friend, though Luffy wasn't going to claim it was love yet. It had only been a little over two weeks since they met. Zoro simply said the truth. "It looked interesting. So I wanted to try it."

"And it doesn't hurt?"

"Shishishi, Zoro thinks it feels good," Luffy said honestly. Zoro crossed his arms tighter and Nami looked at him dryly. He asked if there was a problem with that. "It doesn't hurt him or anything, he offers to do it for me. I need blood at least once a week. If I tire myself out or get hurt, then I need it more frequently." He felt lighter, feeling confident to explain everything openly.

Nami was accepting him. It felt uplifting. "Maybe we should get some blood bags at the next inhabited island. So you don't have to drink from Zoro too often," she said conversationally. She smiled at Luffy. "Not scared, and I'm not gonna run away. Things just got more interesting." Luffy laughed, beaming so wide it should be painful.

Zoro looked happy for Luffy, and he took his hand. "Even if the animals are running away, there's still stuff to explore," he pointed out. Luffy nodded, and the three walked deeper into the forest.

"Hey, can you transform your body?" Nami asked, oddly interested in the whole thing. Luffy shook his head. "Do your teeth get sharper? I mean, they look completely normal. Do the bites hurt later? What's blood taste like? Is it gross? It smells bad and tastes like metal."

"Do you ever stop talking?" Zoro asked in annoyance. Nami shot back that she was talking to Luffy, not him. She grinned and accused Zoro of being jealous. He wasn't the only one keeping the secret anymore. "I'm not jealous," he snapped back. Luffy laughed, and then answered Nami's questions honestly.

He replied, "I can't change my shape, but that would be super cool! My teeth don't get sharper. I mean, my canines are sharper than the others, but everyone has that. You'll have to ask Zoro about the bites. But blood tastes different from each person. It's all made up of the same stuff, but nothing tastes the same. Zoro tastes really good." Nami's face turned red and she looked away, Zoro laughing at her. He chimed in that the bites felt sore later, but healed quickly. "I'm glad. I wouldn't want Zoro to hurt a lot afterwards."

Zoro grabbed him around the waist. "It's totally worth any soreness later," he said. "You don't get to feed off any future members. Only me, got it?" Luffy grinned and laughed, agreeing just fine. Nami's face was nearly steaming about listening to this conversation. "You don't get to make a move on him, either. If you do, I'll chuck you into the sea."

"Shishishi, Nami likes girls," Luffy observed.

"What?! How do you know that?!" Nami demanded angrily. Luffy was surprised, and shrugged. Zoro snickered. Looks like there were zero straight people on the crew so far. "Don't tell anybody else!"

Luffy said she shouldn't be upset about it. "Me and Zoro are obviously not liking the opposite sex. Not like it's weird to the crew. Shishishi, what if we only recruited gay people!" Nami couldn't help but snort and break into laughter. Luffy was glad she was liking travleing with them so far. "Maybe you'll find someone you like, too!"

Nami smiled. "That would be nice," she said softly. They found the animals continued to hide from them, but Luffy soon smelled a human. He stunk. But Zoro and Luffy didn't smell good. They forgot to take a shower back on the other island, so their remedy had been to scrub sea water and apple bits all over their bodies, trying to make it smell different. Even Nami had tried that out, but it didn't work well and she only ended up being embarrassed about trying their stupid hack.

Luffy alerted them that there was someone there. But then a gunshot went off and one slammed into Luffy's back. Zoro and Nami screamed in horror before the bullet bounced back the way it came. "Ah, that surprised me!" Luffy said. "Where'd it come from?" Zoro and Nami were speechless. "I'm made of rubber," he stated simply. Both let a heavy sigh in relief. Then they whirled around to look for the culprit.

"It's that furry chest! That's the other human!" Luffy shouted. It went running away. "Wait! Let me see you! Why are you in a chest! Doesn't your back hurt!" he shouted as he chased him. He shot his arms out and grabbed the chest, lifting it up so it couldn't go anywhere. He kicked his hairy feet, shouting to be let go.

"Let me go, monster!" Zoro hurried forward and put his sword to the guy's face.

"You say that again and I'll cut you into pieces," he threatened darkly. "You also tried to kill him. Just for that, you deserve death yourself." He was furious that somebody tried to kill and then insult Luffy. Nami didn't look like she disagreed.

Luffy told them to calm down. "I'm not dead, right? Besides, he's so weird, I want to know what happened to him! How is your body stuck in there?" he asked, standing in front of him. He no doubt had heard everything. How had Luffy not smelled him before? Maybe because he reeked, probably going decades without a bath. And how would he, trapped in a treasure chest?

He fell onto his back, and kicked his feet, yelling at them to lift him up. Zoro sat on top of the chest, keeping him on his back. It was sturdy and didn't bend. He was pissed still at how he'd treated Luffy. Luffy didn't really care. He wasn't injured, and he was interested, now. "So. What the fuck are you? Broccoli head."

"Wow, he's really mad," Nami whispered. "Stooping so low as to petty insults. Tch."

"You shut up, woman!"

"What did you just say?!"

"Hey, mister, why are you here all alone?" Luffy asked, ignoring the arguing of his two nakama. "And how did you get stuck there. And how did you even hold a gun like that?" Luffy looked perfectly harmless, and he was for the most part, but this guy had already heard about what Luffy was and what he had to do to survive.

The guy turned his head to the side to not talk even though he couldn't leave. Zoro was still sitting on him. Luffy wondered if he was born like that. "Of course I wasn't born like this! It was from an accident. I've been trapped here ever since, but stay for the animals. Your presence is frightening them! Get off this island, now!" Zoro said they didn't take orders from him. Luffy felt sad. That he was scaring all the animals. He wasn't going to hurt them. He wished they wouldn't be afraid of just his presence. At home, on Dawn Island, frighting off the animals was fun. Having to run after them to hunt. And Luffy never drank animal blood because Ace said it made him sick when he didn't remember himself.

But now it just made him upset, feeling like he was losing valuable experiences. Animals were amazing, and yet he didn't even get to see any that were on this island, even knowing the forest was densely populated. "That still gives you no right to try and kill him!" Nami scolded, kicking his head.

Zoro agreed, and refused to get up. Luffy composed himself again. "Maybe we should leave," Luffy said to his friends. "I don't want to scare all the animals. I don't mean to. I just can't control it," he said sadly. Nami's face fell in sympathy and Zoro just looked pitying. "It's always been like that. Animals are always afraid of me, even when I don't do anything."

"Cause you're a demon," the chest guy said. He didn't sound like he was throwing it as an insult anymore, but it hurt more than a gunshot did. Luffy swallowed, and said he knew that. They were leaving, now. He turned around and walked towards the boat. Zoro grabbed the chest guy and tossed him into a tree.

"Have fun trying to get down!" he shouted. Nami walked up to Luffy and told him he wasn't scary when it mattered. She never was close with animals either.

Luffy smiled. "I'm fine. I'm not leaving because I'm sad. I don't want the animals to be upset." Zoro took his hand. They could hear the jerk shouting from the tree. "Man! And I was so interested! How does he fit in that tiny chest?" Luffy said in disappointment. Nami said it was unnatural. "I wonder if it hurts."

Zoro said he didn't care if it hurt, still very sour. Luffy smiled, and didn't tell him to calm down. He let him be angry. He'd cool off eventually. He'd just get irritated if he was told to calm down. Nami knew this, too, and didn't say a thing either. "Well, onto the next island, I guess," the navigator said, stretching. "Hopefully we can stay on land longer at the next island, huh?"

The other two nodded, and she added that they shouldn't talk about Luffy's circumstances so openly. Obviously, people could be listening in, and could try to harm him. It was just so lucky he wasn't hurt from being shot. Zoro still was kind of traumatized by that. He pulled up Luffy's shirt on the ship, looking at the small purple circle. "Does it hurt?"

"Nope! I'm surprised there's a bruise. Usually I never bruise," Luffy said conversationally. "I've been beaten up a lot by my brothers who we fought. Shishishi, I was the weakest one. Not anymore!" he said, and then laughed again.

The next island was three more days away, so not too bad. The East Blue wasn't as small as some may think. It was still part of the ocean, one fourth of what wasn't the Grand Line. He looked forward to it so much! But Nami was right when she said they had zero chance of surviving with the crew and supplies they had now.

"Yeah, we need something with a kitchen."

"Well, yeah, but I also mean a more sturdy ship with more navigation tools. And a bigger crew would be the best to enter the Grand Line in. Three of us won't do. We need at least a few more," Nami explained, slightly altering the direction of the boats in the right direction. "Sadly, we don't have much money in the end. Not enough to buy a big ship, but we need something."

Luffy grinned. "I already have an idea for the flag, too. Then we can be real pirates! And get bounties, too. I can't wait." Nami asked why they'd want bounties. "Because it shows the world you're strong! I'm sure Zoro will get a big one, too. He's gonna be the best swordsman in the world, after all," Luffy mused.

Zoro then ruined the mood. "Luffy, are you hungry?" he asked suddenly. Luffy looked to the side. "Have you been hiding it since Nami's here?" Nami frowned. Luffy didn't answer, but that was enough. "If you didn't want her to watch, you could have asked. Not starve yourself." The eldest teen sounded sour. Luffy frowned, and admitted he was really hungry. "Nami, go inside," Zoro said.

Nami nodded, and went inside her cabin. Again, Luffy was grateful for at least this privacy. Zoro pulled Luffy into his lap easily, the youngest teen very lightweight, being made of rubber and all. Zoro pulled his shirt collar to the side. Luffy was salivating and moved to bite down, sucking harshly. Zoro was clearly doing his best not to react with Nami no doubt able to hear. He bit his own lip, but couldn't help the rest of his body. He shoved his hands down Luffy's pants, grabbing his ass in his calloused hands.

Luffy's face was bright red in embarrassment while he enjoyed the drinking. When Zoro started to show signs of fatigue, Luffy pulled back, panting. Zoro grabbed his face with one hand and yanked it down. He moved his hands to Luffy's front, and Luffy jerked away, shattering the moment.

There was no way he was ready for any touching like that. His face was red, and his eyes wide. He wiped his mouth and Zoro looked horrified. "Luffy? I went way too far, didn't I?" he asked with an angry voice at himself. Luffy just nodded, and Zoro put his face in his hands. "I'm so sorry. I got really carried away."

"It's -"

"Not okay. I'm sorry, really." Luffy nodded, saying he forgave him. Luffy quietly asked if he'd ever done… that with someone else. He didn't know what response he wanted. "No." It surprised Luffy. "I just… reacted. It felt so good, so I guess I just wanted to return the favor… without even asking your permission." He looked so ashamed.

Luffy walked back to him and sat next to him, leaning his head against his shoulder. Zoro vowed he wouldn't do that again. Not without permission, no matter how good it felt for him. "Thanks," Luffy said. The rest of the day, with Nami pretending like she hadn't heard everything, Zoro was down, and angry. Not at Luffy, but himself, full of self-hatred.

They agreed that Luffy wouldn't go more than four days without feeding. They both had a feeling that the longer he went without any, the more desperate he got. And the more Zoro reacted to it. So, they had a schedule. Nami said she'd remind them if they forgot. Luffy doubted they'd forget, but thanked her.

Luffy hoped they could get a new ship before they got a fourth member. Not everyone is Nami. Gay and fine with Luffy's circumstances. Not even bothered by Luffy drinking from Zoro just a few yards away. Though she said the most uncomfortable part was hearing Zoro's reaction. He covered his burning face in his hands. Nami was amused, but took pity on him. "I won't bring it up again." Then she smirked. "Hehe. But that blood drinking must feel really good, huh? To get so carried away," she teased, getting a furious glare from Zoro.

Luffy said, "I've never had anyone else who liked it. But they've also all been unconscious, and I've only done it to a few people ever. I don't want them knowing what I'm doing, y'know? So I don't know. I doubt anybody else would be fine with this like Zoro is. Besides, I promised him I wouldn't do it with anyone else who joins us. I don't care if strangers like it, they'll be asleep the whole time."

Zoro put his arm around Luffy's shoulders. Luffy smiled, glad they were able to move on from that extremely awkward and uncomfortable incident. Luffy felt bad for reacting that way, but Zoro was glad he didn't let him do anything that Luffy didn't want. "I really wonder who else will join and be okay with this."

"Don't tell them."

"I won't. It's not my secret to tell," Nami replied, and looked in the telescope around. "We should be seeing the island soon. Can you already sense it?" she asked the captain. Luffy took in a deep breath. He pointed to the west, and Nami turned the boats a bit, and the island came into view. "Damn, that's impressive!"

Luffy beamed and rubbed under his nose. "Out on the ocean, it's easy to smell land when there's only one island nearby." Zoro stood up and stretched.

"We're staying on this one for at least a few days. I don't care what's on that island. We need a break from sailing on two dingy boats with barely enough room to lay down. At least for some of us," Zoro said, throwing a glare at Nami. She wasn't bothered. Just said a lady needed her space. "Then you could have taken this boat, which is more suited for one person."

"You would seriously make me sleep outside when I can sleep inside?"

"You wouldn't even share the blanket! And Luffy's too soft to order it!" Luffy giggled as they came closer and closer to the island. He could smell people there. Four of them were at the beach. Or at least near it. "I can't believe we found an island we were actually looking for!" Luffy said, interrupting their bickering.

"Well, you have a navigator now, I'd be a terrible one if I couldn't even get us to one measly island,"' Nami said. She stood up as they got closer, and were nearly at the beach. Luffy asked if there were villages or towns here. "Yeah, a few. The closest one… hmm, is Syrup Village." Luffy said he could smell four people on the coast, waiting for them. Probably watching them.

Zoro asked, "Do you have any particular smells? Like, enemies smell one way and good guys smell another."

Luffy shook his head. "Everyone smells different. Even all of us being stinky smells different." Nami said she did not smell! "Well, we haven't bathed in a long time. It's to be expected, right? Shishishi, I used to never take baths. I lived in the forest with my brothers in a treehouse. We would bathe in the creek."

Nami looked aghast. Zoro scoffed. "They were little boys. Even if they did live indoors, boys still don't bathe all the time."

"Men are disgusting. Of all ages."

"That's why you like girls."

"Yes, that is part of why I like girls," Nami agreed with Luffy. They laughed before landing, pulling the little boats up onto the shore. "Ah! Finally on land. And for a while. Remember, no talking about it." Zoro and Luffy nodded. Luffy put his hand on his hat and looked up. Hopefully there was an adventure for them here.

Yup, Nami is gay. We can all assume who she ends up crushing on, no spoilers lol. See you next week!

Chapter Text

(chapter 1)Artemispolarbear: Yeah, I can see Zoro not being bothered at all and just napping after finding that out. 

purpleOPlovers: Yeah, Building an understanding family was the preview. First version before I knew it would be so fun to write a longer one that follows the plot! ZoLu was actually my first male/male ship ever. They hold a special place in my heart lol. 

ISawAGhost: Usopp is in this chapter! It feels like it's a fast paced story and some of it is, but not all of it at all. I just didn't really see much interesting content to change up in the last chapter's arc, orange town. This arc is a bit longer and more original. 

(chapter 2) Artemispolarbear: I'm glad you're enjoying it! I'm worried people will be deterred from the romance in the beginning since the first chapter was so heavily Zolu. But there's so much more content and action and humor and mystery for the whole story. I hope the length of it will bring people in.

I just got my second vaccine! I don't want to wait 2 weeks. (╯_╰) Some Luffy drama in this chapter! Enjoy~

Luffy noticed immediately after landing that there were people around. He could easily smell and hear the four. Three sounded pretty young.

Luffy didn't point out knowing they were there. He wanted to know how they reacted. They didn't attack yet, so they probably weren't dangerous. Especially with three being kids. Though he and his brothers had been very dangerous children. He giggled. Zoro asked what was funny. "Just thinking about me and my brothers. Since the people watching are kids."

"Oh yeah, you did say you used to beat up and steal from people." Nami asked what they were talking about. "Luffy was a troublesome child." Luffy laughed loudly, agreeing with that sentiment. He couldn't wait for his crew to meet Ace somewhere in the Grand Line. He knew he already had a bounty, and Luffy was excited to get his own and make it clear to Ace he was stronger than he was three years ago.

The three got bored waiting for any action, so Zoro loudly asked why there were four people watching them. He didn't give away Luffy's sense of sound and smell. The three kids ran away screaming. The three pirates waited expectantly for any move from the guy with a long nose, thick lips, and bushy hair.

He smelled familiar slightly. He sorted through all of the smells of people he knew well, and connected them. "Hey! Are you Usopp?!"

"Ahhh! How'd you know?! Well, don't mess with me. I am Usopp. Captain Usopp! I'm in charge of the security of this village - hey, listen to me!" Luffy wasn't listening and answered his crew's question.

"I know his dad! He was on Shanks' crew. He was a sharp shooter, Yasopp," Luffy explained happily. Usopp asked if he'd met his dad. "Yeah! He's on the Red Haired pirate crew! He was my friend when I was little." Usopp was smiling, and fell down the wall when he tried to drop down. He rolled a few times, slamming into Zoro's foot to stop him rolling.

"...Thanks," Usopp said, standing up and rubbing his nose. "How'd you know it was me?" Luffy grinned and said he looked like him. Of course he didn't say anything about the familiar scent. "And he talked about you sometimes. It was annoying. Shishishi…"

Ten minutes later, they were at a restaurant in the teeny tiny village that Usopp lived in. Luffy wasn't surprised that Yassop left. His life as a pirate fit his personality more than just sticking in this little village. But Luffy wondered how he'd feel whenever he learned that his wife was dead, and Usopp was basically an orphan.

"So, you're looking for companions and a ship?" Luffy nodded, stuffing his face with fresh meat. Actual meat! Cooked meat! They definitely needed a kitchen and then a chef. Definitely, they needed good food for their journey. Usopp seemed a lot different than Yassop. But both talked a lot it seemed.

"You're pirates but you have such tiny boats? Why?"

"Cause we didn't have lots of money. Nami could have stolen one, but she didn't, even though she's a thief," Luffy said, taking another bite of meat. Nami quickly interjected that she stole from pirates only. Luffy doubted that, and so did Zoro, but they both stayed quiet about it. "So, do you know anywhere we can get a new ship? This place seems pretty small but we really need a new ship. Have to have a kitchen to cook meat."

"And booze."

Nami grumbled, "Why do you two only care about meat and alcohol? Don't you want the privacy of your own room on the ship!?" Luffy opened his mouth in a small "o", and said he hadn't thought about it awhile. "You were just thinking about it the other day!" Luffy giggled, and Nami put hand to her face. Usopp laughed, thinking they were funny.

He said, "There's one place a ship could be There's a mansion on top of the hill. The ship belongs to the mansion's owner. It's not a big ship, but it's a lot bigger than the dinghies you guys are using." Luffy hummed around his meat. "The mansion belongs to a young girl, sick and weak who spends all day in her bed." Nami asked why she owned the mansion if she was so ill. Luffy wondered why she wasn't at the doctors.

Usopp continued, saying, "I think it happened about a year ago. Her parents died of a sickness, leaving her with a large inheritance. Tons of money and the mansion itself. She has over ten servants to take care of her, luckily. Even if you're really rich… it doesn't exempt you from suffering."

"It makes it easier," Luffy said untactfully. Nami scolded him lightly. "What? If you're sick and you have money, you get treated, right? Poor people don't matter much to the world."

"Well, that's true, but don't say it like that," Nami said, frowning and not seeming sure what to complain about anymore. Zoro raised his brows, and said he saw nothing wrong with Luffy's point. "Anyways, we shouldn't buy a ship here, then. Won't we be trying to take advantage of a sick girl?" Luffy asked what she meant. "You know, manipulating her circumstances for our own gain."

Zoro and Luffy both gave her a deadpanned look, and she blushed looking away, recognizing she'd pretty much done the same to them in trying to manipulate them into fighting her battle for her own gain. Luffy grinned and said, "Well, that's all in the past. I really want a ship, we need one, but I don't want to be a 'bad' pirate," he mused, and then demanded for more meat. Zoro asked for more alcohol.

Usopp was looking at them strangely. Then he looked back to being at attention. "You were looking for new companions right? If you let me be captain, I'll join." The three immediately declined and went back to their food. Zoro looked very frustrated and insulted. Luffy was the captain. If Usopp was captain, Zoro would leave instantly.

"Don't mind him, Usopp. Luffy is a sensitive subject for Zoro," Nami said dismissively, waving her hand around. Luffy laughed around his new serving of meat, while Zoro chugged his third bottle of straight sake. He really didn't seem to discriminate about what alcohol. As long as there was alcohol present.

Luffy had a train of thought about this, and was distracted by it. "Hey, Zoro. Will you drink anything with alcohol in it?" Zoro nodded. "What about pee?"

"Really? You're asking if I'd drink spiked piss?" he asked in an unimpressed voice. Luffy laughed and said he couldn't help the thought, it just popped into his head. "No, I would not drink spiked piss." Luffy pouted. It was a good question, but then he went back to eating meat. It tasted delicious. There was really no comparison between blood and regular food. They were just so vastly different. Almost like they stimulated different taste buds.

Blood felt rich and very satisfying and not just because of the taste. The feeling of drinking warm blood straight from the source was very fulfilling and extremely satisfying. Food was more fun to eat. It was delicious and made him feel happy. Satisfied in a way once he was full.

"Luffy? Oi, Luffy," Zoro said. Luffy looked up, and realized Usopp left. "Why were you so distracted?"

Luffy took another bite of his meat. "I was contemplating life."

"Oh, no…" Nami said. "That can't be good." Zoro snorted, and Luffy just said he was thinking about "stuff". They didn't ask him what it was before the kids before came in. Luffy looked over at them curiously. They each were holding a little wooden sword. Harmless, really, until you attacked somebody's face with it. Why was he thinking about things like that? Maybe because he was thinking about blood…

"We ate him…" Zoro said, jerking Luffy to attention. He looked at Zoro, who discretely winked at him. Luffy pat his stomach obnoxiously, understanding they were pranking the kids. Why? Luffy didn't know. But it was nice seeing Zoro be goofy. The three faces went pale, and they started to shake in fear.

Zoro added. "Apparently, lying all the time makes the meat more tender." Nami smacked Zoro's head down. That was enough. Luffy burst out into laughter, slamming his fist on the table as he laughed loudly. Nami couldn't help but start laughing, too. Zoro was the only one not breaking character, and still had that sadistic look on.

They ran away screaming Usopp's name, tears in their voices. "Shishishi, Zoro is mean."

"Why would you say that stuff?!" Zoro said it was funny. Nami thought it was, too. "I think it would have been fun for anyone but little kids. What the hell was with the 'tender meat' part? What's wrong with you?" Zoro looked away and rolled his eyes. Luffy laughed again. But then he got up and went after the kids.

He stretched his arm to grab one of their shoulders, making him scream. "Hey, Zoro was just joking. Usopp left before. We didn't eat him," Luffy said. The three sighed in relief. Luffy wondered if they really thought they'd eat him in public. "Besides, if we were to eat somebody, wouldn't it be in private? Everyone would see otherwise!"

"Ah! That's a good point!" the one with glasses exclaimed. Luffy smiled, and asked what their "organization" was. "We're the Usopp Pirates! What are you?" Luffy shrugged. They didn't have a crew name yet. Well, they'd figure some out eventually. They talked for a bit about Usopp mostly. Apparently he lied a lot. A lot. Luffy couldn't imagine lying every day. He could only pull one off at all in his life, let alone many daily! It seemed kind of annoying. To have somebody lie all the time. "Well, they aren't mean lies. He lies a lot to Kaya, but that's good! He makes her feel better with them. A true hero, Captain Usopp!"

Luffy grinned. "That's really nice! I never thought of lies as being helpful. So, they're nice lies… I'm going to the mansion for that ship!" He went running back to the restaurant, finding them coming out. "Oh, did you pay?" they shook their heads. They put it on Usopp's tab. "Hey, we should go to the mansion to look for a ship."

They headed there, Luffy running off ahead of them, Zoro and Nami walking slower with the little kids as they talked about Usopp's friendship with Kaya, the sick girl. Nami thought it was very sweet. "So, he's got a crush on that girl? Why doesn't he just make a move?"

"Not everyone is open about it like you and Luffy, Zoro." The boys asked if he and Luffy were together together. "Yup. They're inseparable." The boys had apparently never heard of boys being with boys. "And girls can be with girls," Nami added. Luffy smiled. He was glad Zoro and Nami were open about things. About that kind of stuff, and their feelings about Luffy's other half.

He thought Usopp was interesting and to come with them, but he felt he'd be scared of him. At least at first. He didn't seem that brave. Luffy could hear his heart beating really fast when he was watching them. That fast usually had to do with fear. But, that was why having a ship would be great! He could feed with Zoro in privacy, and Usopp wouldn't even need to know about it!

Luffy could keep it a secret with the help of his nakama. He swung his arms happily until they were all at the gate. He knocked on it. "'Scuse me, please give us a ship," Luffy said to the gate, where nobody was. They all stood in silence for a moment, and Luffy shrugged before he jumped the gate. "Let's just go in."

"We can't stop him," Nami sighed.

"Then we join him," Zoro replied easily, and jumped the fence next. The two landed in the courtyard, looking up at the huge house. Luffy liked his treehouse more. "Yeah, I couldn't ever live here."

Nami dropped down. "I could! It's beautiful!" she gushed, looking up at the fancy, shiny mansion. More like a small castle! Luffy ran off, calling for Usopp, finding him next to a window with the girl leaning against it, her elbows on the window sill. She looked happy. Maybe Usopp was telling her stories.

"Hey, Nami, that girl is pretty, right?" Nami smacked his head and hissed that just because she preferred girls didn't mean she liked every girl. "Oh, okay." Zoro snickered, and Nami glared at him, cheeks red.

Usopp demanded to know what they were doing there. "We brought this guy here!" the kids said.

Luffy waved. "I want a ship. Oh, please and thank you," he said with a bow. That had to have worked. He was sincere, and she was rich and they had a boat. They should give it to them now. Usopp recovered quickly, and put his arm around Luffy's shoulders. "I'm Lu-"

"This is Luffy, he traveled far and wide to be a new member of the Usopp Pirates!" Luffy started to protest that statement when an adult voice called them. Angrily demanding to know what they were doing here. Usopp shrunk back. The guy had round glasses and combed back hair. "Smells bad," Luffy stated loudly. Zoro pursed his lips and Nami sighed.

"Excuse me, we want a ship."

"No. Now all of you get out right now." Luffy frowned, and crossed his arms. Then, the three watched an utter disaster crash down. The butler, Cladahador or something, started completely insulting Usopp for everything, from his appearance, to his personality and then to his father. Luffy was glaring. This guy was an asshole. He mocked Usopp over having a pirate as a father. Luffy didn't step in, though. This wasn't his fight.

Maybe he should have stopped Usopp when he punched the butler, but it wasn't his fight, and he didn't know these people or how to react. He just knew he hated the butler. Zoro was looking at him in disgust, too. Kaya, the princess-sick girl tried to get the fighting to stop. "Please, no more violence! Clahador isn't a bad person! He's just… concerned about me."

Honestly, she didn't sound very sincere. Luffy was still glaring at the butler. "Get out, now. You savages! You're not welcome here! I'll let you off this time, but I'm warning you to never come back again!"

"Fine! I'll leave even without you telling me to! I'm never coming back here!" Luffy frowned when Usopp left. They probably weren't going to get a ship then. Luffy looked at the butler with a glare.

"You smell, by the way," he said, and turned around to walk to Zoro and Nami, who both looked bothered with the whole event. "Go take a shower." Luffy thought it was kind of hypocritical to say somebody else smelled. And for them to take a shower. Clahador, the butler said nothing as they left, the Usopp pirates shouting at him.

Luffy left the group to follow Usopp, leaving the others behind for now. He found him easily, following the scent and sat next to him on a cliff overlooking the sea. "Yo! Are you really not gonna see the princess anymore?"

"She's not a princess, but I don't know… maybe if that butler apologizes. I hate him," Usopp hissed, glaring at the ground with hatred. Luffy nodded, agreeing he was a jerk. He wondered what he should say. Usopp was really upset, that much was clear just on his face. He looked on the verge of tears. Maybe for anger, embarrassment or hurt.

The rubber boy said, "You should be proud of your dad. He's super cool and proud of you, even if he doesn't know you well." Usopp smiled and nodded. "You should see the princess again. It's not her fault the butler was a jerk. Maybe you can sneak in through the chimney."

Usopp said, "Again, she's not a princess. And… I don't know, maybe I'm a bad influence on her. Lying isn't the best quality, I know that. I lie to her but it's mostly stories. She's so sad and alone and sick. I want to make her feel better," he said in determination. Luffy smiled. "I'm definitely going to go back. I'll let things cool down, let him not be so scared anymore, then I'll go back to see her, no matter what that butler thinks."

"Chimney~..."

"I don't think they have a chimney big enough for me to fit through anyways…." Usopp said slowly. Luffy shrugged. Then he smelled that butler again, and saw him below. Why was he there, too? Usopp yanked him down until they were both on their stomachs, spying on them. There was the butler, and then some other guy.

He had a weird goatee and heart shaped sunglasses with a hat that definitely stood out. "I told you not to stand out here! Why were you sleeping in the middle of the village?" butler asked. Jango, the other man, didn't see anything wrong with that. Luffy asked who he was in a whisper.

Usopp said, "I've never seen him before. I have no idea. He's weird looking, I'd definitely remember him." Luffy thought this was suspicious just by how they were meeting like this, in the middle of nowhere. What were they going to talk about? The two teens stayed silent and listened closely. Their eyes were wide as they waited for something to happen.

"So… are you prepared for it?" butler asked darkly, pushing his glasses up with the heel of his wrist. Kind of a weird way to move his glasses. Usopp and Luffy were both shocked when Jango said he was ready to kill Kaya at any time. "We can start operation 'assassinate Kaya' anytime," Jango replied simply. Like killing an innocent person was nothing big. No big deal to kill an unsuspecting, vulnerable girl.

They were scum, absolutely disgusting. Luffy and Usopp only had to keep listening to get the entire plan and back story. They sure did talk a lot about things they both already knew. But it was good for information for the two spectators! Butler was actually a former pirate captain. Captain Kuro. He gave Jango the gig of captain before landing on this island. Then he told his crew to come back in three years. The only reason Jango liked or respected him was because the job came with benefits.

"And I will get those benefits, right?" Jango asked. He smelled like a hair product that was way too sour. It bothered his nose and he forced back a sneeze. Kuro promised he'd get his share if he did his job. Voice sharp and not how Luffy would ever address his crew. He wouldn't be an abusive captain who didn't care about those below him, or next to him.

Luffy was a pirate captain like Shanks. His crew was his family, even if they didn't feel the same. "Leave the girl to me," Jango said smugly. "Don't worry, I'll make it look like a complete accident! Everything will go just fine." The guy sure was confident. But the conversation wasn't over. Luffy heard Zoro calling his name, and got up and ran to him, shushing him. Luffy continued to listen, glad the little kids weren't there anymore.

The part-human explained what he was hearing. A plan to hypnotize the princess and force her to write Kuro's name into her will before murdering her. Zoro had a dark look on and Nami was holding her hands to her mouth in horror. Luffy could hear Usopp angrily breathing, but not saying anything.

He spent three years gaining everyone's trust only to betray the vulnerable princess. "How horrible!"

"I knew that guy smelled bad," Luffy said. The two pirates were still in the area, and Luffy saw Usopp was freaking out. His face was pale, and he looked terrified for the princess. Maybe he was thinking about how he wasn't strong enough to protect her. It made Luffy angry. He stomped up to the cliff.

He shouted, "Hey, you! Don't you dare touch the princess!" Nobody was going to be able to stop him from thinking of her as a princess. She was rich and pretty and lived in a castle. Usopp begged him to stop, but he was spotted, too, now. Kuro, butler man, whatever his name was, looked at them coldly. Luffy was unafraid, but Usopp was scared. Luffy pinched his hand.

"Did you… hear anything?"

"Nothing!"

"We heard everything!" Luffy declared. He didn't even think before this. Jango said it was no big deal. "I'll deal with this. Look into the pendulum! When I say 'one, two, jango!' you'll both fall asleep."

"Wow, really?" Usopp punched his head, but Luffy stared anyway. When "Jango" was said, Luffy felt himself sort of fuzz out. His ears were ringing, and suddenly everything was red. He jumped off the cliff to attack Jango viciously, and Kuro backed away. Luffy was growling and ripped off Jango's glasses.

"Get him off of me!" Zoro was then there, grabbing him in a headlock, demanding to know what the hell was wrong with him, though his voice was dripping with concern and worry. Jango ran off, and Luffy continued to thrash around like a rabid animal. Zoro scratched his skin and shoved it in front of Luffy's face.

He smelled it and his mind cleared before he fell forward, eyes open and hazy. Zoro was calling his name, freaking out. Nami couldn't get down from the cliff, and was calling out, asking if he was okay. "I don't know!" Zoro shouted back. "Luffy? Can you hear me?"

Luffy turned and vomited onto the ground, feeling absolutely sick. "Ugh… I don' feel good. My head hurts…" Usopp was looking at him in shock and fear, while Nami managed to climb down the cliff and run to him. Neither were afraid of him. Nami asked what happened. "It was when that guy tried hypnotizing me! I just… everything went red and I was so angry and wanted to hurt him."

He was shaking in worry. "D-Do I look any different?"

"No. You just look sweaty and pale. Are you okay? Are you here with us?" He nodded. Nami sighed in relief. Luffy's face was red, and his teeth were clenched. Now everyone would think he was some rabid monster. He had been. He was rabid, he just wasn't foaming at the mouth. At least he didn't bite the guy and drink from him.

Usopp hadn't run away, but he hadn't come closer. Luffy couldn't tell what he was thinking, not facing him. "Is he okay now?" Zoro nodded, Luffy not responding. He felt in control, but was he "okay"? He'd just completely lost control of himself and turned violent in a moment. "It happened when that guy tried to hypnotize him! That one, two, Jango! Maybe it messes with your head!"

Zoro and nami nodded. That could be it. Luffy could tell they were fibbing. They didn't believe that at all, but Usopp bought it. He was glad Luffy was okay. "We have to do something!" Luffy closed his eyes, and could hear Butler and Jango talking. He relayed the information to his crew. The attack was tomorrow morning. A crew would come and attack and kill villagers. Make it look like a pirate raid, and would definitely kill the princess by the end of the day.

Nami said, "We should help. Besides, if she dies, we won't get the ship. What? I'm just saying the truth." Luffy nodded, but was afraid to face Jango again. If Zoro hadn't been there, he might have killed the guy in cold blood, with his own bare hands. The guy was no doubt freaked about him, now. That Luffy was some monster. He'd been clawing and ripping at him, growling the whole time.

He was ashamed and embarrassed. "Zoro, I think it would be best to have some," Luffy said quietly, so Usopp couldn't hear. Zoro nodded, not protesting at all, or showing an ounce of hesitation. He stood up with Luffy, and they walked down the beach. Usopp asked where they were going. "We'll be back in a bit. I gotta do something first."

"Oh, okay…" Nami suggested they try and form a plan. Luffy and Zoro hurried to a cliff that wasn't near any land where someone could see. He made sure nobody was around when he bit down on Zoro's shoulder and only drank a little bit. Slowly, which seemed to not illicit the extreme pleasure that sucking hard did. He pulled away, and left a lingering kiss there.

Zoro tilted his head up and kissed him sweetly. "Let's go save a village. We're weird pirates, helping people." Luffy smiled. He liked being this kind of pirate. "I guess I do, too, now. When I feel like it, or you do, captain," Zoro said fondly, looking at Luffy with what could only be described as love. He didn't say the words, which Luffy was glad about. He didn't want to rush. But he also would want to hear those words that he'd only ever heard from Ace when he was leaving.

When he was saying goodbye to the only brother he had left. Not even Garp had ever said it to him. Though Zoro saying it would be much different than his family. They left, following the scent he knew was Nami's. They found her relatively quickly. She was with the kids, and Luffy asked where Usopp went.

"To warn everyone about tomorrow," Nami said, sitting on the fence. "So, what will we do? Are we going to help, or leave while we can?" she asked. Luffy wanted to help. "I didn't really expect anything different. Are you feeling better, now?"

Luffy nodded. "I feel completely back to normal. Sorry for worrying you guys." Zoro pointed out he was probably the most worried. "Yeah… it was unnerving. Losing control of myself like that. At least I didn't grow claws or anything like that," he said in a shaky voice. The three boys weren't listening, waiting for Usopp to come back.

Nami quietly said, "You're really lucky to have one another. And that Zoro's okay with it." She had a light smile on. Zoro asked if she was jealous in a teasing voice. "Yeah. But it's endearing, too." Luffy smiled widely. They'd find someone that clicked with her. He promised. "Big promise, but I'll believe you, even if it's a foolish thing to promise."

Luffy laughed, and said, "I'm really glad you like sailing with us." Nami had a guilty look on for a second before her smile was back.

"I agree. I just can't wait to have a bigger ship. Though my hopes are low about getting one here," she added, with the other two agreeing with that. It was unlikely that things would go well enough to get them that ship. The one they really wanted, and frankly needed, by now. They couldn't get any more crew members with those tiny boats. Not without it being quite uncomfortable and completely cramped.

Chapter Text

Artemispolarbear: So much Zolu fluff in this story but also dark elements having to do with Luffy. Hehehe, wait until Enies Lobby and Impel Down. Though that's really far away.

Usopp came walking over, looking incredibly dejected. Luffy watched in confusion when the long-nosed teen told them all that pirates weren't going to attack. He was lying the whole time. Luffy was confused. He'd heard it all, too. Zoro looked at him, and Luffy gave an unsure shrug, not knowing why Usopp was doing this. What was the point? "Just like all the other times, it was just a lie!" he said with a laugh. "I was just having revenge on that butler! By making up stories about him being a pirate!" He laughed again.

Luffy was… disappointed. The three kids were, too, but for a different reason. They left, disagreeing with what Usopp lied about, it wasn't right to make up lies like that. The three stayed silent, expecting an explanation that they got almost the moment the kids were out of hearing range.

"Because I lied so much, none of the villagers believed me."

"Even so, the pirates are still going to attack, right?" Nami asked. Usopp nodded, completely sure. They were going to attack in the morning, he was positive.

He punched the ground, a guilty look on his face. "No one believes me! They all think tomorrow morning will be completely normal!" Then he declared he was going to save the village anyway, even if none of them believed him. Even if they got angry at him again, chased him with the aim to hurt him. This was his home and he'd protect it. "I love this village. I can't do nothing when everyone is going to be killed!"

The three pirates smiled, and vowed to help him. "But I get the treasure," Nami said suddenly. Luffy asked what the plan was, while Usopp was crying silently, looking in shock. Why would stranger pirates help him out with this? But didn't he know they were friends already? And friends helped friends, didn't they?

While the three pirates looked unbothered and not nervous at all, Usopp was shaking in fear, and tried to get himself to stop. "Stop looking at me, of course I'm scared! A pirate fleet is going to attack tomorrow!" he shouted, looking embarrassed about being so scared. "I don't need your sympathy, go away!"

Luffy frowned, his eyebrows furrowing in annoyance. But Zoro was the one to reply first. "We're not sympathizing with you! We're commending you for having courage." Luffy glared and asked why else they would risk their lives.

Usopp started to cry again, but wasn't angry. It had only lasted a few seconds. "You guys… I'm so touched!" he cried. Luffy grinned.

-x-

The next morning, they stood at the slope they poured oil on, which would stop the pirates from getting up the cliff from the beach. They would guard it, make sure nobody made it past them. The pirates were close, Luffy could smell them and the smell of alcohol. It was strong there. He told Zoro they were near, without Usopp hearing.

Zoro put his arm around Luffy's waist. Usopp was watching them, and asked if they were together. Luffy simply nodded. Usopp said nothing more, and they didn't see his expression after he found out.

But Luffy heard and smelled their ship coming from the other direction, and he bluntly said that. Zoro cursed, and Usopp shouted in horror. Luffy went running in that direction to stop them from getting to the village, running as fast as he could, which was pretty fast, to be honest. But he somehow found his way to the village.

"I'd been going to the north shore! What the heck?!" he said angrily, and then went in the direction he thought he'd been going to before. He managed to find it, but was now angry he'd missed the fight! When he got there, Zoro arrived, too, and stunk of the oil. He told Luffy to not ask before he did.

Nami called, "What took you so long?"

"How dare you kick me!" Zoro shouted.

"You didn't even tell me where north was, Usopp!" Luffy shouted just as angrily. They were there to kick some ass. Jango looked at Luffy with a slight amount of worry on his face. After all, Luffy had outright, violently attacked him out of nowhere. He was an enemy, so Luffy wasn't so against doing such a thing again.

Zoro and Nami got into an argument about Nami making Zoro slide down the slick path up onto the island, where he couldn't get back up. Luffy was losing his irritation at Usopp, and just wanted to kick some ass. But all of them seemed pretty beat up, so Luffy wondered if there'd be a fight at all.

"Everyone will get stronger when I say 'one, two, Jango'!" Jango said. "One, two, Jango!" and all of the men got stronger. But Luffy was watching again, and went fuzzy. Zoro was there, holding him back. Luffy struggled against the restraint. This time, he wasn't calmed by the smell of Zoro's blood.

Usopp asked if he was okay, and Nami told Zoro to just release him. "If he's this angry, he'll go all out," she pointed out. Luffy was snarling and thrashing around in Zoro's strong grip, and the oldest let go, Luffy sprinting down and viciously beating all of them, punching them in the face, neck, groin, solar plexus. Scratched their faces and arms harshly, spitting rabidly again.

Usopp sounded worried and uneasy, and Luffy could hear Zoro and Nami's slightly worried breathing, a little quicker than usual. But Luffy beat all of them, and destroyed Jango's pendulum. He attacked him, slamming his head into the ground over and over until Zoro pulled him away. "That's enough, Luffy," he said, rubbing circles on his chest. "Come back, everything is okay."

Luffy's eyes cleared, and he swayed before righting himself. Nami came over, and asked if he was okay. "Ah… yeah. Oh no, did I go crazy again?" he asked.

"We would have beat them up regardless. Though I didn't get to fight at all," Zoro complained. "It's good that thing affecting you is broken now. It won't bother you anymore," he added on a more positive note. Usopp slowly walked down the path and a few yards away from Luffy. The long nosed teen asked if Luffy was okay. He nodded, but said nothing. The liar was probably very uncomfortable with what happened.

If Luffy were him, he would be, too. But Luffy hadn't even looked twice at his nakama when he went crazy. "Well, the crew is done, now all we have to do is fight the butler pirate," Nami said simply, holding her staff relaxed. Usopp looked confused with their ease. Though Zoro was much more worried about Luffy than the village's problems.

Luffy wasn't feeling good, like the last time. He didn't feel sick, but just tired and weak. He didn't want to do anything to Zoro before a fight. Maybe he could find somebody else? Well, there were a ton of bodies here. Live ones. Ripe for the picking.

Luffy asked, "You guys go on ahead. I'll catch up." Usopp asked why, but was cut off by affirmations from his two current crew members. They knew why he needed to stay behind. Zoro didn't look that happy about it, but Luffy never fed twice in one day anymore. Usopp was confused when he heard that they were okay, but he left, too.

Once they were all far enough away to not see or hear, Luffy picked up one of the men, and dragged him around the corner of a cliff on the coast, and bit down on his neck, and drank heavily, not caring if he got sick afterwards. He drank a lot, but the guy didn't wake up. Then Luffy wiped his mouth on his shirt, and licked his teeth, trying to get any blood off.

He then dragged the still unconscious and pale man to the pile, and threw him down. Luffy had a lot more energy now, and ran off to catch up with his friends and partner. Boyfriend. The word made him flush and giggle to himself. He followed their scents, and could hear Zoro grumbling irritation about not fighting any of them.

"There, there. I'm sure some will wake up again later," Nami said, sounding slightly mocking. "You could always fight Kuro. I'm sure Luffy would be fine with that." Usopp angrily said he would be the one fighting. "Really?" Nami asked, voice flat.

Usopp's voice trembled when he lied, "Of course! I'm a brave warrior of the sea!"

"You've never been out to sea."

"Don't ruin it, Zoro." Luffy giggled and appeared. He looked much better, but Usopp didn't ask, to his credit. Luffy asked what they were going to do next. If the villagers didn't believe Usopp, then what would they do? They sure wouldn't trust three teenage pirates. No way. But they didn't get to make any plans before Kuro was there, coming from behind.

Nami and Usopp were injured slightly and had some blood from before Luffy and Zoro arrived, but it wasn't as bad as the enemy pirates. Even before Luffy went berserk, a lot of them were already out. The other two had been successful in their own ways, and Luffy wasn't surprised about Nami. But he was slightly surprised about Usopp helping out. And impressed!

They all turned to face Kuro, who looked furious at them. "Was that your doing?" he asked, demanding. Zoro scoffed. "Who else would it be?" he asked with an arrogant look and tone. Kuro sighed. "I didn't think they would be defeated by kids. How far they've fallen. Now there's two types of monsters on this island. The son of a pirate, and some freak who dri-" Nami slammed her staff into his head, furious like Zoro was.

"I dare you to finish that sentence," Zoro said, his sword to Kuro's throat. They both acted so fast he hadn't been able to react. Luffy assumed his three years of retirement dulled his senses. Usopp wondered what was happening, completely out of the loop.

But Kuro jumped away, and immediately pulled out weapons from a bag he'd seemed to set down by a tree. Luffy asked if Zoro wanted to take him on. Usopp didn't protest. "Definitely."

Luffy then added, "I always thought it was only rich women that got long, fake fingernails," in a dumb voice. Nami chuckled, and Kuro narrowed his eyes. Zoro just grinned in amusement. He ran to slash Kuro, but he deflected with the sword fingernails.

"I may have been a butler for three years. And seeming to pamper myself, but I was still once a pirate captain. Though those on that crew were pathetic and weak!" he shouted, and attacked Zoro harder before suddenly being behind him and aiming for his back. Luffy bit his lip, but Zoro twisted out of the way and slashed at him, Kuro dodging. "I'll be killing all of you, and that damn crew!"

Luffy scowled. He'd kill his own crew? That was just wrong, even if he didn't like those members. He could just disband! Not kill them all! That was a waste and a betrayal of the deepest decree. It was the ultimate pirate sin. Shanks had told him that long ago. He disliked the butler even more now.

Usopp was behind Luffy a bit, hiding. "I'll kill him too, much more of a monster than someone with a pirate as a father," Kuro snapped, slicing at Zoro again, only he ducked and slashed upwards. But then they were interrupted by the princess.

"Clahador, stop this!" she shouted. Though through her anger, she didn't look threatening at all. There was no way Kuro would stop because she said so. He was out to kill her after all. But why was she here? She was sick, she wasn't strong enough. Did she honestly think Kuro would stop because she told him to?

The liar wasn't happy with her being there at all. Which was understandable. He totally seemed to have a crush on the princess. It was kind of obvious. Then Jango was there, stumbling out of the woods. He was very injured, both from Luffy and from whatever Usopp and Nami pulled off. "Oh, that's the lady from the mansi- ah!" he shouted when he saw Luffy.

He was sure he'd gone far from them, and that the man had been knocked out, so how did they know?! He was being careful! Luffy stopped him from talking and punched him in the face with a gum gum pistol. He was knocked out, and silent. The half human was glad that he didn't have that ring anymore to make him freak and attack the enemy again. He knew he'd never hurt his friends, even if he was in that state. Even being held immobile by Zoro hadn't made him hostile towards his partner at all.

Kuro acted like that didn't happen. "You surprised me by being here, my lady. What are you doing here?"

"Merry told me everything." Kuro was surprised he wasn't dead. He'd heavily wounded him, after all. Luffy scowled. He'd just talked about killing someone he'd supposedly been close to for years like it was nothing. Disgusting.

"I didn't show any mercy to him," he added simply, but sounding completely arrogant and conceited. He had control over this situation completely. The princess seemed shocked. Though she came knowing what Kuro was, right? Was she just shocked because she didn't want to believe it? She hadn't believed Usopp in the first place when he went around warning everybody. Making him cry.

"I'm so sorry for not believing you, Usopp-san! I know you might not forgive me so easily… but I just couldn't believe Clahador was a pirate!" Usopp didn't find that a good enough reason for her to come to them, and openly scolded her for it, yelling that it wasn't safe for her, she was the target, so what was she doing here?! "You're fighting, too, aren't you!

"We treated you so badly… and you're covered in wounds, fighting for this village."

Usopp wasn't swayed by this, still very angry and worried for her safety. Luffy moved to be next to her, guard the princess if she needed it. "We're different! I - I'm a brave warrior of the sea!" he shouted, though he didn't sound too confident. Luffy could understand people sometimes, and others had no idea what they were feeling.

But, even though Usopp bragged about himself, he was insecure, wasn't he? Luffy had been him before Shanks. But once he was accepted by him, and had somebody believe in him when nobody had before, he got his confidence. And then his brothers made him more so. Even when Ace was trying to kill him, surviving every murder attempt made him confident in his strength, even if it was nothing compared to years later.

He was hoping Usopp would join, and Luffy would make him more confident! And have him be a true brave warrior of the sea. But he wouldn't point that out to him or he'd no doubt be upset everyone could see it. Besides his little friends and the princess.

"Clahador, if you want the money, I'll give it all to you! If you leave this village!" Kuro pushed up his glasses.

"That's not what I want. I don't want just the money. I want 'peace of mind'. I quite like living here and spent three years getting everyone to trust me. Only when I've obtained 'peace of mind' will my plans be fulfilled. That's why I was having my crew do the dirty work, and killing you. Killing you was always essential. You would leave a will to me, and then die." The princess's face went completely white.

Usopp shouted, "Run, Kaya! You can't negotiate with him, he isn't the person you knew before!" He sounded really scared for her. But then she pulled out a gun from somewhere, and pointed it at Kuro, who only raised his brows slightly.

"Leave this village!" she shouted, voice strong as she held the gun ready. Kuro was surprised by this. Though she wouldn't shoot, he said she grew stronger. But she was still sick, wasn't she? Would this make her even more sick? Then Kuro reminded her of all the fun times they had together, only to end his words with an insult. "I suffered so long taking care of you. Too long."

The princess's face crumbled, the insult hitting her hard. Someone she trusted for a long time betrayed her, and was now working to dismantle her confidence. She started to cry softly before they turned into sobs. She dropped the gun, and Kuro continued to insult her. Luffy wanted to punch him, but he would let Usopp make the first move. He was going to defend someone he cared for strongly.

When he made a punch, though, he missed, and Kuro made a move to slice him with his knife fingers before Luffy shot a gum gum pulled into his abdomen, shocking him and those not on his crew with how sudden the attack was. Luffy wasn't happy with him. "Zoro, can I take it from here?"

Zoro sheathed his swords. "You're the captain." Luffy grinned and nodded. Everyone was shocked that Kuro had fallen from it. Luffy simply asked if the fight was already over.

"That's boring," he said casually, though with a tinge of disappointment. But then the three kids came running up, and Luffy grabbed them before they made contact with the pirate enemy. Usopp and the princess both ordered them to leave.

"Why are you here?!"

"It's dangerous, you shouldn't be here!" The princess had composed herself a bit and wasn't crying anymore. It was weird to hear since he'd never been around people who cried a lot.

"You lied to us! You shouldn't lie like that, it's dishonest! You're fighting on your own, we want to help, too!"

Usopp refused, and Luffy stayed silent. So did his crew, though both looked disapproving of their presence right now. Luffy shoved them back and snapped his arm back into place, looking back down at Kuro, wondering how long he was going to stay down, and if he really had been put out by a single punch. If so, it was pathetic.

But the man got up, bruised a bit already, but looking stoic. Even though he showed some discomfort with walking normally. Luffy had thought he'd broken bones, or at least should have. Crap. "That was an interesting attack. I assume you have the power of a devil fruit. You really are a monster."

"And you're really annoying," Luffy said back, sounding calm. "You should come up with more insults. Like how short I am, or how skinny. Your insult is kind of getting old. Shishishi!" Zoro snorted. Kuro narrowed his eyes, irritated with Luffy's completely carefree attitude, and not showing an ounce of fear. "I ate the gum gum fruit, and because a rubber man!"

Everyone could sense or see the other pirates peeking through the forest, behind trees and bushes. They didn't move, just watched. Luffy heard their breathing easily, and sent a look at them, a cold stare. Some fell back on their butts. They were terrified of Luffy. It was kind of lucky, they weren't interfering with the fight or arguments that had turned petty.

But Kuro started it!

He heard the whispering of shock about a devil fruit. Shanks had told him they were very rare in this sea, so people might ostracize him for it. They did, he had no friends before he was put with the bandits.

Jango woke again, which was getting annoying. "I'll take care of this brat. Jango, you go take out the lady. Kill her. And those kids. They annoy me, too." Usopp was injured on the ground, bleeding from multiple places. Luffy wasn't. His shirt was ripped a bit, and he had some others' blood on him, but he was okay.

Zoro had some blood, but none of his wounds were worrisome in any way. The oldest stepped in front of Jango. "I won't let you pass here." He was standing in front of Jango's targets, holding his sword out. Luffy watched as he fought off a strong enemy, being pinned to the wall with his sword, unable to move until he slammed his foot into his chest, throwing him off.

Luffy smiled lightly. Zoro turned to him with a sneaky look. He put his sword back in the sheath, purposely flexing his arm. He was so muscular. So awesome. "Now is not the time for goo goo eyes!" Nami shouted irritably. Luffy was brought back to attention, and Zoro smirked, running back up to the group to get Jango again as Usopp continued to lay on the ground.

"Usopp pirates!" he shouted.

"We're not leaving you! You can't make us!" one of the boys called defiantly, but Usopp entrusted them with protecting Kaya. Everyone was surprised, and Nami made a look of disbelief, using children like that. Luffy agreed it was reckless, and felt Nami could do it, even with her wounds. On her leg and arm, she had heavy bruises already forming. They'd be nasty bruises later. Not that Luffy had had bad bruises in years.

Oh! No, Usopp was just making them run away. It wasn't stupid, Luffy felt bad for thinking that. "Captain's orders! You must follow it!" Usopp shouted, voice scratchy with some blood in it, and the screaming must have made it sore. The three did as he said, hurrying away with the princess. They ran into the forest.

Jango left. He was super durable! Usopp tried to get up to chase them as Zoro took out the same guy he'd kicked before. Luffy kept facing Kuro, the main enemy. He was fast, Luffy wouldn't let him pull any sneak attacks. But Usopp couldn't move, and fell down. Wow, he was really injured. Maybe Luffy was underestimating his wounds. Or maybe he was just really weak. Probably a bit of both.

And Kuro laughed at him. Luffy clenched his teeth angrily. He was getting really mad about his attitude. He was garbage, making both the princess and now Usopp cry. But Usopp was determined to save them, even if he couldn't move. "Well said!" Luffy exclaimed. He had to do something about this.

"Even if I can't move, I'll protect the villagers! I'm a brave warrior of the sea!"

"Ahahah! So pathetic!"

"Listen to him spout those lies! Wow! Hahaha!" Luffy felt fury and turned around.

"If you laugh at him one more time, I'll kill all of you. In the same way I did the other," he added to scare them extra. Luffy turned towards them and made a step towards them, causing them all to flee. After all, Luffy had attacked all of them like a rabid animal, and then they somehow found out about his blood drinking. He wouldn't have killed them. He didn't think so, not willingly.

He thought he could start calling the blood drinking "medication" for his condition. Yeah, that wasn't as creepy as just stating he drank blood and then explaining why! But then he smelled Kuro behind him, pulling a sneak attack that Luffy stopped, lifting his leg and slamming it into his face. Zoro was fighting the annoyingly tough opponent distracting him.

Luffy heard the slash and smelled the blood as Zoro cut him down, finally it seemed. "Luffy, I'm gonna take Usopp and chase after them! Got a problem?" he asked as he picked Usopp up. Luffy said he didn't. Then he turned back to Kuro, whose nose was bleeding. He was fast, though, with his new attacks.

He managed to slash Luffy a few times, cutting his shirt into tatters. He was bleeding now, but was able to get in some bad hits to Kuro's face, chest and knees. But he was tough, even if he was grunting at the pain. Luffy was keeping his own sounds of weakness in, even if he hated the feeling and smell of his own blood dripping down and staining his shorts' waistband. Zoro would be upset.

Nami was still watching from far behind, cheering Luffy on, no pirates were attacking her, hiding from Luffy and watching from even further away now. "Kick his ass!" she cheered. "The treasure will be mine!" she called enthusiastically, believing in Luffy's strength. Luffy shot a gun gum pistol at him from a distance, but he stepped on it and ran at him. Luffy guarded his face and snapped his arm back, but it was too late.

The claws bypassed his guarded face, and plunged through his neck, making blood pour out of it and his mouth. Nami screamed his name in horror, and Luffy didn't know how to fix this, but all he knew was that he would need blood to fix it. He couldn't do it from Nami, even though she was hurrying over, shouting offers.

The closest was Kuro, who looked satisfied with Luffy trying to pinch the holes closed. He was getting light headed, but he launched at Kuro at high speed, furious and now in a fight or flight state that made his head fuzzy. He grabbed the claws with his bare hands, cutting himself badly as he broke them in half, and grabbed onto his back, plunging his teeth into his neck.

He wrapped his limbs around his tightly as his crew ran screaming, back to their damaged ship. Luffy was breathing through his nose as he drank enough to heal his wounds, though, plug the holes in his neck that had dripped blood all over his front. It was soaked into his shirt and stained his shorts.

He dropped Kuro, who was unconscious and pale. Luffy stumbled back and landed on his butt, laying down. He felt like shit. Nami slammed her staff into their enemy's head for good measure, and hurried to Luffy, frantically asking if he was okay. Luffy nodded, but said his throat hurt really bad. "Well, I bet! You were stabbed through it!" she said.

"I… I've never drunk that much," Luffy said, teeth clenched. "What - what if I killed him?" he asked, wiping his mouth frantically. Nami looked sad.

"He was a monster that wanted to kill Kaya. He deserved that, and he's not dead, is he? He's unconscious. I'm not scared, so you don't have to worry about that." Luffy said he was scared. Her face fell even more. "You don't have to be. I know you'd never do that to one of us or anything. But we should buy a lot of blood bags here. Or just steal it."

Luffy nodded, and smiled, thanking her. She didn't cringe at his teeth, which were no doubt stained with blood. "C'mon, let's go catch up with them. I'm sure Zoro's taken care of that guy. Hopefully for good." Luffy nodded, and stood up, his knees shaking a bit before he was okay. Are you okay to walk?"

The younger nodded. "I think I'm feeling really bad because I drank too much. But, it's better than being dead. Are you still hurt? Are you okay to walk?" Luffy asked. Nami smiled and nodded. All she had were a lot of bruises. She got off easy. "It's good your wounds are healed. But it'll look really suspicious to have all of this blood and no injuries."

"Do you think Usopp connected the dots?" Luffy asked.

Nami frowned. "I would assume so. Or at least know something is off. You want him to join, don't you?" Luffy nodded. "I do, too. And hopefully we'll get a ship!" Luffy grinned, thinking it was a real possibility for them helping to save the princess. "She's not a princess- oh, whatever," she sighed.

They headed into the forest, following the trail Luffy could smell easily. When they found them, the kids were hurt and crying silent tears, and Jango was finally cut down. Zoro grinned and looked behind at Luffy before his face turned into one of horror. Nami quickly said he was okay. Usopp demanded to know how he was "okay" with so much blood!?

Luffy didn't know what to say. So he settled with, "It's not mine. It got in my mouth, too." Usopp made a noise of disgust, and bought the line. Then he smiled, Kaya at the tree and breathing heavily in fear of everything that just happened to her.

"Thank you guys. It's all thanks to you. If it weren't for you, our village would have been destroyed." He had tears in his eyes. Zoro smiled and replied.

"What are you talking about? I wouldn't have done jack shit if you hadn't." Luffy didn't agree with that.

"We're friends. I would help any of my friends," he said with a grin, sitting down against a tree. He was sore everywhere, and so tired. He just wanted to wash off and take a nap. Nami's response was about treasure. Usopp grinned widely, no more tears.

He declared, "After everything that's happened, I've made a decision! I'll be back to see you all off!" Then he ran off. Oddly healed considering how bad he'd been only half an hour ago. Maybe the good ending to the fight made him feel better. Luffy heard him talk to his little crew members. He decided to become a pirate!

Luffy was so happy he'd join them! But he'd say nothing about overhearing a conversation that left all four in tears, including the resigned "captain". They headed to the village, and found a hose that they used to wash Luffy off. Get all the horrible blood off. Though his shorts were stained badly. "I can't believe you were stabbed in the throat… it must have been so scary," Zoro said sadly. The youngest of the three nodded.

"I reacted immediately and attacked Kuro. I don't like that crazy side of me. It's popped up three times in the last two days. It freaks me out, really. I like, lose control completely. I become dangerous and violent. What if I attacked you guys on the ship?"

Both were completely unafraid. Neither thought he was capable of that. "Did you ever attack your brothers? You three were usually alone, right?" Luffy thought that was a good point, but he had only remembered losing control once. After he found out about Sabo. But, trapped inside the bandit's house, he hadn't hurt any of them.

He honestly felt better after that was pointed out. "Thanks, Nami. That made me feel a lot better. Even when I learned my brother was murdered, I didn't attack anyone else around me." He smiled truly, thanking her.

"No problem. I'm glad I thought of it," she replied. Both didn't comment on Luffy bluntly mentioning his murdered brother.

Luffy told them, "I was thinking!" - Nami made an "uh oh" sound. Luffy ignored it - "About if I explain the whole condition to anyone, I can just start out by saying it's medication, right? It kind of is, it treats my issue." The other two nodded in agreement. "I mean, it will still freak people out, no doubt. But I will have to explain it all. The reason why. I just don't want to scare anyone off," he explained.

Zoro took his haramaki off and dried Luffy off with it like a towel. Luffy smiled about it, and wringed his shirt out next, pouring out pink water. Nami hadn't seen the marks on his chest. The black ones that looked like tattoos. "Do those have to do with the thing?"

Looking down, Luffy nodded. "I've always had them since I was born. Same with my hair. But those are the only things different. And the eyes, too, of course. But I can hide all of them, so that's nice! Shishishi."

They went to the same restaurant they had before, and Luffy ate a lot of meat, even if it still hurt a bit. He was hungry for something other than blood. They scarfed their food. Well, Nami ate politely while Luffy and Zoro ate obnoxiously, though Luffy was worse than his boyfriend. "Hey, Zoro. You should wear your bandana more. It's really hot," Luffy said through a bread stick.

Nami giggled quietly and Zoro grinned and took the bandana off his arm and put it on his head. Luffy beamed, and Zoro kissed his cheek. "No more near death experiences, okay?" he said, slightly scolding. Luffy promised he'd try. That was as good as Zoro was going to get. He promised to do his best, as well.

"Well, we had our meal," Zoro said, looking at all the empty plates. "We should get going. I know I wanted to stay a week, but I'm bored of the island already. Too small and nothing to do." Luffy grew up in a small village and then an isolated hut, but he knew what he meant by it being too small and boring.

After living in the forest, the vast forest with tons of room to explore, the visits to Foosha were boring. Except going to see Makino. That was a nice thing, worth the long trek down the mountain. The three made to get up, put some money on the table, and started to leave before the princess came in, looking much better than she had before.

"Oh, princess," Luffy said. Nobody tried to correct him, having given up on that long ago. Nami asked if she should be out and about.

"So this is where you guys were. I feel better. I've been sick like this a year, after my parents died. Ever since that day, Usopp has been encouraging me. That's why I can't be so weak now." She said it with a light smile, but a very strong voice. She was determined. Luffy was glad she was doing okay after everything that had happened. Her smile was genuine.

"Anyway, I heard you guys were looking for a ship."

Luffy asked, "You're gonna give us one?!" excitedly. "See! I knew asking politely would get us a ship," he bragged. Nami shook her head, and the princess chuckled, but nodded. They were getting a real ship! Goodbye tiny boats! Though he would always have a sentimental value to the one he'd shared with Zoro.

They all rushed to the coast where Kaya said the ship was. When it came into view, Luffy was in awe. It was perfect! Perfect for their journey! "Ah, a carvel!" Nami said enthusiastically. The new butler, or whoever he was, stood in front of it proudly, and explained the kind of ship it was. Luffy paid little attention. All of that was for Nami to know.

They were told, unsurprisingly, "Since you defeated Kuro and saved the Lady, this is the least I can do. She's called the Going Merry." Luffy liked that name, too. Now they only had to name their crew and make a flag! Luffy still knew what he wanted his to look like. Merry explained further to Nami, and Luffy just wanted to inspect it.

Zoro reminded him of something they still needed to do. "Blood bags," he said quietly. Luffy couldn't believe he forgot. He nodded. After Merry was done explaining to Nami, Luffy asked where the hospital was there."

"Oh, are you hurt?"

Nami said, "He just needs his medication." Merry didn't ask for what, and the princess led them to the hospital, which was very near. She stayed outside as Luffy paid for many blood bags without any question from the grateful doctor, knowing they helped save the island. They were paying for it with the treasure they'd stolen from the pirates, Luffy had sling shotted himself over and stolen all of it.

So, they had plenty of money. Not as much as Nami wanted, but they couldn't complain too much about it. They had all of the bags in a sack on Luffy's back, very large and heavy for a normal person. Then they bought an ice chest on their way back to the ship. Nami was already on, so Luffy handed her the things.

He turned to the princess and bowed. "Thank you for causing all this trouble for us," he said sincerely. Zoro corrected him about "causing" being "going through". Luffy didn't pay much attention. He was glad he had new clothes now, throwing away the blood soaked mess. His thoughts were interrupted when they heard a screaming coming from the direction they'd walked from.

"Help! Stop meeee!" Usopp screamed as he rolled quickly down the hill with a huge backpack on. Stuffed completely. To keep him from hitting the ship, both Zoro and Luffy stopped him with their feet. "Thank you…" he said, even though both had their soles on his face.

"You're welcome," Luffy replied simply. The princess asked if he was really going out to sea, looking and sounding sad. The long nosed teen nodded proudly. He looked happy and determined, no fear. Luffy wondered why he was acting like he was going on his own. It was weird, he was coming with them, right? Right?

He looked to Zoro, who was frowning, but shrugged. The three stood at the railing of their new ship, and watched in confusion as Usopp went to a little boat that wouldn't even fit his backpack. "Well, I hope to see you out on the sea some day! We'll see each other again! I'm sure."

"Why?"

Usopp said, "You sure are antisocial, aren't you? We're both pirates, so we'll have to meet each other on the sea someday." Luffy kept himself from saying the sea was really big. And the obvious thought that he wasn't going on his own, he was going with them. Luffy wouldn't let him say no.

"What are you doing? Get on the ship already," Zoro said in slight annoyance.

"Why?" Usopp asked in confusion.

Luffy put his head on his arms, bent over the railing. "We're already companions, aren't we?" he asked simply. Nami and Zoro nodded in agreement. They all watched Usopp's reaction as he processed their invitation. No, their order. He was coming with them! But he was shocked and confused.

But then a grin went across his face. "I'm the captain, right?!"

"No! I am!" Luffy shouted back. Usopp grinned, and they helped him get his things on board. He had a ton of stuff, but it could fit in the storage room even with all the food Merry was considerate enough to stock for them. They were all set to head to the next island, and follow that path until they reached the Grand Line, their target!

The wild adventure would start there, he knew it. Shanks said the Grand Linewas a crazy place, but really fun. Luffy had been looking forward to that for a long time. Ten years. Well, the wait was nearly over, wasn't it? Maybe a few weeks or a couple months until they made it to that place.

He couldn't wait.

Off to the Baratie they go!

Chapter Text

Artemispolarbear: out of all the Strawhat reactions to Luffy's secret, Chopper's is the most wholesome and impactful tbh.  

chickie434: Thank you! I hope nobody expects me to keep things cannon. At least not everything. Follows the plot, but if I don't like you - Character be gone from plot completely! If I love you - Come and stay awhile! lol

The Baratie arc ended up being stupidly long, so this is just part 1 of it. I honestly disliked the arc reading it and watching it, but I had fun making Luffy even more annoying in it than cannon, and there are added bits of his more complex character history. But mostly it's just goofs in this chapter. Nobody wants to employ Luffy, seriously lol.

So I have two other crossovers for different series, and don't know which one to edit and post first. One is a crossover with Jujutsu Kaisen and the main characters are Satoru and cute, OP kid Luffy (who suffers a bit, of course) and the other is for Avatar: The Last Airbender and features Ace, Thatch, Marco and Zuko where Ace goes through some shit and then is loved by others and grows happy. Then there's a mystery, because of course I couldn't make him human lol.

Which one would you all like for me to post first? JJK one is shorter than the ATLA one.

"To a new ship and a new crew member!" Luffy cheered, all of them lifting their mugs of alcohol. Well, Luffy found he disliked the taste, so his was juice. Nobody made too much fun of him. They had a party, a first party on the ship, really. Three wasn't much, but four was good. "Next, we have to have a chef. We have a kitchen after all!"

"Can't you just enjoy this moment?" Usopp asked. Luffy pointed out parties would be even better with good food. "Ah, good point! Onwards to find a chef! Captain's orders!" Luffy hit his head. He was captain. He made the orders. "But I try to be a good captain, so I'll take your opinion in mind, but I'm still captain." Usopp just laughed and guzzled more alcohol. After they had some boring meat - Nami was not the best at cooking interesting food, but she didn't want any of them to start a fire, so she was the one to cook - Luffy and Zoro headed to their new room.

"I call the couch!" Zoro said, sitting on the single couch while there were other hammocks for more. The girl's room was much nicer and bigger. Nami said it was because it was designed originally for Kaya to use.

Luffy called the couch, too and flopped down on top of him. Zoro was comfortable with Luffy on his chest, his head tucked to his shoulder. Luffy was soft and squishy, and not that heavy. Not that Zoro couldn't handle any weight on him. "Luffy, even though we have the blood bags, will you still drink from me?" he asked quietly, even though Luffy could hear Usopp with Nami.

"I promise I won't get carried away again," he vowed seriously. Luffy smiled, and that was answer enough.

He added, "Drinking from a bag is nothing compared to a warm person. Plus, you taste really good." He kissed and licked his neck, but didn't bite, even though Zoro breathed a little faster in anticipation. He scowled when Luffy pulled away. "I'm sure I'll get sick if I have any blood this soon. I took way too much, even if it was to heal me," he explained, and Zoro lost his look of irritation.

They both ended up falling asleep before the other two, and woke up with a blanket over them that Usopp must have put on. At breakfast, they had burnt pancakes, but they were good nonetheless. Nami gave them all a glare, challenging them to insult her cooking. None did, and they chatted about where to find a chef.

Nami said they were far from an island, and the one they were closest to was uninhabited. Luffy slammed his face on the table. "But I want good food," he complained. Nami didn't argue; she knew she wasn't the best cook, too. "Well, we'll get one eventually."

"Man, what a swing," Usopp said. Luffy laughed, and put his hand on his hat. But it fell off, and Usopp saw his hair. "Whoa, did you dye that?" Luffy put the hat on quickly and said he was born with it. "That looks so cool. Zoro's hair is green and that's weird-"

"Hey!"

"- but spotted hair, that's really cool." Luffy's face morphed into a grin. "Do you not like it or something?" the teen only a little under a month older than him asked. Luffy said he just didn't want people to see it and think it was weird. It wasn't really a part of him he wanted people to focus on.

"Plus, this hat means a lot to me." He explained his relationship with Shanks, which turned into a more detailed story of the Red Haired pirates. Usopp looked forward to meeting them some day, too. Once he was brave and strong. Then he can face his dad. "Me too! I want to be super strong when I finally see Shanks again."

Zoro grinned. "Maybe I'll have beaten Mihawk by then and be much stronger," he said confidently. After breakfast was over, the table cleaned up, Luffy went out on deck and got the black flag they had, and drew their mark on it. Painted it. He'd known what he wanted it to look like for a while now.

It was a skull with crosses wearing a Straw Hat. "Tada! Our new mark!" he said proudly, holding it up. His crew then insulted it. "Hey, I worked hard on it!" he complained.

"Well, it's scary in its own way, I guess. But I just don't think it's a right flag for us." Nami was actually being nice about it, not saying how ugly or poorly drawn it was. Zoro just commented that it was abstract.

"Hehe, you're lucky I'm here. I'm a master artist with years of experience. Give me that, I'll fix it." Luffy was glad somebody could draw well, but all of them frowned when their new member made his own flag. It was drawn well, but it wasn't for their crew, and it wasn't what the captain requested.

That was actually really annoying. He crossed his arms and said that wasn't their flag. The other two gave disapproving looks as well, and Usopp shrunk a bit before redoing it to be the skull with a Straw Hat that the captain dreamed of. He moved on from the disrespectful moment, and grinned at it. "Now paint it on the sails!"

He helped with it, using his arms as bungee cords to hold him up high enough for him to paint the mark on their sail. It worked, and surprisingly, Luffy didn't get Usopp hurt at all. "The Going Merry is finally complete!" Luffy cheered, looking at his pirate mark with wide, extremely giddy eyes. He sighed in content.

Zoro walked up behind him and wrapped his arms around his waist. "Now all we need is something to name the crew," he commented. Usopp looked away when Zoro kissed Luffy's shoulder. It wasn't even graphic. Nami scoffed.

"If something like that bothers you, then you don't have very thick skin. I've seen them do a lot more," Nami said in dismissal. Luffy frowned.

"Do you have a problem with this?" Zoro asked, voice slightly cold. Usopp hurriedly shook his head, putting his hands up. He was red in the face, and explained his reaction honestly. Luffy was glad he was honest and didn't lie about it.

He said, "I've just never been around any couple. So… PDA will probably embarrass me for a bit." Zoro relaxed, and none of them were upset anymore. Luffy smiled, and rocked back and forth in Zoro's embrace. They went to their room for a bit when Luffy had a question to ask Zoro. Nami looked curious, but Zoro gave her a look. She grumbled, looking away and crossing her arms.

Luffy heard her complain to Usopp. "Now that we're on a bigger ship, I won't have anything to tease them with." Luffy snickered.

The couple sat on the bench, and Luffy asked immediately, "What did you mean when you said I can't drink from anyone else on the crew?" Zoro looked surprised by the question. "I mean… did you mean I can't have their blood at all, or just not drink from them directly? When I got stabbed, Nami was offering me some of her blood. I might have needed it then if Kuro hadn't been there," he explained in more detail.

"Of course I would want you to be able to have their blood. If I'm not there. I just don't want you drinking from them directly, yeah. It's too personal, y'know? I'd hate it if what happens to me would happen to them, too," he explained. Luffy smiled in relief and nodded. "It's nice Nami's so understanding about it. Curious and annoying at first, but ever since you told her, she's been accommodating with it."

Luffy smiled, "Are you finally glad she's with us?"

"For that reason. She's damn annoying the rest of the time." Luffy giggled and Zoro kissed him sweetly.

-x-

Luffy sat on the barrel of apples in the storage room, up because Usopp was asleep and wasn't there to see Luffy without his contacts in so they could be washed. He was also drinking a bag of blood in the dark. He didn't want Usopp to see him at all like this. He was still tired, but he felt he should drink and clean his contacts now that he could while Usopp wasn't around to possibly see.

It had been four days, so Luffy was due for some blood. Four days of having to hide it, which was kind of weird. For the last many, many years, he'd been around only people who understood. So it was strange and hard to get used to hiding it.

After the bag was done, he checked and could hear Usopp still snoring, and threw the bag over the side of the ship. Getting rid of the evidence completely. The ice chest was hidden behind everything and below a crate in the storage room, though they had to keep ice in it. He went back to the bathroom, and saw Nami coming out of her room.

"Oh, hey, your contacts are out. I just realize you never take them out. Isn't that bad?" Luffy said probably. But he had nothing to wash them with or a safe place to put them. "True. How are you doing? About Usopp…"

Luffy got his contacts and put them in, saying, "It's hard to get used to a bit. But I got up so early to have a bag and do this while he's not around. I wonder if I'll ever be able to tell him. He'd probably be scared." Nami didn't dispute this, but sadly nodded. She was going to make some breakfast if he wanted any.

Sitting at the table and waiting, Luffy said, "Thanks for being so understanding. And even offering me some of yours then. I'll only ever keep that as the last option. But as long as I have the medication, I should be fine without doing it to anyone else. Though Zoro likes it, so it's different for him. Hey, do you think Usopp doesn't approve of us?

"I mean, he doesn't really look like we gross him out or anything, but still. He just acts awkward," Luffy finished. He got some oatmeal, boring and bland, while Nami sat down.

She hummed before replying, "I don't think he's uncomfortable because you guys are gay, but he's just honestly never been anyone in your shoes. I mean, his only friends at his island were three kids and Kaya. He had no family, and the villagers didn't like him." Luffy smiled, glad it was like that. It made sense, really.

Luffy took a spoonful of oatmeal and said, "I'm glad. Did you tell him, too?"

"Psh, he doesn't need to know," Nami said, waving her hand dismissively. Luffy commented that Usopp was coming in.

"My contacts okay?"

"Yeah, they look fine," Nami said when the long nosed newcomer came in. He grinned, and then looked disappointed with the oatmeal. "Don't you say a thing! If Luffy doesn't complain, you as hell better not either."

"Y-yes, maam."

"It's miss. I'm not an old lady." Luffy giggled, and ate the rest of his oatmeal. Zoro came in not much later and gave Luffy a sweet kiss and got his food. He looked at it in disappointment but didn't really complain. They ate in relative silence, though it wasn't uncomfortable. After that, it was another day of smooth sailing, not running into anybody or coming into contact with anything.

To pass time, he and Usopp were messing around with the cannon. Zoro was irritated, as the noises were interrupting his nap. "I suck at this, don't I? I can't hit a single thing! I'm trying to hit that rock."

"Step aside, let a professional handle this," Usopp said confidently, and Luffy moved aside. The slightly older one closed on eye and aimed the cannon at a large rock pillar sticking out of the ocean. He fired it, and it hit the rock the first time. Luffy beamed and congratulated him. Usopp was surprised he'd hit it, but did his best to hide it.

"I wanna try again!" Luffy said, and failed again. Usopp proudly cemented his skill of canon shooting. "Well, you're in charge of the cannons now."

"Don't mess it up, cannon-boy," Nami said from a chair, sunbathing. "We wouldn't want to tarnish your reputation." Zoro snorted, and Usopp scowled.

Luffy also said, "You're our sniper now, too. Nami's the navigator, I'm the captain, Zoro's the swordsman, and you're the sniper. Now all we need is a cook, a shipwright, a doctor and a musician!" Zoro asked why a musician. He wasn't having any success with his nap, so he seemed to have given up on it. "Because a pirate crew has to sing!" He paused and sniffed. There was the scent of people out here. Nami raised her brows in question. "Nothing." The smell faded and there was no sound other than the ocean around them.

"I'd rather have a doctor and a cook first, please," Usopp chimed in, raising his hand. Luffy still thought a musician was a definite necessity. Pirates sang, that was that. Nobody could change his opinion. They went inside to have some lunch, and Luffy quickly heard people coming near when there was none before. He jumped off the table, knocking Usopp aside, and hurried out the door.

There was a guy there, some random, unfamiliar guy. Where did he come from? Why was he boarding their ship?! "I'm gonna slaughter all of you!" he raged, a sword drawn. He kicked one of the barrels, luckily empty. Luffy demanded to know who they were. He jumped down and grabbed his shirt. "Don't hurt our ship, jerk!" and he threw him to the ground. "Who are you!?" he repeated.

The guy brandished his sword at him. "Who am I… I should be asking WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?!" He kicked the railing and broke it! Luffy slammed him down. His crew hadn't come out yet, which was annoying. Luffy grabbed the hilt of his sword and tossed it to the side, able to wrench it out of his grip easily. He was weak.

Luffy wrapped him in his arm, around and around like a rope, and then got a real rope and tied him up messily. "I've killed countless pirates. A no-name like you is nothing!" He said this despite being tied up and without his weapon. Luffy put his hands on his hips in annoyance. "You killed my partner!"

"Hah?! I didn't kill anyone!" Luffy shot back. "I don't know what you're talking about, but don't hurt my ship!" For somebody who'd killed countless pirates, he wasn't very strong. All talk, it seemed. Like Usopp. Then Zoro came out. "Zoro, he says I killed somebody!"

"ZORO?!" the guy shouted in shock.

Zoro looked down and clearly recognized him. "Hey! Aren't you Jonny?" he asked lightly, though he sounded happy. Jonny was shocked to see Zoro here, but happy. "Where's Yosaku, isn't he with you?" Zoro wondered.

Jonny started crying, and Luffy wondered if his friend was really dead. Well, Luffy definitely didn't kill him! And he was sad if the guy died because Zoro knew them and seemed to be on pretty friendly terms. Luffy had never heard their names before. He realized he knew very little about Zoro's past. It made him sad, suddenly. He'd talked about his brothers and childhood multiple times, but Zoro never returned it back.

He drooped visibly, but Zoro was paying attention to Jonny. "Yosaku… he's sick!" His partner was laying on deck, which Luffy hadn't noticed at all.

"Hey, you told me I killed him!" Luffy snapped. He was in a bad mood, now. Both because the ship got damaged, and upset he'd never heard a thing about these two guys. He had his arms crossed. Nami and Usopp came out now, wondering who it was now that the shouting stopped.

Jonny explained how his friend or partner or whatever got sick suddenly a couple days ago. Luffy wasn't paying much attention, trying to get rid of his bad mood. He didn't want to bother Zoro about it. He just wished he knew more. Maybe that was being nosy. It wasn't like he'd asked to learn about Luffy's childhood. But he also hadn't asked about his. Still, he wished Zoro gave him the information without needing to be asked. Man, Luffy was sour. Nami and Usopp noticed, and Nami raised her brows in question. Usopp whispered what he was mad about. "I don't know, how should I know?"

"His teeth have fallen out, he keeps passing out, his old wounds have reopened! I don't know what to do anymore!" Then they definitely hadn't caused that with a cannon ball. Jonny was crying, and Luffy did feel bad for him. His friend was really sick. He couldn't imagine having his teeth all fall out. That would be terrible!

Jonny, despite how easily Luffy tied him up, thought he and his partner were infamous and dangerous to East Blue pirates. Yet his partner was so sick. The guy looked to be in really, really bad shape. He was getting blood on the deck. He and Yosaku were really close, and Luffy felt anger at him slip away. It turned into pity.

Zoro didn't look okay with this at all, worry etched onto his face. But then Nami shouted, and the conversation took a turn. "God, how dumb could you get?!" she shouted. Zoro wasn't happy with this, and Jonny snapped at her, too. But there had to be a reason she called them stupid. "Luffy, Usopp, go get some damn limes from the storage room!"

They hurried inside, and got a large crate of limes. Luffy had wondered but didn't ask why they had so much. Maybe they were important? Luffy knocked off one of the crates with flour, and the ice chest was shown. He shoved the crate back on top quickly. "What's in that?" Usopp wondered.

"That can wait, we have to get the limes to them!" Luffy said urgently. Usopp nodded and hurried outside with him. "We got them!" Usopp shouted. She told them to pour the juice out and they did, and then poured it down the sick guy's throat. Nami explained his illness like it was no big deal. It made his teeth fall out, of course it's bad!

She said, "He has scurvy. If we're not too late, he should recover in a few days."

"What about his teeth?!" Luffy asked. Nami gave him a deadpanned look. "Obviously he can't regrow all of his adult teeth. But he'll be fine later as long as it didn't last too long."

Luffy finished pouring the lime juice into Yosaku's mouth and then licked the inside of the bowl, stretching his tongue out. "That's really gross," Usopp commented. He was just jealous. "I don't want devil fruit. Unless it's really cool and useful."

"Hey! Rubber is super cool and useful!" Luffy said indignantly. "I'm not hurt by blunt injures, I could fling around, and I'm good with it at fighting." Zoro chimed in that he was also squishy and soft. Jonny looked confused. His eyes flicked from Zoro and Luffy multiple times before he pointed at both of them.

It should be obvious, but Zoro simply said, "We're together."

"Like, together together?" Jonny asked in shock. Zoro nodded. Luffy flung over to him and jumped on his back. "Oh! I never expected big bro Zoro would actually like someone like that!" Zoro scowled and Nami giggled. Usopp was just watching Yosaku since everyone seemed to have forgotten about him. "Well, I'm happy for you. Big Sis, were you telling the truth when you said he'd be fine?!"

Nami nodded, and added, "Don't call me sis." Luffy asked what it was. Was it the plague?! "Of course not, I just told him the guy would be fine! It's sickness from lack of nutrients found in fruits and vegetables, not the plague or any contagious disease. Though it can kill you if you have it too long."

Jonny was so relieved he started to cry. Zoro was smiling lightly. "Nami's the best," Luffy said with a smile. "She's like a doctor!" She snapped at this though. Forgetting Luffy just complimented her.

"If you're going to sail you should at least know the basics like this! God, you're so stupid sometimes you're going to get yourself killed!" Luffy's face fell, and he looked down. Nami immediately looked guilty at Luffy's reaction. He got off of Zoro's back and walked inside with his head down. Zoro followed after him, flipping Nami off and promising her death when he got back out.

Luffy was sitting at the table with his upper body laying on it. "Am I a bad captain?" he asked sadly. "I didn't know this, or a lot of stuff. What if I am so stupid everyone will die?" he asked, moping intesnely. Zoro sat next to him, rubbing circles on his back.

"It's not like me or Usopp knew either-"

"But I'm the captain."

"Even the captain doesn't have to be the doctor," Zoro pointed out. "Not everyone can do everything. Isn't that why there are specific roles for those on a ship?" Luffy sighed, but knew he was right. Still, he felt stupid. He was called it a lot, but it neve got to him because it never felt like he was truly being insulted in a mean way. The tone Nami used… was definitely mean. "What else are you upset about? You seem to be in a bad mood."

Luffy looked away. It was nothing. "It's not nothing, just tell me." He did. He felt bad for not knowing anything about Zoro's past. All he knew was that he had been a scary bounty hunter. Other than that, he didn't know anything. And Zoro knew about his stuff. A lot of his stuff. "I didn't mean to keep the information from you or anything," he said quickly. "I just didn't really think about it. I feel like my life started over when I decided to join the crew. And then I liked you. It just didn't feel pressing."

He then promised to tell him everything when they had some privacy. "I don't want the others to hear about it." Luffy raised his brows, wondering why. "Is there something else?" Zoro asked, voice soft. Luffy jerked up, and told him about Usopp seeing the ice chest. Zoro stood and left the room immediately, heading to the interior storage room, Luffy trotting along behind him like a duckling following its mother.

He grabbed the ice chest packed with ice and blood bags and brought it to Nami's room. He walked right in without a care. But both teens knew that she wouldn't be upset about this if it was to hide the truth from Usopp. It was too soon for him to know and freak out. Zoro stuffed the chest under her bed.

"There, it should be fine."

"What the hell are you doing in my room?" Nami's voice asked dangerously from the stairs. Zoro turned and told her bluntly that they needed to relocate the ice chest. "Why?"

"Usopp saw it," Luffy explained simply. "I won't get any dirt or anything in here, promise." Nami frowned, but was understanding. It was important to keep that safe and sound. Luffy depended on it, and Usopp just didn't know them well enough to completely accept it like Nami had. Well, Nami and Zoro both accepted it really soon. But Usopp was different. Some day he'd know, but that time wasn't for now.

Nami then looked ashamed. "I'm sorry for saying that to you. It was… mean. Insensitive. So, I'm sorry I blew up at you. You weren't the only one who didn't know, either. I targeted you, so I am sorry. I didn't mean to insult you." Luffy smiled, and forgave her. The three left, and saw Usopp still talking with Jonny while Yosaku was still out.

But suddenly, Yosaku woke up and jumped up and cheered about being healthy now. Nami grumbled before shouting, "There's no way you can recover that fast! Just rest for awhile, you'll only make yourself sick again if you overdo it." Yosaku asked where they were before he saw Zoro.

"Big bro Zoro!" he shouted excitedly, and then promptly vomited blood. Zoro put his face to his hand. "Anyways," Yosaku said, wiping the blood from his mouth that Luffy had no feeling about, and introduced themselves. Apparently they used to bounty hunt with Zoro. "Nice to meet you all!" Luffy wasn't in a bad mood anymore. Zoro would tell him about stuff later, and hadn't ever meant to hide it from him. He just didn't think about it.

"Yosaku, big bro Zoro is in a relationship," Jonny said loudly.

The other gasped. "What?! With you?!" he asked, pouting at a sour looking Nami. Both she and Zoro immediately cleared that up. "We're not together!" The green haired teen introduced him to Luffy, his face a bit red. "Oooh… I'm surprised! You were always so indifferent!" Zoro blushed harder, though it might have just been from irritation about them focusing on his relationship things.

"Well, Luffy's different. Let's stop talking about it," Zoro said in a grumpy voice. Luffy giggled quietly next to him. The older said nothing of it. "Shouldn't it be more surprising that I became a pirate than anything else? Remember, I was deemed the 'pirate hunter'."

Luffy grinned. "Maybe you were just hunting for me that whole time. Shishishi…" Zoro's face went bright red and he glared at Luffy, who laughed again. Everyone else blushed at it, with Nami having her hand in front of her smile. Zoro took a deep breath, and demanded that they move on.

"Anyways, we should have someone to monitor our diets. Right, to stay healthy? What if we got sick with something else and Nami didn't know what it was? We need a skilled chef," Usopp said. They were all sitting on deck by now, Yosaku finally resting and not standing or jumping around. They nodded, even the two guests, which was kind of weird. Luffy definitely didn't want them to join the crew.

"And a doctor," the youngest chimed in. "And a musician. But I guess the other two are more important." He sounded upset for admitting that. "But it would be weird to have a new diet. I've only eaten meat for ten years!" They were all shocked, and Nami slapped the hand to her face.

She pointed out, "You know you might only like meat because you've had nothing else, right? You're just used to it by now. And I can't believe you survived on meat alone! You need more than just protein in your diet. Fine, don't listen to me," she said in irritation.

"What?"

"Oh, forget it. Moral of the story, we need a chef so we don't get sick and die in an embarrassing way." Zoro added it needed to be a top notch chef. Not some loser who can only bake cake. Usopp and Luffy laughed, along with the two bounty hunters. Yosaku didn't vomit blood which was nice. He would be the one to clean the puddle up.

It was only a beat of silence before Jonny thrust his hand in the air. "If you're looking for a chef of the sea, I know a great place to find one. Of course, getting one to join is another matter." Luffy said he'd find a way. "What do you mean?"

"Well, I first blackmailed Zoro into joining, and then me and Nami formed a pact to sail together, and then Usopp just joined in a boring way. Shishishi!" Zoro made it clear he didn't feel like he was blackmailed anymore. "I know! But I did that in the beginning."

This was the first time Usopp had heard of that, and he was shocked. But he didn't ask, seeming to not want to know. Maybe he thought the blackmail had been inappropriate or something. He didn't know an example for it, but maybe his imagination was running wild. "Well, where is the place?" he asked.

"The place is only two to three days from here. We'll guide you if you want! The place is close to the Grand Line, so you gotta be careful of the customers there sometimes. They're bat shit crazy!" Nami said you had to be to enter the Grand Line.

Then she smiled. "I guess we're all crazy for doing that." Luffy beamed and agreed. "Well, a sea cook is better than a cook on an island. They won't know much about meals exclusively from the ocean." Luffy just thought of a horrifying thing. "What's that face for?"

"What if he can't cook meat from on land?!" he asked, eyes wide in worry and horror. Usopp said he was sure he could cook the basics. Meat was easy to prepare. After all, Luffy had been doing it for years, hadn't he? "Well, yeah, I guess. I'll be the cook if necessary."

All three of his crew members gave him a definitive no, even Zoro. They didn't want him to burn the kitchen down. He pouted, but agreed. He wouldn't cook. Zoro wrapped his arm around Luffy's waist. "No more oatmeal and burnt food," he sighed. Nami threw her shoe at him.

"I do my best, asshole," she said defensively. Her face was red in embarrassment, maybe. Luffy chimed in that she was good enough. "That still sounds rude, you know. But it's not like I enjoy making the food. It's not that good to me either, you know? But we can't just eat apples and jerky now that we have a kitchen. It would be a total waste."

Yosaku picked up the conversation that had been derailed again. They seemed to bounce around topics without finishing one before going to another. "That hawkeyed man you've been looking for has been sighted there before," he said casually, looking at Zoro, though. Zoro gave a grin.

Luffy wondered how that would go. He was confident in Zoro, but also kind of worried. Hawkeye was the greatest swordsman in the world, right? But Luffy would never interfere with Zoro's dream, even as his captain. Even as his boyfriend.

It was at dinner that Usopp brought up the ice chest. Zoro and Nami did an excellent job on not reacting. Luffy said, "It's some medicine I have to take."

"You're sick?!"

Luffy frowned, not sure how to answer. "Without the medicine, I get sick," he settled with. "Let's not talk about it." But Usopp was still really curious. He asked why he hadn't said anything. After all, Usopp wouldn't think anything wrong with him if he had some condition.

"He said he doesn't want to talk about it," Zoro said firmly. But Usopp could see both Zoro and Nami knew about it based on their reactions. "It's nothing concerning, so you don't need to worry." The newest member looked hurt about being out of the loop. At least for now.

-x- R Scene -x-

That night, Zoro asked for him to drink. "You're not feeling sick anymore, right?"

"Are you sure? There's a lot of people here, now," Luffy said. Zoro grinned, and dragged him to the storage room, which he pushed a crate in front of. He sat down with Luffy in his lap. He pulled his shirt aside, where bruises already were, with little marks. So he went to the other side. Luffy trusted him when he had told him he'd never do what he did last time. He'd never lose control.

Luffy licked the skin, kissing it first, feeling Zoro's heart beat speed up in anticipation. Luffy bit down and drank slowly, not too fast to end up how it did that one time. Zoro didn't grab at him or anything, he ran his hands up Luffy's back and traced his shoulder blades, touching him softly and lovingly, no groping or anything.

It was… really, really nice. He felt adored. Zoro was sighing at the feeling, but keeping his hands under control. To not upset Luffy at all. After Luffy thought it had been enough, he pulled away to see Zoro's face was red, and he was panting a bit. Luffy looked down and blushed. Zoro was really turned on by it. He felt kind of guilty about it, though he couldn't control that it felt good for his partner. Zoro gasped when Luffy palmed it through his pants, he grabbed his hands, stopping him.

"You really don't need to," he said, not panting anymore. "I've always been good at just willing it away." He didn't sound embarrassed. It was clear from the start that it totally turned him on. He was surprised it was this time that did it, and not that really intense time.

Luffy replied, "Well, it's covered, so it's not that bad." Zoro laughed and said that was fine then. Luffy didn't really know what to do, but rubbed it up and down as Zoro bit his lip. Luffy lapped up the little amount of blood, which made Zoro climax in his pants. But there was no wet spot since he was wearing underwear.

"Um, Zoro? I… I've never done anything like that before."

"Well, I assumed, I'm your first partner." Luffy's face turned red. "Oh. You mean to yourself?" The other nodded. "Oh, wow. Would you ever want to, with me?" Luffy wasn't sure. He didn't know if it felt that good. "It does. I promise. Can I try? I mean, you're wearing pants, too."

Luffy didn't want to embarrass himself further, but he said he could try. Zoro worked slowly, and it was hard with there being two layers over it. But he managed to do it by kissing and likcing Luffy's collar bone and then pulled his shirt up to trail his fingers over the marks, and then moved his mouth to Luffy's nipples.

That got it, and after that, Luffy came incredibly quickly. He was embarrassed. It hadn't been that fast for Zoro. "Luffy, you've never even touched yourself, that's to be expected. I'm just happy I got something," he said and nipped at his bottom lip. "Did it feel good?" Luffy nodded. It felt really good.

"We should do it again some time," Luffy said brightly, though his face was flushed, too. Zoro agreed with a big smile. They both went to clean up before they went to bed. The others were asleep already, and didn't wake by their entrance.

-x-

Luffy was trying to beat Usopp at a card game on deck when he heard and smelled people. "We're here!" he shouted, running to the side of the ship to see the restaurant floating on the sea in one place, not drifting at all. It really was a floating restaurant out on the sea. Usopp hurried over in awe as well.

"Wow!" he said. Everyone else was at the railing, too, now.

"Hey, maybe me and Zoro can go on our first date!" Luffy exclaimed. Nami made a cooing noise and a giggle. Zoro took his hand and intertwined their fingers. He agreed, saying "Why not?" Luffy beamed. They docked there, a marine ship appearing at the same time to dock right next to their ship. It was bigger than the Merry, but not as big as Garp's ship was. Or as big as the Red Force, Shanks' ship.

Usopp worried, "They're not going to attack us, right?" Luffy was worried, too. He wanted their time to be uninterrupted. He just wanted to enjoy food and get a new member. He wasn't leaving this place without a member, he just knew already, but couldn't explain it. His stomach rumbled in anticipation for some of the good food wafting from the open windows. It had the head of a fish and a large deck.

Luffy could not smell that many people. Maybe it was expensive. Or just not a lot of people came to it, since it was out on the sea.

The marine guy belittled their ship and their crew, since he'd never heard of them. Jonny and Yosaku got pissed at him, and ended up getting punched with metal knuckles. What were they called? Brass knuckles! Well, that showed his punch wasn't so strong. "Hey! Why do you use brass knuckles?" Nami hit his head.

"Don't talk to the enemy!" she scolded. Fullbody, as he boasted his name, narrowed his eyes at him before a female voice from inside said, "Darling, enough beating on weaklings. Let's go in already," she said. Well, that solved their problems easily. The guy took her advice, and the two of them got off of their ship to walk into the restaurant, promising them pain if he ran into them when he wasn't on break.

Zoro scoffed. "All talk. Using brass knuckles is shameful." Luffy nodded. If your punch was weak like that, then why not use something other than punches? When Yosaku was hurt, a bunch of papers fell onto the deck.

"What's all this, Jonny?" Nami asked, crouching down.

"Oh, wanted posters," he said, rubbing his bleeding jaw, sitting up like he wasn't just beaten bloody. He and his partner sure moved on from things fast. But Luffy smelled a sudden burst of sweat from Nami. He walked over, and she yanked the paper away. Luffy pulled it back anyways, and she glared at him.

The wanted poster was of a fishman, Arlong. He'd never seen a fishman before, but Shanks told him stories of Fishman Island. The guy had a big bounty for East Blue. "He's the pirate that took over your village, isn't he? I didn't forget. I'm sorry we don't have enough money to buy it back." Luffy had not forgotten about Nami saying she was temporary, even if she didn't act like she wanted to be.

She had wide eyes at him. "It's none of your business…" she said, but there was no bite in her voice.

"Sure it is. You're my friend. I don't want you to be upset. I don't know if we can collect that much money, but we can try!" he said with conviction. "Or we could just go drive them off. Me and Zoro are strong, right? And I'll be a step ahead with my senses and all. Or maybe I can scare him off. I wonder what fishman blood tastes like."

Nami let out a small, sad smile. "You're too nice for your own good." Luffy laughed.

"I thought I was too stupid for my own good! I like this one more though." Luffy let out a real smile, and he helped her up. "Let's just eat some nice food and then talk about it? Besides, you've been there for me with tough times, like after the Kuro incident. We'll be there for you, too."

"Damn straight," they heard Zoro say quietly, giving both of them a small smirk. Nami wiped her eyes a bit. The three got up, and Luffy took the wanted poster and threw it over the side of the ship. She didn't need to see it any longer. She followed after them, a small smile on. But they were startled out of that when they found out via Usopp that Fullbody was aiming his cannon at them. "He fired!"

"Leave it to me!" he shouted, and jumped up. Zoro screamed his name in worry, but Luffy took in a ton of air, inflating his body to throw the cannon back. "Gomu gomu… balloon!" he shouted, protecting the ship. "You can have your cannonball back!" he shouted. Jonny and Yosaku were shocked at this, while Zoro was grinning until they realized where the cannonball was heading. "Oh no!" Luffy shouted.

The cannonball crashed into the ship. He was shocked and horrified, and fell onto his back. Shit. When they got on board, Luffy was unsure of whether to play it off or apologize. Well, he didn't even have the chance to make that choice before he was dragged away by angry chefs. "I'm sorrrryyy!" he said, being dragged. "Save me!" he shouted.

"You kind of deserve a punishment," Usopp said with a sympathetic voice.

"Traitors!" he shouted as he was dragged up the stairs. He went down the hall and the door opened to show an older man with a long, braided mustache and a very tall chef's hat. "I'm sorry, mister! Ahhh! You lost your leg for it! Where is it?! Stitch it back up!"

"Shut up! Your blunder didn't lose me my leg!" Luffy sighed in relief. "But you still damaged our ship. What will you do about it?" Luffy thought for a moment. He had no idea. But he apologized. "If apologies were all that were needed, wars wouldn't happen."

Luffy whistled. "That's pretty deep, mister."

"Not mister, head chef Zeff. If you don't got the money to fix this place, you'll have to work it off," Zeff said. "You'll do odd jobs around my restaurant without pay for a whole year. Only then will I forgive you." Luffy's jaw dropped. A whole year?

"How about one week?" he asked hopefully.

"No! You damage my restaurant, and critically injure me? One year and no less!" Zeff demanded. Luffy looked up at the hole. He suggested making a skylight. Those were pretty cool. Zeff looked frustrated. "One year and that's final!"

Luffy protested further. He'd waited years to become a pirate, he couldn't waste a whole year here! "Alright, it's settled. I'll work for one week here and you'll forgive me." Zeff, unsurprisingly, didn't agree to this, and drop kicked Luffy in the face. "Hey, you said you were critically injured," Luffy grumbled. "You're perfectly fine! Lying isn't a good trait. Shishishi."

"Shut up!" He took a deep breath. "Alright kid, if you don't have the time, then I'll tell you a faster way to get out of here. You'll have to leave behind one of your legs!" Luffy's jaw dropped. He didn't think the guy was serious.

"Um, I know you probably want your missing leg back, but mine is made of rubber, so I don't think it would work for you. And I'm not giving you one of my legs! Are you dumb, mister?" Luffy wondered.

Zeff looked at him like he was absolutely hopeless. "Were you dropped on your head as a baby?" he asked blandly, though there was an angry tick on his face. Luffy laughed, saying it was possible. Then he paused, hearing a commotion down stairs and smelling blood.

He lightly said, "I think there's a fight down in your dining room."

"Damn it!" he shouted and hurried out of the room, Luffy trotting after in interest, finding a chef hat on the counter and putting it on over his hat without a second thought. He looked cool now. The captain saw a blonde guy in a suit holding up a bloody Fullbody. Whoa! He was brutal! Luffy wondered what happened. The table was destroyed, too. Zeff started yelling at Sanji for being a "damn moronic brat!"

Sanji didn't stop, and when Fullbody said he would close this restaurant, Sanji said, "Then I guess I'll have to kill you now." Luffy burst into laughter, reminded of when Ace and Sabo threatened to kill him. It was the same. Sanji was interesting! And he had a cool curly eyebrow. He wanted him for sure. He was strong, clearly. Maybe kind of violent, though. Well, Zoro would keep him in line.

Plus he worked here, and the food here all smelled delicious. So he would have to join them for sure. He watched in interest. "Go Sanji! He's a jerk! Shishishi." Zeff turned to him and told him to shut his piehole, yanking the chef hat off his head. Luffy just laughed some more. Maybe he would annoy Zeff so much he let him go.

"Are you trying to ruin my restaurant, you brat?!" he roared. Then he turned on Fullbody, kicking him out with his wooden leg. Only for him, it had to hurt when it hadn't for Luffy. Man, being rubber was the best, no matter what Usopp thought. "And you get outta here!" Fullbody got up and ran, bloody and defeated.

Then another marine ran in, interrupting everything. Luffy watched in interest. "Sir, he escaped from the ship's prison!"

"Man, this place sure is noisy," Luffy mused, adjusting his hat on his head. He looked around and saw the kitchen. He was hungry, and went inside to eat some of the food before running out. He heard shouts of confusion about the missing food. Luffy got away with it, holding in some giggles.

Just that small taste made him want to eat this food even more. Luffy hadn't been paying attention to the freaked out marine, the smell of food much more pressing. Besides, they were on a ship in the middle of nowhere. Anyone they captured could just be recaptured, right? So he wondered why they were making it a big issue.

Everyone heard the name "Kreig" and started to freak. Luffy wondered who that was. But then a gunshot was heard, and the marine dropped to the floor, shot from behind through the chest. Luffy leaned forward in interest and shock. Who was that? Was he the prisoner that escaped? Wouldn't he just have ditched? Maybe take a smaller boat? Well, that wasn't very fun and he might feel like a coward.

But Luffy wondered if it was worth it to shoot somebody. Patty, as Luffy heard, Sanji and Zeff all had different reactions. Luffy jumped down, in the group, interested. "A pirate?"

"Who are you?" Sanji asked, smoking.

"I'm Luffy. I'm going to be the next Pirate King," Luffy said calmly.

"I see," Sanji replied just as casually, turning back to the pirate in the doorway.

The guy was already bruised and bloodied, but now he was in charge with the gun. "Bring me food. Whatever I want. This is a restaurant, isn't it?"

"Wow, what a bad attitude," Luffy mused. Zeff told him his was worse in a different way. Patty, the chef with big forearms and a buzz cut, walked up the "customer" and welcomed him. "Welcome, squid faced bastard. Pardon me, dumbass, but do you have any money?"

The enemy pirate pressed a gun to Patty's head. "Does lead count?"

Patty was not bothered. "So you don't have any money?" he asked in a monotone voice before slamming his fist down on him, breaking the table underneath him. Luffy thought this place was awesome. He would totally work here for a week. Not a year, definitely not.

"Damn Patty broke a table."

"Ah, this place is interesting. He's pretty strong," Luffy said. Everyone ignored him. Patty told the man he wasn't a customer if he couldn't pay. Luffy heard his stomach rumble very loudly. He was really hungry. While he didn't think his attitude was the best and he shouldn't have shot somebody, it would suck to starve.

Well, he was being dramatic. He wouldn't starve. But then his stomach rumbled louder so everyone could hear him. And mocked him. "If you have no money, you're not a customer! Get the hell out of here!" Patty roared. "I ain't gonna give a single bread crumb to broke ass pirates like you."

"Man, what a jerk," Luffy mumbled. "I thought he was cool at first."

Zeff turned around. "Who are you talking to! Just shut up and stay still!" he said angrily. Luffy apologized in a laugh. With the pirate kicked out, Patty told everyone to resume their meal. Even though there was blood all over the floor and two broken tables, glassware shattered. Luffy saw Sanji walk upstairs and out of sight. "Go get an apron on and get to work," Zeff snapped. "I don't know if I could even handle you for a whole year. Don't mess up my restaurant, brat."

Luffy went upstairs only to not go get an apron, but find that chef and make him stay. He found him on the deck, and looked over the balcony to see he'd given the pirate free food. "Lucky! You got some food! You were almost about to die before, too! Shishishi! Hey cook, join my crew, will yah? Be the cook on my pirate ship! I'm sure you'd get along really well with everyone, and Zoro, too!"

Sanji looked shocked. "Hah?" Luffy jumped down onto the deck and sat on the railing. Sanji asked why he threw that cannon ball at their ship. "That was an accidental misfire in self-defense!" Luffy insisted. "That head chef guy is scary. So is everyone else, but also really cool. But I'm glad you got food, even if you were a jerk before. Going hungry sucks!"

The chef took another drag of his cigarette. "You better not mess with this ship. Shitty geezer'll kill ya. He's a former pirate. All of the people here are crazy, which is good since we get a lot of pirates in these parts. Except for you."

"Haha, yeah. But that keeps it interesting. But he can't kill me, I'm too strong," Luffy said simply. "So is it always this crazy? And thanks for getting rid of Fullbody, he's the one that fired the cannon in the first place. He was a jerk."

Sanji nodded. "It's never quiet. And that jackass wasted food, the ultimate sin. Though worse is when you go hungry or let people go hungry."

"See, you'll do good on my ship," Luffy stated. Sanji just looked at him like he was mentally handicapped and was trying to not be too mean about his feelings towards the rubber teen. "So, join," Luffy said simply. But Sanji refused, though he did it politely.

"I have my own reasons to keep working here," he said calmly. Luffy frowned and glared. He crossed his arms defiantly, and said he refused. "Refuse? Refuse what?!" Now Sanji was getting a bit irritated. Luffy simply stated, "I refuse your refusal! You have to become the chef on my ship because it'll be fun, so you have to. You're a good cook and I need one so it's natural that you come to be our chef."

"How does that make sense?! And at least hear me out," Sanji said.

"Fine, then, what's your reason?"

"I'm not telling you."

"You just told me to hear you out!" Luffy said, getting irritated. He should just say yes already! Why was he refusing? Luffy said it would be fun, and who doesn't like fun things? Crazy people! He knew he was in the right. Besides, his first two crewmembers declined initially, but now look! Zoro was Luffy's lover, and Nami liked being with them.

Though he really couldn't stay a whole year when she had to get her village back. He had no plan to go collect money, those pirates could always come back once she paid, stealing her money. They needed to be dealt with by force. He didn't know who they were or what they did, but the captain upset his navigator and friend, and that wasn't okay.

"Are you listening to me?!"

"Huh? Ah, I got distracted. What were you saying?" Sanji was raging, Luffy laughed, apologizing if he thought he was annoying.

"That's not a proper apology! You're making it sound like the person being annoyed is at fault when you're the one being annoying! You stupid Straw Hat, don't make me cut you into pieces!"

"Don't insult my Straw Hat or I'll kick your ass!" Luffy shot back. They both glared at each other, Luffy making sure not to growl. Not that he'd done that in while, though. Then he laughed. "Ah, I'm not doing very well to recruit you. But, you'll come anyway." Sanji pinched the bridge of his nose and took some deep breaths. "You know smoking is bad for you." The blonde didn't respond.

Their arguing was cut short when the guy introduced himself. He was Gin, a member of the Kreig pirates. Again, Luffy had never heard about them. He asked if they were tough. "Yeah."

"But you're weak, right?" Sanji didn't argue. "Well, I have a weaker guy on my crew, but he's still great, so I guess I can't judge. Shishishi." Gin looked a bit unsure of how to talk to Luffy. When he was asked about it, Luffy confirmed his crew was small. "Now there are five."

"I said no! Don't count me in, you stupid shitty rubber!" Sanji shouted, but Luffy was paying attention to Gin. He bluntly told Luffy to not go to the Grand Line. He wouldn't agree to that. That was the place he would find the One Piece in, and become the Pirate King. He would also have more fun and get stronger in the Grand Line. There was no debate about whether to go or not.

Luffy wondered what Gin knew about the Grand Line. Luffy had a basic concept of it. Crazy people, crazy ocean, and crazy islands. So, in other words, super fun and neat. Well, Sanji told him to listen to other's opinions, so he'd listen to his story. "There are plenty of places to go in the world as a pirate other than the Grand Line."

"Do you know something about the Grand Line?" he asked curiously, wanting to know Gin's opinion. His, so far, was very different from Shanks'. Gin pulled his knees up and put his face in his hands, suddenly trembling.

"No, I don't know anything about it. That's why it's terrifying," he said, voice shaking. He was a scaredy cat, why'd he try going there in the first place? If he regretted it. Luffy knew Usopp would be scared, but he could handle it with them. Luffy didn't respond directly to Gin's words, but asked who Krieg was.

Just a strong pirate who entered the Grand Line, but then got scared and left. "That's not a very brave pirate… to give up at the beginning and run away." Sanji nodded silently. Gin said it was all he had to say. He stood up and looked at the ocean; he had no way to get out of here. The teenage chef stood, and offered him a small boat to leave on. He really was nice.

"Just so you know, I'm still going to the Grand Line."

"Haha, well, you're free to do as you like. I can't stop you. And Sanji, thank you so much for the meal. It was the best I'd ever had. Would it be alright for me to come back and eat here?" he asked with a genuine smile. Food cures all. Sanji nodded.

Luffy added, "Well, it won't be him cooking your food next time, cause he's gonna be my chef. Shishishi." Sanji finally kicked him.

"Errand boy! So that's where you've been!"

"Agh! Old man!"

When Gin worried Sanji would get in trouble over him, the chef just dumped the plate over the side of the ship. No proof, no punishment. Luffy liked that. Wow, he really liked that. He knew he'd be using that some day. "Don't get caught again!" Sanji called, looking genuinely happy. Luffy grinned.

"You're a good person, aren't you?" Sanji looked away and didn't respond before Zeff ordered both of them to get back to work. Luffy went to the kitchen and wasn't sure what to do. Nobody paid attention to him either, so he found a chair and sat on it, creaking it back and forth as he watched the chaotic environment. How could they hear each other over the loud talking and clinking of dishes?

His presence started to annoy them, and the creaking of his chair was getting really irritating, so he was ordered to do the dishes. He looked at the plates. He'd never done the dishes before. He started to rub them with his hands, not even using soap, but the plates were slippery, and he kept dropping and breaking them. He was paying attention to the scene of the chefs yelling and cooking.

He was able to hear them talking about Sanji, information he wanted but couldn't ask for. He wanted to be the head chef, and had been working for years there with Zeff. They started to insult him over picking fights in the dining room.

"It sickens me to see a guy like that as the assistant head chef."

"Hey, that's not very nice," he said bluntly, dropping and shattering a dish in the sink. He was either not realizing or just didn't care about breaking the dishes because there were a lot of broken ones in the sink. Patty marched over and scolded him about the dishes. "And you don't know shit about this place, so don't butt in. Go take a broom and don't break anything!"

Luffy didn't argue and got a broom. On his way to sweep, to try and not do anything wrong, he picked a piece of meat off of a dish and ate it. "Mmm~ you guys are good cooks!" he said with a grin.

"Don't take the food!" Luffy stated he did before, and he hadn't been in trouble. "Because no one noticed!" Luffy put his hands up and said he wouldn't do it again, though he was amused the whole time. It wasn't amusing to the chefs, and they kicked him out of the kitchen. On the way, he made another mistake, only this one hurt. He badly burned his hand and destroyed pretty much every dish in the kitchen from him waving his hand around in pain.

"GET OUT!"

"My hand!"

He was dragged out of the kitchen by Patty, and ordered to take customers orders. He could do that. "But I'm not very good with people sometimes."

"Yeah, well Sanji isn't either. Doesn't mean you can't go work, runt!" he was shoved forward, and pouted as he left the kitchen. He grabbed another chef's hat and put it on over his straw one once again, just because it was cool and funny. He walked around the upper floor, exploring before he hurried to the stairs to look like he was doing his job. He honestly wasn't trying to be a nuisance. His loved ones put up with a lot, didn't they?

He headed into the dining room. "Heh, this is the life of an errand boy. Coby must have had it rough," he mused. Then his face fell. He still felt bad about knocking him out and feeding on him, even if it was only a little. Really, only a little. But still, he felt he'd betrayed him. He was so glad Zoro was there for him. Loved being there for that.

His cheeks turned red as he looked around to take orders. Then he saw his own crew eating good food without him! He ran to their table and angrily demanded to know why they were eating without him. "Hey, errand boy. Heard you have to work here a full year."

"I bet he's already destroyed the kitchen," Nami said, taking a sip of her drink. Luffy affirmed that. "I'm not surprised," she added casually. Luffy laughed about it, and snatched some food from Zoro's plate. He didn't complain. They talked loudly, and Luffy said he'd found them a chef. "Ooh, which one."

"That one," Luffy said, and openly pointed at Sanji. He rolled his eyes and poured another glass of wine. "He's interesting."

Nami sighed. "And I had hoped it was a girl chef."

"Nope, only guys. Did you see them beat up Fullbody and this other pirate? They're crazy! And interesting, too," he said. Zoro wondered if that's why Fullbody left crying and bloody. Luffy laughed. "He was so scared! Man, how embarrassing. But I won't forgive him for shooting the cannon ball. He should be the one doing this. Well, he can't be worse at it than I am, even though I'm trying my best, shishishi."

Nami laughed. "Well, at least you're honest, right?"

Then Sanji came over, and started fawning over Nami, hearts in his eyes. Zoro and Usopp watched him in confusion. Nobody pointed out that Nami would not be interested in him. She could do that if she wanted herself. Zoro asked if they were really taking this guy. Luffy told him to get along, he was coming with them.

"So, you agreed then?"

"No, but he'll come anyways," Luffy said bluntly. Nami said she assumed that was what would happen. "I know, right? And I don't even gotta blackmail him or anything. Shishishi!"

Sanji didn't pay attention, still serenading Nami. She was being a good sport about it, or maybe thought she could use him. Maybe a bit of both. "If only a great obstacle were not standing in our way of love!"

"Yeah, Nami's preferences not being him is a pretty big obstacle," Zoro whispered to Luffy, who started laughing. Zoro grinned. "I wish we could have gone on a date, now you have to work here. Though you sound like you're failing spectacularly already."

Luffy nodded. "Spectacularly," he agreed. "But we can go on a date after they forget about what I did."

"Errand boy, get back to work!" Zeff shouted, and yanked the chefs hat away once again. "And stop wearing the chefs hats, boy!" He moved his gaze to Sanji, having been listening to him the whole time. "That obstacle is me, right? It's a good chance. Just go and be a pirate. I don't need someone like you in my restaurant." Luffy grew very angry.

And it continued. Zeff pointed out every negative thing about Sanji he could think of, insulting him and telling him he wasn't needed. Luffy hated watching all of it, his face twisting in anger. He thought Zeff hadn't been a bad guy, but now look at how he was treating Sanji! Dismissal like that, pawning him off like he was nothing, saying he wasn't wanted…

Ace went through all of that and it took a long time for Luffy to convince him he was worth everything! Well, the same happened the other way around. They were both insecure and forgotten about when they were young.

"Luffy?" Usopp asked, seeing the anger on his face. He knew none of them had ever seen him this angry. Zoro patted his head, and Luffy managed to calm down. But he had to say something. "I hope you know that's very hurtful to pawn someone off that you're supposed to like and act like they aren't worth a thing." He said it loud enough for Zeff to hear.

Sanji put his hand up. "Thanks for trying to help, but it's not a big deal." He turned back to Zeff, and vowed he'd work there, no matter if he wanted him gone. Until the day he died. He was slammed down, and Zeff left.

Nami asked why Luffy got so upset about it. "It was mean, yeah, but you totally lost your cool. Which is weird." Luffy simply said his brother was treated like that. He didn't mention himself, too. They didn't really need to know that much about what his differences had done to his mental and emotional state when he was young.

"It took me years to convince him that he was worthy of love and care and effort. I just got really mad, thinking about how he felt after all of that. Sorry I got involved, Sanji. It's none of my business." His crew members' faces softened, and even Sanji looked a bit touched.

"Well, thanks for the sentiment. But I'm not your brother and I'm not a child," the blonde said. He gave Nami a fancy dessert, goo goo eyes, and then walked away. Nami watched after him.

She said, "He'll get annoying, but he seems like a good guy. And he's a great chef, too. It's so good." Luffy scowled. He was the captain and would be making the final decision, so he should at least get some food to try out! But he was called back inside to work some more. Though he didn't know what kind of work they wanted him to do.

I touch on Ace's psych in this a lot in passing, and how Luffy went through time trying to get Ace to love himself, since in canon, Ace is just an emotional mess even as an adult. So I highlight that to show how close the two really are, even when apart. So, I don't make Ace a whiny cry baby, I just show how he really was in relation to Luffy and his emotional problems as well. Two "monsters" in very different ways. :(

Chapter Text

Artemispolarbear: Ace is definitely an emotional soft spot for Luffy. They went through similar suffering and even in cannon, I think Luffy must have at some point has Ace open up and been there for him based on how much he'd changed over the seven years. Miracle worker Luffy lol. 

chickie434: Decided to post that one! ATLA has gotten more requests than JJK. I'll do that one after that. Now I just gotta finish editing them.

Warning for drama in this one. Precious Luffy. Enjoy~

Luffy was working there for two more days, and wondering why they kept him around. Maybe out of stubbornness from Zeff. Luffy wasn't happy there anymore. They were all so mean to Sanji! And he mostly just took it after insulting them lightly back! It pissed him off, but he didn't want to show him pity. And he didn't like being angry. He hated being angry. Especially after losing control against Kuro.

He never wanted to lose control again, and he was trying so hard not to. He was just glad he could go back to Zoro at night, as he had to work all day. His crew was getting bored, too. He was irritated at Fullbody and Zeff, both of them being the reasons he was stuck there.

Sanji was out taking a smoke and Luffy was getting some fresh air. He asked what kind of guy his brother was like. Luffy looked out at the ocean. "He hated his dad. He never met him, or his mom. But he hated his dad for a long time. It sort of bled into his daily feelings. Our grandpa didn't help either. His training was just to beat us up. Our caretaker cared kind of, she did her best, but she was also really harsh.

"Then our other brother was murdered, and that of course didn't help." Sanji was startled by this. "Yeah, a Celestial Dragon killed him for no real reason. But anyways, it was just me to help Ace. He helped me too, of course, he was my big brother! But I like to think I helped make him happy. He's a pirate too, with a bounty." Sanji was smiling sadly and then asked what his name was. "'Firefist' Portgas D. Ace. He has black hair and freckles," Luffy said proudly. "I can't wait to meet him again in the Grand Line and show him my awesome crew. I'm sure you'd both get along!"

Sanji sighed. "You're still insisting I join, huh?" He sounded kind of resigned, as no matter how many times he declined, Luffy didn't accept it, and just knew he'd join. "What's your crew like? I'm working, so I don't really have a chance to talk to them."

"Oooh, you're interested!"

"More like curious about what kind of people would follow somebody like you," Sanji replied, but without much heat.

"Hmmm, well, me and Zoro are a couple, Nami likes money and tangerines and is smart, and Usopp likes to make things and lie." Sanji stared at him.

"That was a terrible description," he pointed out. Luffy laughed. Sanji would just need to get to know them personally. It was much more fun that way. "So, you want to become the Pirate King? Pretty lofty goal, there." Luffy beamed. He would become the Pirate King. "How are you so sure the One Piece even exists?"

Luffy laughed. "Well, I don't! But that's what's fun. I don't know what to expect to happen, I just know I want to fulfil my dream. And my crew's dreams. Usopp wants to be a brave warrior of the sea, Nami wants to draw a world map, and Zoro wants to be the greatest swordsman ever. And each one I want to help them reach, since they're helping me become the Pirate King. I don't know if any of our dreams will be fully fulfilled, but I'm sure the journey will be really fun!"

Sanji had a smile on. "Is your dream to become head chef here?" Luffy wondered. The blonde man shook his head. That wasn't his dream at all. "Then what is it?"

"I want to find the All Blue. It's a sea where all the world's sea life meets. Can you imagine how much stuff would be there to cook? And it's supposedly beautiful, and it's my biggest dream other than to visit Fishman Island. I know it might not exist, the concept isn't logical, but still."

Luffy said, "That sounds awesome! And in the Grand Line, everything is crazy, so it's not like it wouldn't be weird to have the All Blue there, right?!" Sanji grinned and nodded. He wanted to go to the Grand Line, but didn't want to leave. "Why not?"

Sanji looked out at the sea, taking a drag of his cigarette. "Owner Zeff saved my life. Then we were both stranded on a barren rock in the ocean, waiting for help to come. We had limited food, and he gave it all to me. I didn't even know, but he starved himself so I could keep eating. He also lost his leg in that time. But as much as he can be an asshole, I still can't leave. I have to repay him."

"Your whole life?"

"Well… I'm not sure, really. There are things I want to do that aren't here, but I can't really see any way to leave."

"Ehem," Luffy said. Sanji said he knew that. Luffy was a chance to leave. "Then why not take it? It'll be fun! And then, once you find the All Blue, you can tell everyone here about it. I bet they'd get really jealous, shishishi," the rubber boy said brightly.

Sanji laughed. "I bet they would be." They were interrupted when Zeff shouted at them to get back to work. Luffy started to go, before he smelled something. He turned around, and Sanji asked what was wrong. There was someone coming. "What do you mean?"

"A lot of people are going to be here soon. With a lot of weapons. I gotta go tell my crew." Sanji called after him, waiting to know how he knew. Luffy found them on the deck. "There are a lot of people coming here. They smell like weapons. Hey, where's Usopp?" Nami and Zoro sank. "What happened?"

"He found the blood bags. I was bringing ice to the chest, and he found them. He doesn't know completely, but he thinks it's kind of freaky to hide a bunch of random blood bags. I think he's made or is making the connection, based on what Kuro and his crew had said. I'm sorry, Luffy," Nami said sincerely.

Luffy frowned, and ran to the ship. He was on board, and followed Usopp's scent to the boys' room. Jonny and Yosaku were playing cards on deck. He poked his head through the hatch, and saw Usopp in his hammock. Luffy climbed down and shut the hatch. "Why didn't you tell me?" Usopp asked quietly.

"Tell you what?"

"About the blood."

"What about it?"

"I know you drink it or something. Why didn't you tell me? Was that your 'medication'? Why did you hide it from me? Did you think I would be scared?" Luffy honestly said yes. "So you don't believe in me at all?"

Luffy floundered. "I didn't want to tell you anything so soon. You only joined, like, two weeks ago. It's not just drinking blood. That's just a big part of it… I don't want to scare you away."

"It's not like you drink our blood, it's not such a big deal." Luffy bit his lip. He told him he drank Zoro's blood when he wanted him to. "What?!" Luffy nodded. He explained Zoro liked the feeling, and it was mutually beneficial. "So, why do you do it?" Usopp clearly had no idea. Luffy turned the light on, and took out one of his colored contacts, and lifted his shirt with the other hand.

He sighed. "I'm not fully human. I'll die if I don't ingest blood every few days. The blood bags are enough, so drinking from Zoro is mostly because we both enjoy the feeling." Usopp looked shocked, and Luffy put the contact back in. "I was stabbed in the throat when fighting Kuro. So I drank a lot of his blood to heal it. So I didn't die from my own blood loss."

"So… what are you?"

"Well, I don't know. I don't know anything about my parents. My brothers nicknamed me a demon because of the eyes and blood and all, but I have no idea. I'm just… me, I guess. Just something. Zoro and Nami both know. Zoro knew the day I recruited him. He saw me doing it to a marine, but he just thinks it's really cool, and accepted it. He even wanted to test it out, and found he really liked the feeling. Nami noticed everything herself and asked. I told her and she was fine with it.

"Their reactions were so surprising! I didn't think others would react like that. We didn't hide it to hurt your feelings. I was just scared you'd be afraid of me. That's why I wanted to wait, and why I hid the ice chest." He finished and there was silence.

Usopp was silent, and Luffy wanted to know what he thought. "I'm not scared of you. But I was scared when you attacked Jango both times. Why did you react like that?" The captain shrugged. He didn't know.

He admitted, "I was really scared. I'm confident I won't hurt my friends, since Zoro was restraining me and I didn't attack him, but losing control… I never, ever, want to experience that again. It was like I was just a spectator." Usopp walked to him and hugged him. Luffy was shocked.

Shocked and confused were what he was feeling now. Was Usopp honestly not scared? He pulled away, and the long nosed teen smiled a shaky smile. "It's kind of scary, but I'm not scared of you. You're my friend!" Luffy nodded, wiping his eyes frantically. "And with all of us knowing, you don't have to wear the contacts anymore."

Luffy would probably keep them in. Not because he wanted to, but because he thought it would make them all uncomfortable. Usopp asked what blood tasted like. "Well, it's different for everyone, just like everybody smells different. Every blood bag, even if they're the same type, taste different. Sometimes they taste gross, sometimes they're really good. Zoro's is the best. Before him, I mostly used blood bags. Sometimes I was desperate or we ran out.

"I had to drink from other people twice at your island. Remember when I asked you guys to leave without me? When everyone was down? I drank from someone there. I was hiding it, but someone saw. Then I attacked Kuro. But I drank so much I felt physically ill. So I do have a limit, I don't suck people dry."

Usopp said blood tasted bad. Like metal. Luffy sat down. "I honestly think I have taste buds that react only to blood and others that don't, because the taste sensation is so wildly different between both things I need to survive. I don't know of anyone else like me, so I can't know if anything is 'normal'."

"When was the last time you drank?"

"The day before we docked. So, four days ago, I usually do every three. So I'll drink some tonight after work is done," Luffy said brightly. "I'm so happy you aren't scared!" he said in relief. "Now I don't have to hide everything. It was so hard." He sighed again, beaming. "Well, there are a lot of people coming, so I should get outside," he said, and bounded up the ladder and to Zoro and Nami. He jumped Zoro, and said, "He's not scared! We even talked about the stuff!"

Zoro and Nami both sighed in relief, beaming, too. Now none of them had to cover or hide anything. Though they'd still have to do that with Sanji. Luffy didn't know him well enough in that way as to feel comfortable and safe enough to tell him. "I'll get back to work. Zoro, I'm gonna need you tonight."

He blushed and nodded. Nami teased him, and then Luffy was back in the building. The people hadn't come yet, but his crew were prepared. And it only took half an hour more for the large crew to arrive. Not because they were far, but it seemed their ship was a broken piece of junk that barely sailed properly. And it was huge! He and a bunch of the chefs walked out. "That's a big ship. I wonder if they're here to repay you for your kindness. That would be cool."

Sanji asked how he knew they were coming. "I just did." Sanji didn't press, and took another drag of smoke. "That's Krieg, right? The ones who ran away from the Grand Line."

"Yeah. I won't be surprised if they're here to cause trouble," Sanji said smoothly. Their ship was huge, and in tatters. It had fallen apart. "What a shitty ship. If it fell apart like that." Sanji wasn't scared of the Grand Line, and Luffy felt he'd made real progress with him coming along willingly. The ship docked there, many times larger than the Baratie.

"Looks like a natural disaster hit it," Sanji said, a perplexed look on his face. "We should go back inside. Take cover if you need." Sanji didn't know he was strong. Well, he'd find out eventually.

The pair went back inside and stood behind some of the chefs, watching the much larger Don Kreig walk in with the help of Gin. So they did come to repay them for the food. But something didn't feel right. Both men looked weak and injured, so they might not be in any shape to fight or win if they tried.

"S-Sorry for intruding, but I need food and water. If it's money you want, I have plenty," Krieg said, voice tired and body weak. Otherwise he'd look really strong. Now, he just looked gaunt. Even seeing him like this, it didn't deter Luffy one bit to not go to the Grand Line. There was no other choice.

He looked and sounded weak to everyone else, too. He looked starving, like Gin had. Said man begged for help when Don Krieg fell. "Help save my captain, please!" he begged. Nobody was impressed, and nobody showed an ounce of sympathy. Every single chef refused to serve him food. Patty even said to call the marines.

Luffy asked, "Is he really that bad?"

Zeff affirmed this. He had done all sorts of unspeakable acts. Luffy "hummed". He saw Zoro and Usopp were in the restaurant and could hear the ship being moved to the back of the restaurant for safety. Good, that was the right choice. Protect the ship.

Everyone refused to feed him but Sanji. And even as they all told Sanji the horrid things Krieg had done, he didn't take the food away. And what he'd done was indeed despicable. Even Luffy would hesitate feeding him. But then he heard an intake of breath that you made when you were about to attack. Luffy heard his brothers do it so many times that he used it to his advantage. Always knowing when they'd attack next.

He acted immediately, and kicked Kreif in the face when he started to bring his arm down on Sanji. Luffy jumped him from behind and twisted his arm, breaking it. "He gave you food and you were gonna attack him?!" Luffy demanded angrily.

"How'd he know?" Patty asked. Luffy dropped down and glared at Kreig, whose arm Luffy had broken in a messy one. It would not be easy to heal.

"Damn it, you fool! You're all going to pay for this!" Gin told him that they were just to get food and be peaceful! Honestly, why did he believe that this terrible person would be calm and polite like that? Of course he'd attack after he was satisfied. But why attack the Baratie? It was just a restaurant ship.

Gin was grabbed around the throat and thrown into the wall. Like he was nothing. "This is a nice restaurant you got here. I'll take it. My ship is all worn out. I've been looking for a new one. Once my business is done with you, I'll have you get off." He said it so calmly that it irritated Luffy. "After I kill that one, that is."

Luffy stuck his tongue out at him. It made his lip twitch and jaw clench. He was no doubt not used to people being openly disrespectful and unafraid at the same time. He demanded they feed and give water to his 100 men, who were all critically wounded and starving. Luffy hated people like this. So entitled that they think everyone should do what they want for free. That it was just natural that others do their bidding without complaint.

He was very annoyed.

"No way are we giving all your men food when we know they'll attack us!" Gin was apologizing to Sanji. Luffy could tell his guilt and remorse was true. Luffy stretched his arms and grabbed him until the pits, yanking him to safety. Gin was crying in shame. Luffy told him not to cry. He didn't mean for this to happen, right? "No, I didn't. But I lead them here! Captain, this wasn't what we were going to do!"

Kreig paid no attention. "I'm not requesting the food. I'm ORDERING IT! And nobody disobeys my order!" he roared. It scared everyone there but some of the chefs and Luffy. They all stood tall and unwavering. But Sanji turned to go to the kitchen. Zeff asked where he was going.

"To prepare 100 meals."

"Sanji…" Luffy said, feeling like that was wrong. To help somebody like this who was going to hurt you. The chefs all pointed guns at him. Luffy didn't like that, but he felt they were in the right on this one. Feeding a starving man who had no money and was desperate was completely different than people promising to steal their ship and harm them. Why help them?

Chivalry was good and all, but this was just… not right. Both sides held their beliefs. Sanji was adamant about preventing anybody from starving, no matter who they were, while the other chefs demanded he be reasonable. Patty finally did something and slammed Sanji down from behind. "Hold him down!" Someone came and held him down. "I know you go and feed those I drive away for free! I'm not gonna say which one of us is right in that, but this time it's all your fault! Don't you do anything else unnecessary. I'll protect this damn ship myself!"

"He didn't know Gin would bring him back! It's not Sanji's fault!" Luffy said.

"Who do you think you are? You're just a failure errand boy! Things would have been better here if you hadn't been forced to stay!" Patty shot at him. Luffy scowled. He was glad Zoro wasn't there or he'd kill that guy. "Fortunately, the only one we have to fight is Kreig! What can he do against all of us?" the chef asked confidently.

Luffy made no response. Patty confidently took out a gun. A big one, from somewhere. He was determined to prove a point to Sanji. Maybe to everyone. He didn't hesitate to shoot Kreig, who was blasted by an explosive bullet. He was thrown backwards into the railing, a painful slamming noise heard.

But Luffy heard him chuckle under his breath. He was just fine. "He's just fine," Luffy said quietly. No one heard but Zeff, who watched him strangely, and then raised his brows when krieg came out of the smoke, wearing metal armor. "He's wearing iron armor!" Patty shouted, shocked his attack didn't work.

They charged him, but Luffy could easily smell gunpowder coming out. He had tons of guns. Luffy didn't wait to act and jumped on him. It surprised everyone that Luffy had leapt onto the guy. And despite his broken arm, he was using it just fine. He was strong. More like durable. Luffy wrapped his legs around him and used his fingers to tear off the armor from behind, which wasn't as compact as in the front.

He still had complete control. Maybe he should have had some blood this morning or last night. He was kind of hungry all day. Well, after this he'd get some blood.

Luffy was grabbed by the shirt and thrown back to the entrance. His hat fell off, but it was too hectic for anyone to comment on his weird hair. Multiple guns that were coming out of multiple parts of his body were aimed at Luffy, and he shot while Luffy stood there, not moving even as Sanji and Zeff grew worried. All of the bullets riddled him, creating holes and tears in his clothes. But they all bounced back, and one caught Krieg's ear, making him hiss as it was blown away by his own ricocheted bullet.

Luffy didn't let him monologue, instead he attacked him viciously, wanting this to be over. He felt an odd emptiness in the area. Like something was missing, he wasn't hearing something he should. But he was mostly focusing on Kreig and being as annoying as possible, snaking his fingers through the gaps in his equipment. He shattered some of it, got his gloves off and tossed them into the ocean. While he was distracted, the chefs came and attacked, Sanji kicking the man's head.

He was overwhelmed before he threw all of them off. Luffy wrapped his hands around his head, and stretched back before he slammed forward and nailed his knee into the back of his head. He felt the skull shatter underneath it.

The half human had a terrible feeling and he didn't know what it was from. He assumed it was from Krieg, so he attacked him. Preemptively making it so the bad feeling didn't manifest. He ripped the cape off and, while he was stunned, Luffy pulled everything apart and chucked it into the water.

He was not going easy. But that bad feeling was still there. Even as Krieg's face planted, everyone was shocked, and as the cooks tied his hands behind his back, it didn't leave. Luffy did wonder what he encountered in the Grand Line, but it wasn't worth asking him. Maybe they could ask Gin instead.

Sanji walked up to him and Luffy jumped. He walked to Zoro, he and Usopp looking worried. "What's wrong?" Zoro asked in concern. "You got the bad guy, taking him out in a boring way. Didn't even let him monologue." Luffy said he had a really bad feeling. But he couldn't figure out what it was.

The chefs were wrapping Kreig in rope and chain, anything they had. Though his head was bleeding and his skull was cracked open. Luffy wondered if he'd just killed somebody. His hands were shaking. The chefs dumped Kreig back onto his ship, but Gin was staying for now. He was still very bothered. Luffy wondered how he'd even go back to that ship. Surely he didn't care much about Kreig after he lied and then attacked him.

Patty asked what did happen to their fleet. Nobody was worried about Kreig anymore. He wasn't a threat with his brain damaged. Luffy didn't pay much attention to the story, distracted, before he noticed Zoro jerk. "What? What happened?" Luffy asked, brought back to the present.

"He said Hawk-eye defeated them all alone."

Luffy asked if that was the guy Zoro wanted to defeat. He grinned. "Yeah, that's him. If he's in the area, then we might come across him. And I can finally find out how good I am." Luffy couldn't help the look of worry. "Don't worry, I'll be fine." Luffy didn't argue, not wanting to offend Zoro. "I trusted you weren't gonna die against Kreig or Kuro. Believe in me."

"I do believe in you! I just worry, too. I can't help it," Luffy said quietly. He looked to Sanji, who was looking uncertain. He wasn't making eye contact. "Hey, Zeff! Can I be let off?" Luffy asked. He had been a major reason their restaurant was safe and not taken over completely by the bad pirates.

Zeff replied, "Yes. All you've done is mess with the quality of our restaurant. I'll be glad to get rid of you." Luffy cheered, grinning brightly. Zoro smiled and Usopp was happy to not stick around anymore, either. He couldn't wait to tell Nami they could go to her island now! He got up and ran to where he thought the ship had been.

It… wasn't there. Instead Jonny and Yosaku were floating in the water. "Where's Nami?" Luffy demanded. Zoro walked over, and they heard that Nami had taken the ship and left. Luffy's hearing faded. He looked at Zoro, but they were all distracted when the galleon, holding Kreig and his crew members, all still injured and hungry, was sliced in half, making the whole ship rock from the waves.

Luffy helped the two guests out of the water. He was numb. Nami left. He had promised to help her. And she took all his blood bags with her. He went to Zoro, tell him his concern. He was four days out. He had planned on taking some that night. Four days out gave him less than three days until he died.

Was he going to die? "Zoro-" but he stopped when he saw Zoro's expression as he looked behind the ship, which was in two slices. Starving pirates and dead bodies floated or struggled in the suction made by the sinking ship. Screaming for help.

Usopp hid behind Luffy. "Who is that?" Usopp asked, fearful of whoever clearly chopped that galleon in half.

Zoro grinned. "Mihawk," he hissed.

"Wait, I can still see the ship!" Luffy said, just barely. "Just barely! We can catch up with her! We have to go now!" Zoro was distracted, focusing on nothing but Mihawk. He was standing in front of his dream, to defeat him. Luffy was torn. He didn't want to hurt Zoro. But the ship was still in view! They could get it if they went now. "Zoro…"

He felt he was talking to a wall. He looked at Usopp, who also hadn't made the connection. They needed to get back to the ship. Even if he did get to drink from Zoro, it would be around everyone. Sanji would see. So they needed what was on the ship! It was literally life and death for Luffy, but he couldn't bring himself to do anything but let Zoro fight.

Even if he told him they were going, he'd stay behind. Luffy wasn't sure how to feel. He felt alone, nobody sensing the danger but him. Usopp didn't remember. He knew Nami would not have taken them on purpose, but it still hurt that she left without them, took their ship. He still wanted her as a navigator, but this was really an awful thing to do.

Zoro walked forward to watch Mihawk advance and slice the ship one more time. It was kind of sadistic. He could hear his excuse for following them this whole time, back into the East Blue, all the way to the Baratie was to kill time. They were nothing to him. Their swords couldn't reach, their bullets were deflected by his sword, and Don Kreig was still useless, along with any weapons he'd had.

That crew was in shambles, and Mihawk was making sure to destroy them into nothing. Could Zoro win against someone like this? Luffy felt his throat start to ache. Maybe it was in his head, he didn't know. But he'd gone a week without it once, and it was hell. Why didn't he just drink the night before! Well, he didn't expect this to happen! He couldn't blame himself, and he couldn't bring himself to resent Nami. He knew it wasn't all a lie. It never was or he could have easily heard her heart showing she was lying. Especially after getting a lot of useful tells from Usopp's lies.

He was only good at reading lies when he heard the person's heartbeat. He hadn't been focusing on Nami's, but still. But was she going to leave them? Luffy really didn't want that. No, he wouldn't let that. She was happy with him, and he'd keep his promise of helping her with her island situation. He'd beat the shit out of anyone that made his crew cry.

"Zoro- Zoro, we need to go after Nami! I'm sorry, but we need to get after the ship-"

"This is my fight. I've been waiting for this for my whole life. I have to do it! We can find Nami later! Right? You'll be able to tell where she is, won't you?" Luffy knew that was a good point. But Zoro didn't seem to be connecting the dots. He didn't want to burden him, he didn't want to be an annoyance or hindrance. So he nodded.

They would wait.

Zoro moved forward, and Luffy could smell the sweat and heard his heart hammering. He was nervous and afraid, but very excited. Luffy and Usopp moved back to where the crowd was. To Sanji, who was sitting against the wall, smoking. "What's with you?" Sanji asked, seeing Luffy's pinched face.

"Our navigator stole our ship without saying anything. I have medicine on that ship that I need to have. I want to go after her now… but I don't want to ruin Zoro's dream." Sanji looked baffled that Nami would do this, even though they'd not spent nearly as much time together as he and Sanji had. "It's okay. We'll catch up and I'll get it in time. I'm just over reacting."

"And a terrible liar. If you're that scared about it, force him! You're his captain, aren't you?" Sanji asked. Usopp wasn't listening, worried about Zoro's safety himself.

Luffy said, "We'll leave the moment Zoro's match is over. No matter how it ends. So, you should pack your things now. We won't be able to come pick you up again." He looked at Sanji and smiled. "C'mon, you wanna join now, right?"

Sanji bit his lip. "I… I can't." Luffy's face fell, and he nodded, looking back at Zoro.

"Did you cut that ship?" he asked.

"I did," Hawkeye replied.

Zoro let out an uneasy chuckle. "No wonder. You really are the strongest. I set sail to meet you," he said, his voice not trembling anymore. He was still nervous, but he was now running on adrenaline. Anticipation making his heart hammer in his chest.

Hawkeye still had his calm and collected voice. It almost sounded empty, to be honest. "...What do you aim for?" he asked, still sitting serenely in his little one-manned boat. He found no threat in Zoro.

"To be the strongest," Zoro said, and tied his bandana around his head. Usually, Luffy would find it really attractive, but he was a big bundle of nerves and disappointment about Sanji. He ended up going inside, not watching. Luffy didn't eavesdrop on him or what he was doing, and only focused on his boyfriend and his enemy/goal. "You said you're free, right? Let's have a duel," Zoro said, grinning like a mad man.

Luffy at least hoped he had fun, and if he lost, would learn from it and be a good sport about it. "Pathetic, weak." Luffy got angry. "You, shut up!" he roared.

"Luffy!" Zoro called. "It's fine." Luffy turned red in the face and sighed. He wouldn't say anything else. It was Zoro's deul. The reason he joined Luffy in the first place. He knew that this wouldn't make Zoro leave. Even if he did beat Hawkeye, he still looked forward to the chaos promised in the Grand Line.

Hawkeye got off of his craft, and stood a bit away from Zoro on the broken deck. "If you're such a competent swordsman by any means, then I can demonstrate the pure difference in strength between you and I," the man said coolly. "Without needing to cross blades at all. But still, you dare to challenge me. Does your bravery come from conviction?" he asked. "Or from ignorance?" Luffy hated how belittling he was to Zoro. Zoro was amazing and strong. Nobody puts down his Zoro and gets away with it.

He was seething, his worry leaving as anger and irritation took over. He welcomed these feelings more than the worry and fear. This way, he didn't feel he was looking down on him at all. "It comes from my ambition, and a promise of a friend." That's right, they never talked about his past like they said they would.

It had honestly not been that big of a deal anyway, if they both forgot about it.

"To be honest, I never thought I would meet you this early on," Zoro said. Hawkeye called it a waste of time. Zoro wasn't getting angry, he was keeping his cool. Which was admirable when your goal was literally in front of you and belittling you.

He did get mad, however, when Hawkeye literally took out a tiny sword. Not even the size of a dagger. Short and small. "Just what're you planning to do with that?" Zoro asked darkly. Hawkeye simply said it was all he needed to take him on. He told Zoro he was weak, even if he was strong in the weakest sea.

"Unfortunately, I don't have a smaller blade." Zoro demanded to know how much he was going to underestimate him. Luffy wanted to tell him to calm down, but he just couldn't.

"Don't regret it when you die!" he roared, rushing towards Hawkeye recklessly. Luffy watched through his fingers as Zoro charged, and Hawkeye countered by not even moving, just sticking his hand out with the blade that Zoro's swords had all stopped. All of them, by that tiny blade. Luffy knew he'd lose, but he didn't want to acknowledge that thought and be seen as a traitor. Even by himself. He didn't even want to see himself as a traitor to his lover's dream.

But Zoro was getting frantic and desperate. Angry and worried. He was not making himself look good. He seemed reckless and not composed as Hawkeye deflected everything with the tiny blade. Jonny and Yosaku were cheering him on. "C'mon big bro, defeat him! You can do it!"

The green haired teen wouldn't want to hear people cheer him on, or he'd feel they thought he was losing. So Luffy didn't show him any disrespect by trying to cheer him on as he was losing. He watched in silence, not stoic, but silently. He was standing with his fists clenched tight enough. Then he moved his hands to hold onto the brim of his hat.

"C'mon! I trained to win!" Zoro shouted as he breathed harshly around his sword. "I came to beat this man! That's all!"

Luffy looked down, hands falling to his sides. Zoro's dream and ambition were worth more than Luffy ever could be. He was able to keep his tears in, feeling weak with the burning sensation in them. But he couldn't leave, he couldn't go inside. He had to stay and see this through, even if it hurt him terribly. If Zoro died, then the last words he would have heard, was Zoro saying all that mattered was his dream.

"What burdens you so? What do you still desire at the extent of your strength, weakling?" Hawkeye asked, though he sounded curious now. Not just dismissive, even if his words said otherwise. Jonny and Yosaku were furious, but Luffy stretched his arm to grab their shirts and yank them back.

"Don't interfere. Stay right here." Usopp looked down at Luffy, and saw his red eyes. And that he kept swallowing. A look of sudden realization came on his face.

"Luffy, he didn't mean it like that," Usopp said loudly. "He didn't word it right. You're really important." Luffy put his hand up. He didn't want Zoro to hear and get distracted. He wasn't just upset over his words and what he was seeing, but that Zoro didn't connect the dots about the issue with Nami stealing the ship.

As Zoro grew sloppy with anxiety or fatigue, the blade was stabbed into his chest. Luffy just grit his teeth, feeling they would break from it. He held in a scream. "Do you wish for me to pierce your heart? Why do you not back up?" Zoro did stay right there, not even trying to get away. Was backing away really that shameful?

"Beats me. I'm not really sure myself…. But I get the feeling that if I were to take even one step from where I am now, I'd lose something very important to me. A promise or oath… or whatever it was would be irreparably broken… and that I'd never be able to return to where I am standing right now." He sounded so calm despite having a blade sticking out of his chest. Bleeding and dripping the red down onto his black boots.

"Such is defeat," Hawkeye said simply.

Zoro took a deep, shuddering breath. "That's why I can't step back."

"Even if it means your death?"

"Then I'd rather die." Luffy swallowed down more tears. He felt like a spike was in his chest, too. He should have never gotten so attached. Zoro no doubt only liked him after he drank from him that first time. Maybe it was just some demon seduction move or something. Or maybe Zoro only wanted him for that feeling.

He shouldn't care that much. It had only been for two months. It wasn't ever real.

He felt dumb.

"Kid, tell me your name," Hawkeye said, and pulled the blade out. It was so short that it was instant. It didn't even seem like he pulled anything out besides the thicker stream of blood dripping to the deck.

"Roronoa Zoro."

Hawkeye took his huge sword off of his back, and Luffy knew this was it. "I shall remember it. For your strength is not often seen in this world." Even though Luffy was full of hurt and doubt, he was still proud his swordsman got complimented, finally. "And to pay my respect to you as a fellow swordsman, I shall end this deul with my black sword, the world's strongest sword."

They both shot at each other, and it was like the world went in slow motion as two of Zoro's swords shattered. He sheathed his Wano ichimonji, the one he cared about the most, and opened his arms wide, finally giving up but with honor. "Scars on the back are a swordsman's shame."

Hawkeye grinned. "Splendid." Though Luffy was expecting it for a while now, he still screamed when Zoro was slashed across the chest, spraying blood everywhere.

"ZORO!" he screamed. Usopp shouted too, and Luffy saw Sanji watching from the doorway in shock. The defeated teen fell into the water with a splash, and though Luffy knew he was no match, he was so furious that he went after Hawkeye, tears in his eyes. But he didn't lose control. He didn't hesitate to shoot his arm forward as a punch, missing.

Those on the ship who hadn't seen him use it yet were in shock about seeing a devil fruit user in person. Since it was so rare. When he landed in front of Hawkeye with tears in his eyes, the man looked surprised. But he still wasn't threatened at all by Luffy's attacks. "Worry not, young one. That man is still alive."

Luffy jerked up and looked over when he saw Jonny pulling a heavily bleeding Zoro out of the water. He'd never been so horrified seeing blood. "Zoro!" he shouted. "ZORO!" Luckily, he was dragged onto the boat they were going to take to follow Nami.

"I am Dracule Mihawk," the man said, startling Luffy, who had forgotten he was there. "It is much too early for you to die! Know thyself, know thy world! And become strong, Roronoa! No matter how many years or months pass by, I shall stand here at the top of the world to wait for you! So forge ahead with that fierce conviction and try to surpass my sword! Surpass me, Roronoa Zoro!"

Chapter Text

Artemispolarbear: Poor Lu. Zoro will have to do some work to fix things. I added more emotions into a lot of more tense scenes. Especially when Garp comes in hehe.

Luffy couldn't help the smile of pride. Zoro lost, but he gained respect and acknowledgment from his ambition. Then the man looked down on Luffy, and asked what he aimed for. "Pirate King!" Luffy snapped.

"A tough path indeed. Even tougher than surpassing myself."

Luffy was a bit offended. "Whatever! I'm going to do it anyway!" Hawkeye just looked amused, and said they were a strong duo. And would go far. Luffy had nothing to grab onto to launch his way over, so Yosaku was moving them back closer. Luffy couldn't swim, after all. He was glad Kreig was done, he didn't need to worry about him at all. And his underlings were defeated and their ship was destroyed. They were no threat. "Usopp, is he okay?" Luffy shouted.

"No way! But he's alive, barely conscious, and bleeding a lot!"

Zoro's arm thrust up, holding his only sword left straight in the air. Luffy was surprised. And his arm wasn't even shaking, despite the pain he was no doubt feeling. Instead, what was shaking was the rest of him. In tears that he was just barely holding off.

"Luffy! C-Can you hear me?" he asked. Luffy replied that he could as the ship got closer. Zoro didn't wait for him to be near to speak. "I'm sorry for worrying you… I know that if I don't become the strongest swordsman, that I'll only embarrass you!" Luffy didn't protest, letting him speak. "I SWEAR! That I'm never going to lose again!" His tears were audible by now. "Until the day I fight him and win, I swear to never lose again!"

Luffy beamed, finally letting tears out. Mostly relief. Zoro was alive, and wasn't planning on leaving. But the feelings of hurt and now skepticism were still strong. Just underneath the extreme level of relief that flooded into him. Zoro would live and keep that vow.

"Any problems, Pirate King?!" he finished.

"Shishishi, nope!" He looked up at Hawkeye when he said they'd make a good team. "I'd like to see you two again in the future." Luffy glared at him. The ship came over, and Luffy jumped inside, looking at Zoro frantically, not knowing what to do. Jonny and Usopp were treating the wound as best as they could, with bandages and sanitary wipes. It wasn't enough. He needed stitches, it was bleeding badly.

"We should go now, catch up to Nami. Are you okay to go? We can see if there's treatment here," Luffy said. He didn't know what to do, how to navigate this situation. Zoro said he'd be fine. The bleeding would stop soon. He tiredly asked about the chef. "He's decided not to come. We'll have to look somewhere else," Luffy replied sadly.

But Sanji was there again. "Don't count me out. I was just getting my stuff." Luffy looked questioning. "I'll be your cook, and accompany you on your journey." Luffy beamed, and said they were definitely going to find the All Blue. Sanji grinned back. He's already said his goodbyes to Zeff. "He's actually a nice guy if he's not insulting you." Luffy was happy about Sanji, but still upset about the Zoro stuff. They would go after Nami. Luffy could smell the path from the boat, it wasn't far at all from them. He'd lead them there. He just had to make it that long. However long it would take.

They ended up moving to a better boat, Sanji helping to lift Zoro up carefully, and on their way. They were nearly out of earshot when they all heard, "Don't catch a cold."

Tears welled up in Sanji's eyes. Everyone on that little boat had cried very recently. Zoro was asleep now, exhausted and in pain. Sanji tearfully thanked him one more time, thanking all of them for taking care of him. Luffy smiled lightly at his tearful goodbye and vow to never forget their kindness.

The other chefs were shouting out tearful goodbyes, even though they'd all been assholes to Sanji. Well, maybe Luffy shouldn't judge too harshly. They were a weird family. But his family was definitely weird, and his new family strange as well. His face fell when he looked at Zoro and all of the blood.

There was no way he'd take any more blood from Zoro. And he didn't want to scare Usopp. He'd deal with it, they just had to catch up to the ship and get the blood bags. Luffy knew if he went any longer, he'd drink too much for anyone's safety. He just had to hold on until they got to the Going Merry and he could down all of the bags he had left.

Nami, please wait for us.

-x-

Luffy sat at the other side of the boat from where Zoro was resting. He had his knees to his chest, and just wanted to be left alone. Well he didn't really, but he also didn't want to talk to anybody. Sanji was making food in the small cabin, the ship feeling very crowded for six people. Luffy stayed in the back, leaning his head against the railing. He gratefully ate the food Sanji made them all, looking pretty happy and satisfied with his choice to come, which was a huge relief.

Zoro woke up later, and asked where Luffy was. He sounded confused. Why wasn't he beside him? He listened as Usopp replied harshly. "He's isolated himself on the other side of the ship."

"Wha- why?" Zoro asked, voice tired but confused.

"You're an idiot. First of all, we should have gone after the ship immediately to try and get back Luffy's medication before it was taken away. You chose to stay and fight over getting Luffy's fucking meds back. And now, even if you could have helped before, now you've lost way too much for him to do anything.

"Oh, and then you chose to die instead of taking a loss like a man, pretty much tossing Luffy in the bin, while you also told Hawkeye that the only reason you were here was for your ambition. In short, Luffy probably feels like shit right now," Usopp said savagely. He was furious. Luffy was glad he said everything and Luffy didn't need to. He didn't need to see his face either.

Sanji was sitting on the deck between both ends. "Luffy, let me talk to you, please," Zoro called. Luffy didn't answer, looking away. "Please!"

Usopp ushered everyone inside, cramming four people inside to give them space. Luffy walked over and sat next to him, but didn't make eye contact. Luffy was already feeling the effects of stress and anxiety, as well as it being nearly five days since he'd taken any blood. He just felt kind of hollow. Not cheerful and happy like usual. Just empty, while also full of emotions.

"Luffy… I'm so sorry about everything Usopp said. I didn't mean to throw you away or say you weren't important. I just… got carried away. And then I cost you your meds by being stubborn and inconsiderate. I'm so sorry."

He took Luffy's hand and kissed the knuckle. He couldn't really move, but was sat up. Luffy looked away. "Luffy?" Zoro asked in worry.

"I don't want to feed off you anymore," he said quietly. "I don't really know anymore if it was all just from that. Maybe I somehow seduced you with it. I don't want to do that anymore. Sorry."

Zoro looked so upset. "It wasn't because of that, I swear. I… I… I love you, okay?" he said shyly, face red. Luffy loved him too, but couldn't bring himself to say it back.

"Okay." Zoro winced. "I'm sorry, I'm just not sure it's real… I got too carried away with everything. I thought too much and I didn't mean to be annoying or anything. I don't want you to leave because of that stuff."

"I'll prove it to you, okay? I promise. And I'm not upset about the not feeding, I'm just sad that I have you convinced it was never real. It was very real. It still is very real." Luffy just nodded. He sounded so convicted, so maybe he would prove it. For now, Luffy just needed some space. Zoro respected that, and didn't push, which the youngest was glad about.

-x-

Nobody knew when Nami's island would approach, they were just following Luffy's scent, when Usopp was pretending to look at the map and compass while checking in with Luffy every few minutes. The guests didn't need to know, Sanji didn't need to know. But after day two, Luffy was definitely growing sick.

His mouth was dry despite any water, he felt cold even in the sun, things were getting blurry every few minutes, and he felt like he hadn't eaten in months, despite having food each day and each meal. The three newbys were shocked by what was happening to Luffy without his medication.

Zoro and Usopp were terrified, wanting to get there already. Zoro was getting better as Luffy was getting worse. He had a splitting headache, and to the others he looked gaunt. Like he was a cancer patient. Zoro had his head in his lap, hating himself deeply. It was his fault Luffy was going so long without any blood. If Nami had just heard them, she would have given it back.

That's at least what Luffy thought. Zoro and Usopp weren't so faithful, blaming her completely for this. She took everything they had. Everything. Including Luffy's blood bags and all of Usopp's personal items. The pictures of his mother, her last letter to him. He was really angry about that, too. It felt like there was a giant chasm that ripped apart inside the crew.

Sanji wasn't getting a good glimpse into the lives of being with them on the crew. Luffy wasn't the cheerful guy he had been being, he was ill and dying. Zoro and Usopp weren't laughing or joking like that had been at the restaurant, they were furious and Zoro was in pain. He'd attempted to stitch himself up, which did not go well with the crew, so the wound was just wrapped in thick bandages.

By day four, Luffy was comatose, breathing but not waking up at all, no matter what happened around him. Everyone was terrified they'd get to Nami, only for her to realize she'd murdered Luffy. He didn't want to die. But this was terrifying and humbling. He was nothing without blood. That was his life force, not food or water. He wouldn't die without that, but this was getting very real.

Luffy could actually die, on this dingy ship, cutting his dream off almost before it even began.

Luffy was asleep even as a large cow sea king came out to eat their food, or them themselves, who knew? Sanji knocked it out and he and Usopp tied a rope around it's head, the beast following their route to Cocoyashi Village. After heading in one straight line towards that place, they knew Nami was going there and they didn't need Luffy's nose anymore.

When they finally arrived, after tense and extremely uncomfortable days, they searched the coast and found the Going Merry docked at the edge of a cliff. Usopp draped Luffy over his back, him being very light, and they climbed a rope ladder onto the Merry and rushed inside to get Luffy the blood.

Sanji wasn't allowed inside, and neither were the other two. Zoro propped Luffy up, and tilted his head back while they poured all eleven bags of blood down his throat. He swallowed, but didn't wake up for another hour. After that, his color came back faster, and he was soon feeling better, sitting up with his head in his hands.

Zoro had his arm around him, but wasn't touching too much. He was respecting Luffy's need for some space, but also wasn't just leaving him. The youngest was so glad he was understanding Luffy's current feelings. It was a relief to not have drama with this. It showed Zoro was dedicated to being with Luffy.

Maybe after things were back to normal and Nami was back, that could be enough.

Luffy stood up slowly, and walked around. "That was really bad," Luffy said simply. "I'm sorry I scared you," he added to both of his nakama. Usopp nodded and hugged Luffy. Zoro hugged him slowly, but Luffy hugged him as tight as he could without hurting him. "How's the cut feeling?" Luffy asked.

Zoro shrugged, and didn't wince. "It stings a bit and aches, but otherwise it's fine. I'm just glad you're okay. You were in a much worse situation than I was." Usopp agreed. Luffy smiled brightly. He was glad they were all okay.

"Now we can go beat up Arlong and help Nami!" he said. He felt energized, and positive. Still upset Nami left, and sad about Zoro, but those feelings were on the backburner. Zoro was here and completely okay with Luffy's feelings being more hesitant. And he hadn't once looked annoyed or disappointed that Luffy wasn't going to feed off him. For now, or forever, he didn't know.

It wasn't like Luffy didn't really enjoy that time, he just wanted to make sure Zoro, if he did like Luffy truly, liked him not because of how pleasurable the feeding was. Zoro held his hand as they walked back out on deck, the three others on the wall. Luffy came out happily.

"I live!" he said enthusiastically.

"Big bro Luffy! You're okay!" Yosaku and Jonny cried. Luffy hugged them back, saying he was back and in shape. "Are you sure? You were really sick. That's some miracle drugs!" Luffy laughed and agreed. Sanji looked relieved and sighed.

"You're high maintenance, aren't you?"

"What did you say?" Zoro snapped.

Sanji scowled at him. "You're the reason he got sick in the first place."

"It was Nami's fault! She started it!" Zoro shot back.

"No! You guys shouldn't fight, you're supposed to get along!" Luffy said, upset that they already were at each other's throats about him. He didn't want that. "And don't fight over me, I'm okay, now. We can move on from this." They were still hostile. "Pleeeeaassseee," he begged. Zoro looked down and away.

"Fine. As long as he doesn't insult you again." Luffy nodded, knowing that was probably as good as it was going to get. "Now, where the hell is that trai- where is Nami?" Zoro said Luffy's frown at him. Luffy smelled the air, and said he could find her. They got off of the ship, the sea cow long gone, and looked around.

Sanji was smoking and asked, "So, why are your senses so good, anyways? You could tell Krieg was there long before they actually came into view. Is that another devil fruit? I thought you could only have one." Luffy grinned.

"Shishishi, it's a secret!" Usopp made a haughty look. Now that he was in the loop, he was much happier. Sanji scowled.

"Sorry, Sanji, you'll find out once you're more used to life here," Usopp sneered. Zoro hit him, snapping that he was only just in the loop. "Yeah, but I am now." Sanji was seething. Luffy didn't respond other than to laugh. Then he told them all to hide and be quiet. They ran behind trees and all were silent as a fishman passed.

Luffy's mouth was in an "o" shape. He'd never seen a fishman before! A very pale brue guy with fins on his arms with two buns on his head. They waited for him to pass and get out of view before they continued their ways to Nami. "Man, that is really useful, isn't it, big bro?" Yosaku said brightly.

Sanji agreed. "So, how far can you hear and smell anyways?" He didn't sound pushy, but just lighty curious. Luffy honestly had never tried to find out. "What's the longest you've been able to smell?" he wondered.

He contemplated telling the truth, and decided to do it. "That's how we got here. Cause I could smell our ship." The bounty hunter's mouths dropped open, and Zoro grinned, moving to kiss Luffy only to pull away, remembering what things were now. Nobody said a thing even though they all saw it. But Sanji was surprised, shocked, about the fact Luffy followed Nami's trail all the way here, for days. Wouldn't the scent disappear? There were winds, currents in the water to blow the smells away. Right?

"Well, I don't know. I just could," he replied simply. "But it's awesome we have a ship with a shower, right? Cause we all smelled bad. Nami, too, though she'll deny it. Shishishi," Luffy laughed.

Sanji said, "Never insult a lady in front of me." Luffy raised his brows. "Nami-san is so perfect and beautiful, a complete angel I won't let anyone ever insult her. Understand?!" Zoro said he would definitely never be with Nami. "And why not?"

Luffy said it was a secret. "Stop with the secrets!"

"You'll have to earn the answers, Sanji-kun," Usopp teased. Man, he was really liking being in the loop while Sanji wasn't. Luffy raised his hand to silence them. The village was near, and Nami was there. He led them behind the buildings, which were all badly damaged, and went up the hill, finding an orchard of tangerines.

Zoro commented that Nami said she only liked money and tangerines. "Now we know why for both. Don't - if you pick one you know she'll murder you for real this time." Luffy frowned at him disapprovingly. He gave them an order to not be mean to her about it. "I don't see why you're not angry about it. You could have died," Zoro said sourly.

Luffy frowned. "I don't blame any of you for my condition. I don't blame you, Zoro, for being clueless. And I know Nami would never have done that to me on purpose. All this time, she hasn't been lying about her feelings for us. When people lie, their heart beats get a lot louder. She doesn't lie," Luffy said firmly.

He sighed, and Usopp vowed that he wouldn't bring it up first. "Even if I'm still angry about her taking it all. My things included, I want to hear her reasoning in person." Jonny and Yosaku were sour about her pushing them off the ship and ditching with their money. They went through the orchard, and Luffy asked Jonny and Yosaku to stay out.

He would keep Sanji with them. He was part of the crew, in the loop or not, so shunning him from this wouldn't be right. Luffy knocked on the front door of the house. Nami opened it, looking sick and tired. "Yo! We're he-" she hugged him, and started to apologize. "I'm alive. Yeah, it was messy, but I'm better now."

Zoro and Usopp glared at her, and she bristled. "I'm part of the crew now, too, Nami-san!" Sanji chimed happily.

They went inside, and Luffy sat on the floor. "You know I said I'd help you, right? Why didn't you accept it?" he asked. He didn't sound sad, just a bit confused and curious. She quietly said she didn't want to drag them into her mess.

"Tough. We're here," Zoro said. She looked at his wound, and asked what happened. "I lost a duel." He said it with finality, clearly not wanting to talk about it anymore. "Now, tell us why you stole the ship and everything on it?" the green haired teen said, sitting down against the wall like he usually did on the ship.

She sighed. "I needed the money. At first I thought I could sell it. I need the money, okay?!" she said defensively when Zoro and Usopp glared. That was their home after all. She also looked ashamed. Luffy didn't glare. Luffy pointed to his own shoulder, looking at hers. He asked for her to explain everything. "I… I can't. I don't want to drag you in, this is my problem! Just, just take the ship and go away."

Luffy laid down. "Nope," he said. Zoro said he was overdue for a nap, now that Luffy was back to being healthy. Usopp had his bag of weapons with him. Well, his sling shots and different balls. Sanji asked if there was anything he could cook for her.

"I know some citrus treats that could be made easily," he said lightly. She was very frustrated with their polite refusal to back off. Polite, but definitive. She clenched her fists hard, cutting her palms with her nails before she took a deep breath.

She began quietly, but her voice got stronger and angrier the longer she spoke. The longer her story was. It was tragic. Arlong took control of the village, killed Nami's mother in front of her, then forced her to make maps for them and get them money to pay it all off. To buy the village. Luffy was angry, too. His face didn't show it, but he was very angry. She started to cry, looking at her terrible tattoo with hate. "Help me…" she said quietly, voice full of despair. Zoro smiled, and said she never had to ask.

"Friends help each other, don't they?" Luffy asked. Usopp was grinning and Sanji quickly finished a tangerine smoothie for all of them. Nami's cup had the most. Nami looked more ashamed. "Don't apologize anymore."

"But… you could have-"

"Really. I'm okay now. I'm alive, aren't I?" he asked. He wanted to move on from this. He knew it was upsetting for all of them, and they each felt guilty in their own way, but he wanted to just move on. "Captain's orders, nobody can be upset about that again. I'll be a lot more careful from now on."

Sanji looked a bit frustrated with not knowing. Unlike with Usopp, they were very clear that there was some secret. They weren't hiding that there was one, just not saying what it was. Sanji asked for more information on the pirates. So they knew what they were going up against. "We already saw a fishman with fins on his arms. And we know what Arlong looks like. I've never met a fishman before, though." The other three men agreed. Luffy was shocked by the guy's appearance.

"I always imagined them with human legs and a fish body."

Usopp said, "How would any function like that?"

"Hmm, good point. Do they all look weird? Different?" Luffy wondered.

Nami nodded. "All fishmen look different. It seems they look more diverse than even humans. They have marine life traits. Fishmen are super strong, and they can breathe underwater. If you fall in the water, you'll be dead for sure."

"Ah, well, I'd be dead anyways. Shishishi!" Luffy laughed. Nami narrowed her eyes, seeming not to understand how Luffy could be so carefree. But then she relaxed with a sigh. The door opened behind them, a girl with purple hair holding both of the bounty hunters by their hair.

"Nami, we have tres- who're they?"

"My crew," Nami said, a real note of pride and relief in her voice. "They've vowed to help me - us. This is my sister, Nojiko," she added. Nojiko leaned against the doorway, smiling. She dropped Jonny and Yosaku down. The woman, seeming to be older than Nami by a few years, had a thoughtful look on.

"It sure is strange for Nami to change her view completely in only a few hours. She was adamant to not let you help. Something change?"

Luffy laughed. "I have a way with words. Shishishi." Zoro snorted, and Sanji shook his head. Nami just smiled. Nojiko thanked them for being there for her.

"Well, she was there for me, too. And Luffy," Usopp pointed out simply. "Just doing what friends do, right?" Nami nodded. "So is the plan to just… smash through the front door and beat 'em all? Cause captain brave warrior Usopp can totally lead that mission!" Luffy laughed. The boys all thought barging in would be the best, but Nami was unsure.

She was sure they would be beaten by Arlong. He was strong. Zoro was fresh off of a defeat, so he seemed a bit discouraged. A bit unconfident. He also only had one sword, so he was limited greatly. "We can buy you new swords for the Grand Line," Luffy said, rocking back and forth. Zoro looked thoughtful for a moment.

Then he said, surprising everyone, "This sword belonged to my childhood friend, Kuina. She wanted to be the greatest swordsman, too, but couldn't because she was a girl. So we dueled every night to see who was better. She won every time. But she died, falling down some stairs and breaking her neck. Since then, beating Mihawk was both of our dreams." He looked at Luffy. "Though my dream is a bit different now."

Luffy let out a smile, and Nami wondered why he told them that. "I know all about your guy's pasts. I thought I should finally return the favor," he said softly, giving a loving look to Luffy. He looked away, but couldn't help the blush. To her credit, Nami didn't ask about Luffy's odd behavior.

"Anyways, what is the plan?" Usopp asked.

"Barge in and scare them off!"

"I'm sure we can do it if you go, y'know, again."

Luffy wasn't sure about that. Sanji took a long drag of his cigarette in complete irritation with them being so vague about the secret. Taking a much different approach than they had with Usopp. But it was hard to hide it when Luffy was dying from blood starvation and using extremely sensitive senses to travel across the sea.

But, to his credit, he didn't push for it. He was irritated, but not openly impatient. Nami took her staff and stood up. "Let me talk about it one more time. You guys stay here. I know I have nearly enough money. Maybe… maybe you don't have to fight," she said, voice shaky. Very scared for them.

Nojiko frowned, but moved aside when Nami walked out. Luffy wondered what they should do now. "Tell me about your adventures with her. She was so happy talking about you all," Nojiko said, sitting where Nami had been at the table.

A bit later, Nami came back, cheerful. "Maybe you don't need to fight. I'm so close, one more trip away should be enough! You said you would help me get the money right?" she asked Luffy. Everyone in the room frowned.

"Nami, they're not going to keep their word," Usopp said quietly. "They're the bad kind of pirates. You shouldn't trust them." Her face fell, and she clutched her staff tighter. She knew that, it was clear. But she didn't want any of them to get hurt for her sake. The other men didn't say anything to disagree with that. Their silence was enough.

Nami sat down. "I… need some time to think about it. Come back in an hour," she said softly. Luffy didn't like her sounding so sad and defeated. But they left, agreeing to give her time to think, even if the outcome would be the same regardless. The Arlong pirates needed to be driven out with force.

They went into town and were immediately demanded to know where they came from. "We're friends with Nami," Luffy said simply. He gasped. "Why does that man have a pinwheel on his head?!"

"Why does that matter?" Sanji asked.

"Because it's cool! I wonder if my hat can hold that, too." He took his hat off and looked at the ribbon. Too tight to stick something in between it and the hat. He didn't want to mess with his hat, so he sadly would not attempt to make it cool with a pinwheel.

"Whoa, interesting hair," Sanji said. Luffy put his hat back on. "Anyways, where's the market? Once we set sail I want to know where to go for food," the chef said casually. They were looked upon by many eyes with open suspicion and hostility.

Pinwheel man left for something, and the four went to the market, where Zoro bought a bottle of alcohol. "Don't you think you should go to a doctor for that?" Usopp asked, pointing at Zoro's bandaged chest.

"Nah, the treatment will take too long. I'll just wait until after," he said casualy. Sanji called him stupid. He scowled back. It looked like they wouldn't get along like Luffy had initially hoped and predicted. Well, as long as the rest got along, then one relationship not working was okay. They'd all get used to it.

Luffy thought that Sanji would be chill about Luffy's condition. After they bought some food, they went back to the house. But when they were walking on their way, Zoro keeping Luffy from running off to follow all of the delicious smells, he heard a lot of people approaching, and turned around to walk backwards, wondering what it was.

But when they came into view, Luffy's brows raised. "There's a bunch of marines here. I wonder why?" he mused. The others turned around, seeing just how many there were. Usopp said they should get back to the house and not get into any trouble with them. It would be inconvenient to have fishmen and marines on them at the same time.

Zoro looked at his single sword and glared. Luffy pat his back. "Don't worry I bet there's places near the Grand Line to buy swords. We won't go unless you get new ones," Luffy assured with a grin. Zoro smiled and nodded. He admitted only having one sword would probably be a challenge, but he'd take it on. "Shishishi, I know!"

When they were walking back to Nami's house, they found the marines going the same direction, led by the pinwheel man. They four hurried and ran to the house. Sanji slammed the door open, startling Nami and Nojiko. Nami was about to complain about them not waiting a full hour before she saw their faces.

"Marines are coming to your house!" Usopp said. "What do we do?!"

"Stay calm, they don't know we're pirates yet. Besides, the marines must have been called here! Maybe they're finally going to help us!" Nami said, sounding desperate for that to be accurate. It seemed none of them had the heart to disagree. If that were the case, pinwheel man would have been happy, not hiding his face with a resigned frown.

Usopp hid under the table, not wanting to fight marines. Didn't want a wanted poster! Luffy didn't know what the right action would be. Should they fight them but make it less likely to fight Arlong easily? Thinking was hard and his face started to turn red and sweat. Sanji told him to stop thinking so hard. "I'm trying to decide whether to fight or not!"

"Depends on what they're here for," Zoro said, leaning against the wall but looking out the window. "If they want to cause problems, then we'll act. If they're here to help, we'll do nothing for now." The others nodded, and Nami told them to stay inside. Even though they'd no doubt already been sighted.

Nami left to greet them, the boys staying inside. The main man beside pinwheel man introduced himself as captain Nezumi of the marines' 16th branch. He seemed weak, just by a single glance. "You must be Nami, the criminal." Those inside all tensed, grabbing their weapons.

"Criminal? Well, I guess that's true considering how I am a pirate." Luffy didn't know if she meant their crew or Arlong's. Then she pointed out her position in Arlong's crew. She was only putting up a front. He could tell in her voice. It hitched at the end, and he could hear her grind her teeth after saying it.

It really was nice being able to hear things like that! Super convenient! Maybe someday he could trick people into thinking he could read their minds, or see the future. He was back in the real world when it became apparent of what was going to happen. Nami's treasure, all that work, would be taken away from her.

Sanji hissed, "This is Arlong's doing. It's too convenient of a time." They nodded, and Luffy had his hand on the door handle, holding it tightly, very angry, but not showing it. Nami started to get angry and hysteric, so they got out of the house, and all of them stood behind her, wearing their best glares.

Arms crossed, sword drawn. "You're not taking Nami's money, Arlong's lackeys," Zoro sneered. "How pathetic. A marine working with a pirate that kills innocent people. Are you that desperate for money? What, are you too weak to get a paycheck?" the swordsman snapped, a haughty smile on.

Nezumi, the rat man, glared, and ordered the men to find the treasure. "You're not taking that money! I need it, it's mine!" Nami shrieked, and started attacking the marines, which was the go ahead for the other pirates, who launched at them, beating them senseless, especially when they moved to dig up Nami's precious trees.

They pulled no punches, and there was no way anyone could tell Luffy had recently been near death, and that Zoro had a huge wound that wasn't properly treated. Genzo was angry, too, the pinwheel man that was friends with Nami.

Nami had been lying the whole time about why she was with Arlong, thinking she was fooling the villagers. But they'd known what she was doing all along. They all knew and weren't mad at her.

Nezumi was punched in the face by Luffy when he alluded to working with Arlong all along. He jumped him and pushed him down, furious but not out of control. He ripped up the ground and shoved him in, slamming him in so he was buried deep. Only his head was out. "You're not going anywhere," he said simply.

"Guys, protect Nami's money and trees!"

"You don't gotta ask us!" Sanji said, and they beat up the rest of the marines. Only Nezu was awake by the end, cursing them. Zoro walked up to him and stepped on his face. He promised they'd be coming to take care of him in a little bit.

"Try hard to escape if you can. You'll have a furious demon after you. Our navigator isn't exactly the forgiving type." So, he wasn't talking about Luffy. Nami fell to her knees, and couldn't stop crying, digging at the dirt. Her money wasn't stolen, but now she knew that it never mattered. All that work, and it wouldn't matter at all. Arlong wasn't going to let her win.

She grabbed a rock off the ground and started slashing at her tattoo, seeming to forget there were people all around her. She was lost in grief and anger. Luffy grabbed the hand with the rock, stopping her tearing apart her arm anymore, even if that ugly tattoo was still there. "Help me…!" she sobbed.

"I told you a long time ago that I would. I'm not taking that back." He turned to the guys. "We're going." He took his hat off, and put it on Nami's head. Her comfort was more important than his dislike of his hair. Who cared if people looked? She was surprised, and Luffy turned around. "Let's go."

Chapter Text

Artemispolarbear: I did little changed to this arc, but I think over all it was pretty canon. I grew more comfortable changing a bunch of shit the later in the story I went. So the arcs after Water 7 are more different. Though Skypeia is very different too... I dont know where I'm going with this lol. 

The four walked through the village, all of the citizens gathered, knowing something had happened, brandishing weapons. They didn't acknowledge them, or their clear will to fight for Nami's pain. She followed a bit behind, walking with Nojiko and Genzo, crying. Nobody protested the pirate crew taking care of this.

Luffy was walking with Zoro, and unconsciously took his hand, not even really noticing. Zoro said nothing, and held his hand loosely, too. Usopp asked, quietly, if Luffy had had enough medicine. "Yeah. It was a lot, but I don't feel sick," he replied just as quiet. Sanji didn't hear, so he didn't feel left out.

"No matter what, I'm still open. Even if it's not directly," Zoro said. Meaning he could just drip the blood in his mouth, not having him drink from him in the very intimate way. Luffy nodded, glad that was an option. It made him feel a bit like Zoro really didn't care about the drinking. Jonny and Yosaku had gone off when they weren't allowed inside. Now they were sitting outside of the gates or Arlong Park, the fismen's place and Nami's prison.

Zoro asked what the hell happened. "You're idiots," he scolded when the two said they'd challenged Arlong. They were beaten and bloody. "Well, we're here to now avenge three people, I guess." They weren't doing this for Nami's village. They were doing it for her, like they had for Usopp. It had never been about protecting his village, but Usopp and the princess he cared so much about.

They saved that place, but it wasn't their goal. It was the same with this, too. Luffy didn't ask if they were ready before he punched the gate in easily, throwing it into the water that was in the base. "Who's the one named Arlong?" Luffy asked in a simply angry voice.

He was surprised by the reaction of the fishmen. He expected them to challenge him, but he could see they all tensed at his presence. Their eyes widened, too. They looked… scared. He had only ever scared one sea creature, and that was the Lord of the Coast when he was older. Maybe these guys could feel the danger most animals did.

"Who's this brat?" Arlong asked furiously, not looking afraid like all the others. "Arlong, that's my name."

"I'm Luffy," Luffy said. His face was blank, hiding the anger for now. He didn't really like that there was an audience.

"Luffy. I see. And just what the hell are you?" Arlong asked. Luffy contemplated what he'd say. He settled with something accurate, but not completely. It could be interpreted differently.

He answered, "A monster." He walked forward, and it seemed the fishmen got over their fear mostly, and tried to stop him. He would rather not waste his strength on fodder pirates. Any other time, he would want to. But he didn't want to get too badly wounded. He was out of blood bags completely, and didn't know if he'd get any here. He would rather not drink from Zoro if it wasn't necessary.

When they came close, Luffy let out a low growl. He hadn't done it before but to scare Kuro's pirates away. With so many people watching, Luffy couldn't reveal much. Couldn't scare them too much. Then flinched, and Arlong demanded they be brave, not weaklings. Luffy mentally shrugged and slammed their heads together hard, but not as hard as he had with Krieg.

He wouldn't go easy on Arlong, though. For what he did to Nami. She didn't go into extreme detail, but Luffy knew enough. Knew Arlong was responsible for all of the pain she'd gone through these last ten years. Alone until she met Luffy.

Arlong glared more, narrowing his eyes. He didn't act shocked by Luffy's action, even though the others were. At least a little bit. "And what does a 'monster' want with me?" He didn't have a chance to react before Luffy slammed a fist in his cheek, punting him into the wall and off of his chair. Losing his composure.

Luffy stood in the same place, but his face showed fury. He couldn't hide it, and wasn't going to try anymore. "Ahhh! Arlong!?" his crew said. Luffy turned to glare at each and every one of them, making them back up. Zoro was snickering, watching this. He could hear the villagers mumbling in confusion.

Usopp called him crazy quietly. Sanji wondered why they were freaked out like that. "Luffy can be scary when he's mad," Usopp said vaguely.

He was paying more attention to his enemy though. "Don't you dare make my navigator cry!" he shouted furiously. When the fishmen charged, the other three fighters were there. Usopp was a fighter here. He was being brave for the sake of Nami. Sanji kicked some in the face.

"Jeez, running in there like that all alone," Sanji said with a sigh, not quite a scolding. Luffy replied he wasn't going to lose, not to worry. "Dumbass, when did I ever say I was worried about you!"

Luffy had a feeling about Sanji. He was dismissive to Luffy before, thought he was stupid. But seeing Luffy on his deathbed might have changed a bit. He hoped he wasn't worried about him, though. He didn't want one of his crew members to doubt his strength. He said, "I'm not dying. Don't think I'm weak." Sanji bit down on his cigarette.

"I'm not, idiot." He wasn't lying. Good. "You better not steal all the glory." Usopp, brave though he was, was scared. It wasn't shameful.

"I do-don't particularly mind e-either way, Luffy," he said, voice shaking. Luffy turned and smiled at him.

"I know you can do it!" Usopp's face went surprised, and he stayed quiet when Luffy turned back to his enemy. Their enemies. Nami's enemies. Arlong connected the dots. He realized they were all pirates, which was clear by now. That's how they were connected to Nami. "She's our navigator, never was yours."

Zoro said, "You don't deserve her, even if she's a witch."

"What did you just say?!" Sanji demanded. Usopp yelled at them to not fight right now. Luffy heard the villagers shocked over their strength, dealing with fishmen. It wasn't just Luffy they didn't know was human, which was a relief. Nami stayed silent, holding onto the Straw Hat on her head and biting her lip in worry. Jonny and Yosaku were touting their strength, which wasn't too annoying.

Zoro asked, "So your goal from the beginning was to get Nami, was it?"

Arlong laughed, "Shashasha! Just what could three measly humans and a freak do to us?" he mocked.

Zoro grinned. "I don't know, your men were pretty scared by our resident monster. A measly human, right? Heh, you all shit your pants," he mocked. He was good at pissing people off, truly. The other fishmen all looked angry and embarrassed. Luffy couldn't smell shit, so they didn't soil themselves.

"I can't smell any shit, so good for them I guess," Luffy said. This angered them, being talked down to like this. The octopus man was very angry, and shouted for the sea monster to come. The others were worried about whatever it was. Luffy didn't know what they were talking about.

Something must have happened while he was out. A sea king that looked like a cow surfaced. But it took one look at Luffy and seemed to pale, somehow. It dipped back in the water before swimming away. "Come back! What's wrong, Moomoo?!" the octopus called.

Even when Arlong threatened the sea cow, voice hard and intimidating, it shook its head and continued to swim away, surprising the fishmen. Maybe going against Arlong's orders like that was completely baffling. Arlong glared at Luffy. He needed to be killed first.

"You won't kill me. I'm tough," Luffy replied casually. The anger was there, but it wasn't consuming him anymore. He was confident he and his crew were strong enough to beat them, without Luffy going berserk. Hopefully. He knew there was a large possibility that Sanji would learn on his fourth day of knowing Luffy, excluding the days of sailing where he was mysteriously dying without some miracle drug.

And he knew there was a big secret. Well, who knows? They would just have to see. Luffy easily broke a heavy chunk of stone and started spinning it around. "Let's get out of here!" Zoro shouted. Luffy embedded his feet into the ground to keep him steady. "Gomu gomu… pinwheel!" he roared as he spun and knocked everyone with the stone, throwing them around with screams. "I didn't come here to fight small fries! There's one person I want to beat up! You!" he pointed at Arlong.

"How excellent. I want to kill you, too," Arlong said, completely unafraid by Luffy. The other, stronger fishmen not harmed were ready to fight Luffy's crew. Sanji got mad at Luffy for almost hurting him while Zoro drew his single sword, grinning. Luffy hoped he didn't go too far and open his wound.

The enemy, confident leaders it seemed, were ready to fight them all. They were unafraid, but Zoro and Sanji were unafraid. Then Luffy realized he had a big problem, and looked down. He pulled his leg up, but was completely stuck. "Um, guys? I have a problem." But Sanji was talking about how to boil octopus, and was distracted.

They jumped out of the way as the octopus fishman spit ink at them, soaking Luffy but missing his crew. "Luffy, what are you doing?!"

"I can't see!" he shouted. He could hear and smell just fine, though. "I'm stuck, I can't move!" he cried out.

"What?"

"For god's sake."

"You're the one that did that to yourself!"

Hachi, the octopus one, as they heard his name said, crushed the ground around Luffy to try and throw them on him, but Sanji kicked it out of the way. "Nice one, Sanji!"

"Man, I chose to follow a dumbass captain."

"Yeah!" Luffy agreed.

Zoro seemed unimpressed and irritated. "I shoulda done that," Luffy heard him say under his breath.

"He's so amazing!" Usopp shouted.

"Tch," the swordsman mumbled.

Sanji continued, "But that's 100 times better than being on a crew that would ever hurt a lady." He was grinning, sounding very proud.

"For a human, you're not half-bad. But a pirate going around and spouting chivalrous bullshit… how half-assed," the fishman with fins on his forearms said. The one with buns on his head. Luffy's feet were still stuck as Usopp tried pulling them out. "C'mon, just go berserk already!" Usopp said in irritation. Luffy didn't reply. He didn't want to. He wanted to beat him with his own strength. And he didn't want to be weakened badly after he used it. Who knows when this fight would end?

A lot happened suddenly. Sanji was still talking with the fishmen, Zoro attacked Hachi when he attacked Luffy, who was still vulnerable and stuck in the ground, when Usopp accidentally let go and ran behind the wall, where he attacked one of the fishmen that was going to the villagers, who all help weapons. He was going to kill them all until Usopp attacked him.

But Luffy wasn't too distracted, and made a punch at Arlong. "I'm gonna kick your ass, stuck or not!" He shot it fast and hard, but it was grabbed easily by the long nosed fishman. Luffy wanted to break that nose in half. "Do you seriously think you can beat us?" Arlong taunted.

"Yeah! You bet I am! Let go of my hand, you idiot!" Luffy shouted, pulling at his arm. Zoro grinned, thinking Luffy would get a good punch in with his other arm, now that the guy was holding onto his left. But Arlong walked over and easily dug up the stone Luffy was trapped in. "Hey! What are you doing?!

"Why don't we play this game? Devil fruit users are said to be unable to swim, right? In this situation, even a non devil fruit user couldn't swim! Shahahaha!" he roared in confident amusement. Luffy was concerned now, but wouldn't show it. Instead, he threw a punch point blank into Arlong's face.

The fishman bit down on his arm with his sharp teeth, and then pulled away, Luffy seeing his mouth smoking. Had his blood burned him? Luffy had bled many times and had his brothers tough it. Nami touched it when repairing one of his shirts long ago, and they weren't burnt. Luffy took advantage of this and bit down on his arm hard to break the skin.

Like an animal, he ripped out what he was biting, but was finally thrown into the sea by a livid Arlong. At least Luffy had done some damage. But now he was sinking fast, and felt completely lethargic. Was he going to die? If anyone came down there, wouldn't they be hurt by the fishmen? Nami said they were strong in water, too. And to never fall in or they were dead. He covered his mouth as he landed at the bottom, far below the surface. He was glaring. He wouldn't die. He bent down, but couldn't do anything, couldn't try to dig himself out! He was completely stuck down there.

He felt and saw his contacts float away. He tried to reach them, but his arms were lethargic, and he couldn't catch them. Damn it! He lost the air in his mouth and lungs when he took the hands away. He was too weak to even keep his mouth shut. This was scary. He counted to his death, wanting to do something.

But without the air, he wasn't dying. Five minutes, not dead. But he was getting light headed, and his vision was blurring. He might not die, hopefully, but he was nearing unconsciousness, and it finally took him over. He didn't go berserk in there, even completely vulnerable, even knowing his crew was in danger.

He was helpless completely, weak and at the mercy of his devil fruit's side effect. His eyes slid shut completely, but he only breathed in a bit of water after he fell into the blackness.

He woke up when he was shot out of the water, Sanji destroying the rock and his neck being stretched up so long that it shot him high out of the water. He was in the air, "I'M BACK!" he shouted. The people below him either were happy he was back or annoyed that that happened either way.

Looking down, he saw a very injured Zoro, bleeding! "ZORO!" he shouted, grabbing his arms, and yanking him up. "Switch!" he shouted, pulling him into the ocean instead of in danger as he screamed as he landed in the ocean with a splash. There! Now he couldn't get hurt anymore. The water would clean his blood off, too. That was a good decision.

The crowd didn't seem to agree, though. Oh well. Luffy had his feet land on the ground in front of Arlong, and stretched his neck out, "gomu gomu BELL!" he roared when his forehead slammed against his enemy's. It didn't hurt him, he was rubber. But it definitely hurt Arlong.

Luffy landed and continued to attack, "Gum gum whip! Bullet! Gatling gun!" He unleashed attack after attack, knocking Arlong back, bloodying him. Luffy could see the skin around his mouth was bubbly with bad burns. Arlong was furious at him. "There's something on your mouth," he said. "Well, my warm up is over now."

"You shit human!" Arlong roared. "You'll wish you died peacefully in the sea!" Luffy started to stretch. He was happy he was saved. He didn't like being in the water. It sucked. It looked like he wasn't taking this seriously at all, even though he was. "Do you understand how angry I am?!"

Luffy nodded. "You look like someone stole all of your meat," he said simply, annoying the enemy pirate even further without even trying.

"The seething rage I feel when you hurt my brethren! My crew is being crushed by you pathetic insects!"

"You had no problem hurting Nami, did you? She worked for you, you acted like she was someone on your crew. Then you destroyed her and didn't care. You're the worst type of pirate captain," Luffy said, his voice cold and hard. Arlong narrowed his eyes.

Arlong seemed to be kind of moody. One moment he was furious, and the next he was talking normally. Though that was kind of how Luffy was, too. But he didn't realize that. "Do you know what the complete difference is between us?"

"Nose? Jaw? Webbed hands?"

"It's our race!" Arlong shouted, trying to chomp him with his jagged teeth, but Luffy dodged. Luffy said, "I'm used to being different! You're not special, stupid shark!" But he kept trying to bite Luffy, making him dodge each time. He could feel fatigue starting to set in. He had been very sick… he probably needed rest first and foremost. Well, it didn't matter. He lasted over a week before, a few minutes or maybe an hour would be nothing, do no harm but make him a bit uncomfortable.

He wouldn't drink from Zoro when he's so injured. His healing mattered more than Luffy's comfort. With Kuro, it was different. Luffy wasn't used to fighting a long battle. But he was sure he'd grown after going so long without blood. He could last longer, and not get weaker. He just had to make sure he didn't go berserk. Arlong grabbed onto his neck and tried to bite his head off, but Luffy grabbed his head and jerked it to the side to get it out of his reach. But the fishman bit a stone pillar instead.

Usopp laughed at him from the wall, thinking his teeth had broken. Luffy thought so too, so he was shocked when he was fine. The rubber teen got away. "Man, so freaky!"

"I don't want to hear that from you, freak," Arlong said, back to being calm. Then the guy went on a monologue about how his race was better than humans. Luffy was bored and unimpressed, starting to pick his nose in disinterest. Luffy pointed out he'd already said that a lot of times.

If there was one thing he was truly amazing at, it was annoying people without even trying.

"Besides, I don't gotta breathe underwater, swim, or bite through stone to break it," he said, lifting his fist.

"You are weak! You humans are pathetic, idiotic, weak race! What can you do?! You can't even save yourself from drowning!" Arlong shouted. Luffy grabbed two swords in front of him, holding them awkwardly in front of him as he replied.

"It's because I can't do anything that I need help!" he countered. "Shishishishi!" he ran forward and started to swing the swords around messily. Zoro would totally laugh at him. He continued to throw them around, trying to hit at all. He didn't have anything sharp, like Arlong's had teeth and nose. Well, that nose would be broken soon enough. He dropped a sword and slapped Arlong across the face.

Arlong said, "I don't have time to play around with you."

"But you've been doing that for a long time, now! You can't back out before the fight is over!"

"I'M NOT GOING TO BACK OUT, I'M GOING TO END THE FIGHT YOU IDITOIC HUMAN!" Luffy immediately punched him in the jaw, throwing him back after his remaining sword was broken. The shark's teeth shattered into pieces. All of the spectators cheered for this, but Luffy didn't think he brought him down like that.

Then he said, "Of course I don't know how to use swords, you dumbass! I don't know a thing about navigation either! I can't cook, and I can't lie either! I'm confident that I wouldn't be able to survive if other people aren't there to help me!" Luffy was being honest, it was how he felt and he was unashamed.

Arlong started to insult him by being honest. He really wasn't ashamed at being incompetent a lot. He wanted to be a good captain and good friend, though. But he felt he was good enough, he'd get better. And his crew did care about him. Even Sanji was freaking out about his whole incredible illness. Then Nami felt horribly guilty about it, feeling like she'd unintentionally killed him. But they cared about him like he cared about them.

He didn't counter all of Arlong's petty insults. They didn't hurt Luffy at all. Only when he demanded to know how someone so incompetant could even function as a captain. "What can you even do?!"

"I can beat you!" he heard everyone encourage or threaten him if he lost. He wouldn't be worried about them killing him because he wouldn't lose. Besides, Zoro wouldn't kill him, he was just saying that. But they had to know he heard them.

When Arlong's teeth grew back, Luffy exclaimed, "Ahh! His teeth grew back!"

"I am a shark after all! My teeth will grow back every time! And the new ones are always stronger than the last!" he said proudly, bragging.

"I thought your nose was the only interesting thing!" Luffy shouted. When Luffy punched his new teeth out, Arlong continued to talk. "No matter how many times! This gift was bestowed upon me by the heavens!" His teeth kept growing back. He seemed to be ignoring the burns to his mouth and gums.

"Whoa!" Luffy said.

"Now do you realize, how much superior fishmen are to humans?!" he yelled as he pulled out two pairs of teeth in his hands and started to try and snap them on Luffy's skin, very hard. It could definitely hurt him if they got him. But Luffy was really tired with Arlongs repetitive words. How many times would he say fishmen were better than humans? Luffy didn't think that was true at all.

He thought humans were very strong and had awesome potential. He had a slight advantage, but also a weakness. Everyone was like that. Luffy was not the strongest just because he wasn't fully human. Arlong's points were useless against him, so he should just shut up about it, really!

When one of his lunges very nearly almost caught his neck, Luffy grabbed the nearest fishman and used him as a shield. Pretty low of a tactic, but he didn't want to die! "Arlong… it hurts…" the guy whimpered as he bled from his captain's own teeth. Arlong looked guilty for a moment before the rage returned once again.

Luffy grinned. "Hmmm, that gives me a good idea."

"You used my crew as a shield you puny monster!" Luffy countered by pointing out he'd already done that to Luffy's crew. It was only fair that he did it back. He wasn't paying attention to what the others around him were saying anymore, focusing all his attention on his fight. It didn't matter what they said, his fight wouldn't change and wouldn't end based on something somebody said.

Arlong attacked again, Luffy just barely dodging each one. He was fighting too fast and being too loud for Luffy to really hear every move and breath. He had to focus on this, and couldn't divide his attention right now. He wished he could, but he wouldn't let himself be distracted by anything but staying alive and fighting back.

Arlong dropped one of his pairs of teeth when Luffy landed a good punch, and the teen took it without hesitation. He grinned, and stuck the teeth into his mouth. "Look, I have the same teeth as you now!"

"How long will you continue to insult me?!" Arlong shouted and punched Luffy's jaw. It was kind of hard to do things with the teeth in, but it was a good idea! He wasn't going to abandon it! Luffy said Arlong had been insulting him all this time, so he better shut up and stop complaining about that! But, unfortunately, it turned out that using the teeth made it more difficult to see, and it was hindering him as he got beaten around. But when the fishman grabbed him around the chest, Luffy bit down on his shoulder with all of his jaw strength. Which was strong. He needed to be able to bite through thick skin to drink, after all.

So even as Arlong tried to shake him off, crying out, Luffy held on tightly, digging them in until he ripped out some skin for the second time. Arlong's arm was still damaged from before, but he was ignoring the pain like Luffy had been as well. "How's that?!" Luffy shouted when he finally jumped off. "Your jaw's not so special, is it?!" he asked.

He ducked when another bite was aimed at him, and kicked upwards, slamming into his throat and knocking him off balance. Luffy went in to hit his bloody and injured shoulder, but his arm was bitten instead. Again, Luffy saw Arlong's mouth looking raw. It was like his blood was acidic. But the bite hurt. "Agh!" Luffy shouted before he turned them around and used his trapped arm to slam Arlong's head into the ground, hard enough to break the stone beneath him.

Luffy backed up and pulled the teeth embedded into his arm out, and then realized Arlong wasn't there anymore. He knew Alrong was underwater based on him being unable to smell or hear him. Water dulled scents significantly. They made it to Nami's village because it hadn't rained on their way, and Luffy kept leading them, even dying.

The monster boy waited for him to come out, and he came shooting out of the water, this attack named "Darts", he barely missed Luffy, who made it to the side before he was shot into the wall of the building, which had sustained little damage considering the fight happening just outside of its entrance. But he crashed into it, slamming against the wall and breaking it, leaving a big hole.

Over and over his nose got him, but he also dodged a lot. Then he went back into the water. Luffy refused to leave the area, finally responding to the spectators. He would not run away, would catch and break his nose. Best to rip it off with his teeth! Yeah, that would terrify him! He was definitely doing that. For sure.

He could hear Arlong planning to go for his heart, and stretched his fingers for a new move. This would be cool. "Gomu gomu shield!" His friends didn't see the potential in this move. Well, he'd show them. Arlong finally shot out of the water, but Luffy bounced out of the way, and used his new move to stretch them wide and catch the enemy. "Net! Time to go fishing! Shishishi!"

He grinned. "Followed by… Oh, is he dead?" he wondered with Arlong laying on the ground below him, his eyes white. He didn't seem to have noticed Luffy's red eyes. Luffy landed next to him, but saw his eyes had turned to slits. "You aren't the only one with scary eyes." He finally saw his eyes, and narrowed his.

But, he wasn't finished, wasn't fatally wounded. Luffy wished they could end it already, he was tired. And cranky. He pushed Luffy into the wall again, but he was fine, of course. Still annoyed. "Didn't hurt but he looks really cranky." But Luffy jumped out of the way when a sudden sword was in Arlong's hand. It was long, and with triangle blades. Like a saw of some sort!

"Wow, where'd that come from. Another shark ability!" Luffy shouted from the second story balcony. But Arlong jumped up, slicing, and Luffy ran inside further to get away. Nobody would see his fight anymore. Maybe he could really scare the guy. He crashed into a room full of stacks of paper. He landed on his butt, unable to help looking around curiously. "Papers?"

"They're not just papers. These are all the maps Nami has been drawing for us in the last eight years. For fishmen, obtaining data on the sea is easy, but using that data to map is not. Even if you search the whole world, you won't find anyone who can make maps as accurate as these! That girl is a genius."

"Ohh…"

"There is nothing more tragic than not using the talent she possesses!" Luffy wasn't paying attention when he saw a pen on the desk nearby. He had tunnel vision when he held it and saw and smelled the dried blood there. Caked in many layers. This pen had blood on it, Nami's blood. Dry though it may be, it was easy to smell her scent in here. He hated that it was mixed with the fishmen's scent.

"This pen has blood on it…" he dropped it when the blade came rushing at his head, and he gripped it with his fingers easily. Don't lose control, fight with normal strength. Don't lose energy! He chanted in his head, even as he felt anger course through him, building more and more by the second. But he wanted to stay in control this time.

Nobody was around to get hurt if he didn't finish it right this instant. He shattered the blade, furious. "Use?!" he demanded. "What do you think she is?" He felt his heart pounding in his chest. The fishman started touting Nami's navigation skills while once again putting humans down. When he said she was a cute little thing, Luffy felt disgusted.

"We'll have her continue to draw maps for us for the rest of her life! We'll feed her, buy her clothes. She'll never be in want for the rest of her life! In change, she'll draw maps for us." Luffy could imagine Nami hearing all this, and breaking into tears again. Maybe harming herself again.

He didn't want her to ever cry again. He didn't want Zoro to, he didn't want Usopp to, and he didn't want Sanji to. They would be happy on his ship, and he'd do anything to help them be happy, fulfil their dreams along with his.

Luffy finally cracked when Arlong bragged that she was his crew mate. But before he could do the final attack, he needed to do something else. He started destroying the room, breaking everything, ruining the maps, throwing the desk, the pen and all of the maps out of the building, into the water.

"The hell do you think you're doing?!" Arlong shouting in frantic fury at all of the maps he was losing. And he would never get replacements.

"Stop that!" Arlong shouted. He sounded more upset now than he did even when he harmed his own crew member. Luffy was right. He was selfish and didn't value his crew mates. At least, not as much as Luffy would think a good captain would. Your crew was your family. Like what Shanks told him so many times, showed him.

The fishman used his own blade to accidentally slice through a huge stack of the unharmed maps. "Ahh! My maps!" Luffy might have laughed if he wasn't so angry and focused on doing this. Erasing the pain Nami went through all these years.

That damn pen.

"Those maps took Nami years to make you bastard!"

"Yeah, and they'll never be replaced!" Luffy shouted back. Arlong went to bite down on his neck, which would make him lose a lot of blood. Luffy used all his strength he knew from those times he went berserk, but he kept himself in control. He ripped off Arlong's nose, from the middle to the tip, and twisted his hands, breaking the wrists before he kicked him in the nuts so hard he grunted.

Luffy kicked him in the face, in the already hurt nose. He scratched at the severe burns on his mouth, and punched his teeth in. He kicked him in the throat, making him cough up blood. "No- human can do this!"

"Then it's lucky I'm not!" Luffy shouted, and punched him as hard as he could in the gut, throwing him out of the building. He gasped a bit, shaking as he let all of his strength fade away, leaving him exhausted. "I won't let this room exist anymore. Then… maybe I can take a break," he said to himself.

He could hear the people below shocked at the state Arlong was in, bloody, bruised and deformed in multiple ways. But Luffy just destroyed the rest of the room. Once it was done, he did want to destroy the whole building, but he'd defeated Arlong, freed Nami. Now he just needed a little time to catch his breath. When he didn't come out immediately, with everyone very worried, shouting for him, he heard Nami climbing over the debris, shouting Luffy's name as she hurried up the stairs. She found Luffy on his back, bloody but alive. Looking exhausted.

"Luffy!" she came to kneel beside him. Luffy smiled sleepily.

"You're our friend, and our navigator." She cried and nodded. "I… need a little break. I managed… to not go crazy. But I lost my contacts in the water… I have no spare ones." She looked sad for him. "Well, maybe they'll think… I'm just weird."

Nami nodded, still sniffling. She put his hat on his chest, and he put his hands over it. "Do you need blood?" she asked.

"No, I'm okay for now. I'll be okay. I already… had so much. I need to get used to… this," he sighed, and fell asleep finally.

This chapter is probably the chapter with the most canon dialogue. Sorry about that. See you next week!

Chapter Text

Artemispolarbear: I think nobody will expect what Luffy actually is and that makes me so happy lol.

When he woke up, he was in what smelled like an infirmary. He had a cloth over his eyes, and took it off. He was so tired, and turned to see Zoro in a bed next to him, his wound stitched up, snoring. Luffy felt something plastic next to his leg, and saw five blood bags. He looked around and triedly sat up.

He drank all of them, feeling infinitely better afterwards. "Hey, Luffy," Zoro said quietly. Luffy smiled tiredly. "Nice fight, huh?" Luffy nodded and laid back down, facing Zoro. "Sorry I can't give you any. I sort of my own blood problem." Luffy saw he had a transfusion in his left arm. "Nami gave you some sunglasses. On the table."

The half human looked to the side and saw some sunglasses. It would bring more attention to them, but he'd wear them anyways. "What happened? After I was out?" Luffy asked quietly.

"Those marines came and tried to claim this as their victory. We all beat the shit out of them. The main guy was the most pissed at you, even though you were unconscious. Nami forced them to arrest Arlong, and help fix the villages that were destroyed. All the money is back for the village. I think you'll get a bigger reputation than any of us, even if we were the ones to attack that loser captain.

"You really did a number on Arlong after you were inside the building," he commented. "Wish I could have seen it." Then he grinned. "It was hilarious seeing you just piss him off over and over."

"Shishishi, I wasn't exactly trying," Luffy said, smiling, too. Zoro asked if he felt any different. He held his hand and all. Luffy frowned, and Zoro looked momentarily upset. He started to apologize, but Luffy cut him off. "I was too harsh. And insecure. I was really upset about what you said, but I know you didn't mean it like that. I was afraid you would leave me, once your dream was fulfilled.

"Or when you lost, that you were going to leave, too. I'm sorry I closed you off." Zoro was up though, pulling the IV out, and walked the few feet to Luffy's bed, hugging him, even though his wound had to hurt. "I won't leave, Pirate King," he vowed. Luffy nodded, able to not cry in relief. "I love you."

"I love you, too."

-x-

"Nami!" Luffy called as he stuffed his face and ran all over the village. He followed the smell of the guy who knew her well. Pinwheel man. "Hey, where's Nami? Oh, is that a grave? Someone die?"

"Yes, a long time ago," Genzo said.

"Oh. I see. Well, she has my deepest c- hm? Condiments? Compliments? Conditon-?"

Genzo interrupted, "Condolences." Luffy nodded. That was the word. "Hey, kid. Nami said she'll join your crew and become a pirate. It'll be a dangerous journey." Luffy nodded, but knew he wasn't done. He stayed quiet and listened. "So if you ever do anything to steal her smile away, I'll personally come and kill you!"

Luffy was surprised. "Well, I'm never gonna do th-"

"UNDERSTAND?!"

"I understand," Luffy hurriedly said.

The party continued and they were to leave the next day. Nami got a new tattoo, a tangerine with a windmill. She also nabbed a ton of blood bags in the ice chest, good at stealing them, like usual. Luffy continued to wear the glasses around the villagers. He had to tell Sanji. He didn't want to wear the glasses, but he also knew the guy was probably not feeling that great about being left out. Especially with how much Usopp was bragging.

Jonny and Yosaku were going to go on their way. Wanted to resume their job. So, they were saying goodbye there. Zoro wasn't upset, he was just glad to meet them. They were waiting for Nami, now, though on the ship. She was taking forever.

"Where is she, anyways?" Usopp asked.

"Maybe she's not coming," Zoro said, not seriously, but Sanji freaked out about that. He and Zoro were already at each other's necks.

While they waited, Luffy knowing she was coming, since she already put clothes in her room and snuck the ice chest in her room again, Sanji finally asked if he could be in the loop now. "Then you can take off those stupid glasses, not hiding whatever is the problem. I'm sick of Usopp being a dick about it."

Usopp grinned. "You're just jealous."

"I'll tell you. I'm surprised you didn't connect any of the dots with what me and Arlong were arguing about. But yeah, I'll tell you. The Baratie is on the way to the Grand Line, if you want we can drop you back off," Luffy said lightly.

"Hah?! If Usopp can handle whatever it is, then I can, too!"

"Hey, I defeated a fishman on my own, too, you know!" Luffy laughed, saying he was proud. He knew he could do it. Zoro smiled, still leaning against the cabin wall. They all heard, "SET SAIL!" from Nami, as she ran to the cliff face where everyone was waiting to say goodbye. She was planning on not, and just started to run through the crowd.

They did what she said, and started to sail away. The villagers wanted to say goodbye to her, but she said nothing before she jumped the distance between the ship and the cliff, landing gracefully. Luffy beamed. The crew was back together, and none were leaving. Luffy felt they had enough now to enter the Grand Line, of course after Zoro got two more swords from somewhere.

Nami widened her arms, and dozens of wallets dropped out of her shirt.

"My wallet is gone!"

"Mine, too!"

"She took mine!"

She smiled, and said, "Take care everyone!" holding a bill.

"YOU ROTTEN LITTLE THIEF!" they roared as the ship sailed away. Zoro and Usopp weren't happy about it, Luffy thought it was funny, and Sanji complimented her on it. They continued to shout for her to bring the money back. But then they turned into farewells, and kind goodbyes. Genzo yelled at Luffy about their promise, and Luffy simply smiled and put his thumb up.

He was glad Nami was smiling as she said goodbye to her home for the last time for a while. She wasn't returning anytime soon to add more money. That money was all gone. They were starting over with not much, but enough for now. When they made it to the Grand Line, he was sure there were lots of people to steal from!

Once they were out a bit, they all sat in a circle. Sanji's favorite cooking tools were now in the kitchen, with a ton of food in storage and the fridge. They were set for a while. "If you get upset, we'll kill you," Nami said sternly. Sanji nodded once, and Luffy took off his glasses, showing the red eyes. Sanji raised his brows. Luffy immediately explained the situation, as he'd told Zoro and Nami. Bluntly, not hiding anything. He even explained about the times he'd gone berserk. He didn't look bothered, until he looked furious.

"You were dying because you didn't have any blood?!"

"Well, yeah. And Zoro was not in any shape to give any-"

"You could have asked me!" The group was surprised. "I mean, not like how it is with Zoro, but I could have dripped it into your mouth or something." Luffy smiled.

He honestly said, "It wouldn't have mattered after the second day. I needed a lot. Last time I was out of blood like that, I almost drained someone dry. I don't know if I would have been able to stop," he said honestly, though there was a bit of shame. Usopp smiled.

"Then we'll just make sure that doesn't happen again, right?" Luffy nodded, and nobody pointed out that he should have shared. Or at least offered. Nami asked if he and Zoro were all better now. They nodded.

She turned on Zoro and glared at him. "You better watch what you say, you moron-!" Luffy cut her off. Usopp had already chewed him up pretty badly already. "Still! I can't believe you were so dumb!"

Zoro shot back, "Shut it! I've never done this before, I'm not good at it!" He was red in the face, and Nami smirked and said that it was cute. "I'm going to kill you, you witch."

"How dare you insult Nami-san! Say that one more time, jackass!" The other two sighed and Luffy laughed. The two who knew about Nami's preferences weren't going to say anything about it to anybody. Not Usopp or Sanji. It was her secret, just like Luffy's secret was his. He was happy, and gave Nami her sunglasses back.

"At the next island, we'll look for some colored contacts," she said brightly. Luffy smiled and nodded. He felt more comfortable with them in. Felt he was hiding things. He took his hat off, looking at it. He wouldn't see Shanks for a while, but they were getting closer. Though Luffy had to be much stronger before then! The Grand Linewould toughen him up even more! And he wanted to learn to control that strength he'd used to destroy Arlong. He wanted to be able to pull off long, hard fights without being so exhausted afterwards.

Well, he would. He knew that, he just needed practice is all. They would all get stronger. "Nami, how are you going to chart a map of the whole world?" Luffy asked. "We're going to the Grand Line."

She smiled. "Well, I don't expect our journey to end anytime soon. Right? Who says we can't leave the Grand Lineand explore other places. Shanks went to the East Blue after the Grand Line, didn't he?"

"That's right! I didn't even think of that! We can go to every sea!"

"Not the North Blue," Sanji said simply, abandoning his argument with Zoro. "I have some people there I never want to see again."

Luffy nodded. "Well, there are other seas," he said simply. "The Grand Lineis gonna be crazy exciting. I can't wait!" Nami said they were on their way. Not much longer now.

-x-

Luffy snuck behind Nami's new tangerine trees, determined to get at least one. But Sanji kicked him in the face and onto the middle deck. "C'mon, let me have one! We all protected them, right?!"

"No way! These are only Nami-san's trees! You don't get any without her permission." Zoro pointed out he was nothing special either. She wasn't sharing with any of them. He and Sanji were like fire and water. They hated one another, already. It had only been a week or so. Luffy had no hope for the both of them, so he didn't interfere or tell them to stop anymore.

"Well fine. I'm in a good mood, so I'll drop it." Nami and Usopp were arguing about the newspaper and money. Nami had the paper in her hands, and Luffy wondered if there was anything interesting.

"Not really anything new. Just some problems in far off islands, but they happen often. The East Blue Sea isn't crawling with pirates, after all. The islands have the most trouble with the people there themselves. The Don Krieg incident is in here. I can't believe you ended up giving him brain damage." Luffy drooped. "He was a violent enemy, don't feel sorry for ending his career," she said simply. The captain nodded silently. Then he went running with Usopp, cheering about the Grand Line!

"Now we gotta get a doctor and a musician! And a shipwright too, but doctor first!" Luffy cheered. "Shishishi, what if they're mad I take the blood bags?"

"Then they can go fuck themselves," Zoro said from his spot, and yawned before he took another nap. Luffy heard his stomach grumble, and so he silently went into the galley, not needing to hide the chest anymore, and took a bag out, drinking it like someone would drink a juice box.

When it was empty, he put it in the biohazard bin. Sanji walked in, and saw him. He tossed him a napkin. "I was thinking… have you ever tried blood on something else?" Luffy cocked his head. "Like, a sauce or something fancier? All you do is drink it plain." Sanji wasn't squeamish about it at all.

Though nobody mentioned or watched the rare times where he drank from Zoro. They both agreed to only do it sometimes. For Luffy's feelings mostly. Zoro didn't want to go too far again, and didn't want Luffy to ever feel he was just seducing Zoro. It had been only a week. They weren't moving fast anymore.

"No. I've always just had it from donors. Even if they didn't know they were," Luffy replied. "You want to cook with it?"

"Well, I'm in charge of nutrition, aren't I? And I want my food to taste good, too. I thought it would be nice for some variety," he explained casually. Luffy nodded, accepting that happily. "I'll be buying other pans and such for it for added precaution. I don't want any blood getting in the normal food, after all."

Luffy beamed. "Thanks! You're awesome!"

"Only Nami-san gets to compliment me like that! And don't think you're special because of this." Luffy laughed and nodded, hurrying out of the room. He was going to Zoro when he heard Nami and Usopp scream from the back deck. He and his swordsman were up in an instant, rushing there. Nami was holding up a flyer, eyes wide.

Luffy asked what was wrong. "A bounty!"

"Ehhh! Let me see!" Luffy snatched the page and beamed. "Ahahaha! We're wanted men, now! It says 30 million!" Luffy cheered, holding the page up for Zoro and Sanji to see. Zoro wasn't happy.

"I kicked his face, didn't I?! Why don't I get a bounty?"

"I mean, Luffy was the one to beat and mutilate Arlong, right? He seems like the most dangerous one to others. But dang! 30 million. Even Arlong had 20 million!"

"Shishishi! I'm awesome! Ahahaha!" Nami wasn't happy at all. People were going to come after them, now! How could they not be upset!

Zoro replied, "Well, what did you expect? You're a pirate, now, too, aren't you? You can't complain when you signed up for this. I'm going back to my nap," and he walked back to his spot. He was napping in that exact spot, each time. Luffy was in a wonderful mood.

"Oh! Look, I'm in it, too! The whole world gets to see, I'm famous!" Sanji was sour. It was only the back of his head, nothing special. He was frustrated, too, like Zoro was. Well, they'd be in the Grand Line soon, and then they could go wild and get huge bounties!

"Wait, I don't want a huge bounty!" Usopp hurriedly said. "Oh, do you think they'll know who I am if they see this?!"

Sanji smirked. "You could always just shave your head." Usopp scowled at him, and Luffy laughed. Nami moved on from this surprisingly quick. She sighed, though, looking at all of them.

"We need another girl on this crew. I can't deal with just men," she said in exasperation. "All disgusting, and loud, and vulgar. Ugh!" Luffy laughed. They would get a girl.

"Remember my promise before?" he asked, making Nami blush, remembering Luffy would help her find a girl she liked. Like he was with Zoro. Sanji and Usopp asked what it was about, and Nami hit both of them. It was none of their businesses.

"Okay, Nami-san~!" Sanji said, giving up easily. Usopp looked at him in disbelief. Luffy was so happy about this. And Ace could see he was a pirate now, too! He couldn't wait for the adventures they would be going on. He went to sit in Zoro's lap, even if he didn't nap with him. He was asleep, but still wrapped his arms around Luffy's waist. Zoro would definitely get a high bounty.

It wasn't long after that Usopp announced they were near an island. Nami took the telescope and looked at it. That island is proof we're near the Grand Line! On that island is a famous town called 'Loguetown'. It's also known as the town of beginning and the end. It's the birthplace of Gold Roger and where he was executed."

Luffy gasped, eyes bright. He wanted to see where the Pirate Kingdied. He couldn't exactly see where he was born, but he wanted to see where he said those last words that gave Luffy his dream.

When they docked and stepped foot on the island, they each had different tasks to do. Luffy wanted to go to the execution platform, Usopp get some new equipment for his weapons he made, Sanji wanted to get more food. Fresh food. Zoro needed new swords, and had to borrow money from Nami to do so.

"Luffy, go with me?" Zoro asked kind of awkwardly. "We can see the execution platform, too. I mean, we never got that date, y'know…" He glared at Nami calling them cute once again. Luffy smiled and accepted. He put on sunglasses, and was told to leave his hat off. He protested vehemently.

"Do you want to get nabbed by marines right outside the Grand Line? And besides, you want to go with Zoro and be uninterrupted, right?" Luffy pouted, but knew she had a point. She went inside and got him a beanie. "Here, wear this."

He looked surprised. She awkwardly said, "I've been hiding something I hated on my body for years. I understand how you feel about your hair." He grinned and thanked her, putting the green beanie on. He didn't care if it didn't match with his shirt or shorts.

He and Zoro set off to find some swords. Luffy would visit the execution platform later. While they walked, Luffy holding onto Zoro's arm, they almost immediately found something interesting happening. A fight. Two big men versus a woman with a sword. Apparently she worked with some "monster", and they were only comfortable attacking her with him not there. Zoro looked interested, too, and they slowed to watch.

Luffy watched, and they attacked. Zoro started pulling out his sword, but he could hear her get ready to attack, and Zoro didn't have time to do anything before she struck and sliced them. Then she kind of ruined that cool move by falling on her face and dropping her glasses. Luffy handed them back to her.

Zoro was surprised. Then she looked up, and his face went white. "Ah, thank you. Sorry for troubling you."

"Hey, you're pretty strong. That was cool," Luffy said, standing up. "But you're kind of clumsy, too, aren't you? Shishishi," he laughed. Zoro stayed silent. They walked away, Zoro pulling on Luffy's arm. He walked with him, wondering what was wrong.

"Nothing." Luffy frowned. "Okay, she looks like my old friend."

"Oh… Kuina?" Luffy asked. Zoro nodded. "Well, she's not. Just looks like her. It is kind of weird, though. But I think she's marine." The older one looked surprised. "I don't know how. Well, no, I do. She smelled like the other marines we saw at Nami's place. Maybe their jackets have some certain smell. She also smelled like cigarettes."

Zoro grinned. "You're so cool, Luffy." The captain giggled. They found a sword's shop easily. Luffy didn't know a thing about swords, so he let Zoro do the shopping while he looked around, managing not to break anything. Zoro only had 100,000 berrieses and the guy said it wasn't enough for anything of value.

"Well, that'll be good enough. I don't have much money right now," he said casually, not bothered at all. Luffy knew he would be strong even if he had crap swords. But the guy asked to see Zoro's sword, and Luffy started paying attention to the shop guy.

"Well, this sword isn't the best, but I'll buy it from you for 200,000 berries! Meaning you'll have 300,000 in total! With that amount, you could buy three pretty decent swords!" Luffy walked over.

He bluntly said, "His sword is worth a lot more. You're lying about it. And he's not gonna give it to you anyways." Zoro looked guarded, and the shop owner acted angry, like Luffy slandered him. Zoro casually said he wasn't going to sell it, no matter how much it was worth.

Luffy turned just to see the Kuina look-alike come over and get up in Zoro's space. "This sword, could it be?!" Zoro moved away in discomfort. Luffy frowned. He was really bothered by her. Well, he would be bothered if he'd been around someone that looked a lot like Sabo. He could understand, but he needed a sword and this was the only one they could find. "This is Wado Ichimonji, isn't it?!"

They already knew that. And they already knew the guy was lying when he said it wasn't very valuable. What Zoro didn't know was that it was extremely rare and valuable. And worth at least a million berries. She was more upset than Zoro about the guy swindiling him. But the shop owner got furious at the Kuina look-alike for obstructing business, and he threw her sword at her. Of course, in its scabbard.

And she fell into the swords. "Shishishi, see, I knew she was clumsy. Is there any more swords you want to see here?" he asked. When Zoro was shouted at about the barrel of cheap swords, Zoro calmly went to them, unbothered by the shop owner at all. Luffy looked around more, trying to find the prettiest one.

"Hey, didn't we see one another on the street?"

"When you fell and lost your glasses," Zoro said in a tight voice and turned away. Luffy decided to keep her focused on him and not Zoro as he looked at the "cheap" swords.

"Hey, they said you had a monster friend. Who was it? What kind of monster lives here? Is it big? Where do you keep it?" Luffy asked in a bored voice. He heard Zoro snort quietly. She explained that it wasn't an actual monster, but her powerful partner. Captain Smoker. He protected Loguetown from pirates, since they were headed on their way to the Grand Line. "Hah, he must be really busy, then. This place has lots of pirates, after all," he replied casually.

So, he was right about her being a marine, and even the guy's name was Smoker. That made him chuckle. "So, you're like a sword nerd? You have a book and everything. He likes swords, but I don't really get anything about them. I'd just kill myself if I tried," he said. Zoro continued to dig in the barrel, pulling one out, then frowning and putting it in back for another.

"Oh, yeah, I really like swords and their history. They're so fascinating."

"Heeeeh," Luffy replied.

She turned back to Zoro, and commented that his three swords reminded her of a bounty hunter. I'm talking of Roronoa Zoro. Do you know him?" Luffy took the focus off of Zoro again.

"I know him! I saw him on an island one time. He was scary, but cool," Luffy said, and saw Zoro pursing his lips, but trying to hide a smile or laugh. Or both. He was kind of dumb, he knew that, but he felt he was good at helping his friends, even if it took some smarts! The Kuina look-alike nodded. She was interested in his sword style.

But then she started dissing him completely. "To think he treats his swords as purely a way of making money… it's simply unforgivable! Why is it that evil is so strong these days."

"You're saying Smoker is evil? Or are you saying he's weak because he's not evil?"

"Of course that's not what I meant! Smoker enforces justice! I was talking about swordsmen! All the famous swordsmen today are either pirates or bounty hunters! And they're the ones that possess most of the world's masterwork blades. The swords are crying, you know."

Luffy crossed his arms and cocked his head. "Wouldn't people who travel come across more swords than those staying in one place?" he wondered. He could hear Zoro gasp. He thought he was strange for saying something smart, didn't he?! Well… Luffy was kind of impressed with himself as well. "That was a smart thing to say, wasn't it? Shishishi."

"Very smart," Zoro said simply.

The shop owner was in a bad mood. He welcomed criminals, they made good business. But now that Smoker was there, he was keeping customers away. "Smoker is no monster!"

"Of course he is, he has a devil fruit!" Luffy wondered what fruit is was. So he asked. "A smoke logia. A logia is made of an element or substance. They're intangible. It's impossible to escape from that man." Kuina look-alike was very angry that her friend or superior was being insulted. They got into an argument that Luffy was bored with. Luffy smiled and asked if he found anything good.

"Not really. You try to find one. Maybe that'll work," Zoro said casually.

Luffy looked inside. "Hmm, how about this one?" he asked, pulling out a sword. "It seems interesting." Zoro took it and unsheathed it. The marine yanked it out of his hand.

"I've seen this before in my book. It's Sandai Kitetsu. You should definitely buy this one!" Luffy laughed, and Zoro smirked. But the shop guy shouted out that he refused to sell it. It was cursed. Zoro looked amused, and Luffy laughed. Of course he chose a cursed sword. He said he should buy it anyway, it was interesting.

Zoro looked at it closely. "How did I not notice it before? I can tell now. It feels strange. Like a burning sensation that doesn't hurt," he mused. The shop owner explained that there was a whole line of cursed swords. Renowned, but difficult to use. Even impossible.

"All of the swordsmen who have wielded them have died tragic deaths. You won't find anyone using them. I wish I could get rid of it, but I'm afraid to get cursed, too. Even if you're unaware, you'll end up dead from it." Luffy said he should get it anyway. It would be fun.

"D-Don't you care about him?"

"Of course I do!" Luffy said angrily. "I just know he'd have fun with it!" Luffy snapped. Zoro patted his head, telling him it was fine. Luffy crossed his arms, but she couldn't see he was glaring. Zoro declared he would buy it. Everyone in the room but Luffy thought he was crazy. Luffy laughed.

But then a woman came in and punched the shop guy's head. They wanted it gone, so just sell it and get rid of it. "How about this? Why don't we test who's stronger? My luck, or its curse? If I lose, then that means I was never a man who'd amount to anything special." Luffy felt the sword was not going to hurt him. He had no reason to. It's not like it gave off emotion. He just truly felt it wouldn't hurt him. So he stood back to watch as Zoro tossed it in the air, and stuck his arm out.

The shop owner insisted he not do this. But he didn't stop. And it didn't slice him, but fell right around his arm and into the floor. "Wow, this is a thick floor, isn't it?" Luffy asked, picking it up. He was unsurprised. Zoro told him to pick another one for him. "M'kay," Luffy said, and went looking for another one.

But then the shop owner stopped him and pulled out another blade. "Wait! This is a black lacquered longsword with an unraveled edge. It's name is 'Yubashiri', one of the fifty skillful grade swords. I can personally attest to its sharpness! Although my store may not be much, this is the best sword I have."

When Zoro said he didn't have enough money, he was offered it for free. Then he said he wouldn't be charged for the other one, either! Nami would be amazed by this incredible bargain. The shop owner complimented him, and Luffy saw Kuina look-alike looking sad. Maybe ashamed that Zoro was being called an incredible swordsman and she wasn't.

They left, satisfied. "Lying is hard."

"You did a good job. And thanks for picking the sword. I got them both for free because of that. Now, let's go to the execution platform." Luffy smiled and nodded. "That woman was kind of annoying. Getting in my personal space too much," he commented casually. "Well, we learned about devil fruits and the guy who runs the island's security."

They found it after buying some ice cream, and Luffy immediately ran up to it. Zoro sat on a bench to admire his swords while Luffy climbed the execution platform excitedly. "So, this is the last thing the Pirate Kingsaw, huh?" he asked in awe. He could just picture the huge crowd that heard and spawned the age of pirates. What led him to this point and further. He grinned. "I'll find your treasure. Then I can be the Pirate King, and maybe Ace can forget all about your role. Shishishi…"

"Hey, you! Get down from there this instant!"

"Why?"

"That's a special stand that is owned by the World Government!"

"Hmmm, well, I'll only be here for a bit more."

"No, come down right now!" Luffy refused, and suddenly the guy was unconscious, being hit in the back of his head by a club. The woman who did it smelled familiar, but looked like nobody he'd ever seen before. She said she'd been looking all over for him. Luffy cocked his head. Zoro was watching in interest now, still not standing. "You haven't forgotten my face, have you?"

"AH! I don't recognize your face, but you smell that way! Hey, you were really fat, what happened to you?" Luffy wondered. He heard Zoro burst into laughter, but Alvida looked pretty unbothered. She wasn't angry at him like before. If it weren't for her scent, then he wouldn't know who she was at all.

Zoro looked angry when she started sort of... flirting with him? And saying gross things. He'd punched her in the face, but she was kind of looking… turned on? It made him shiver in horror. Zoro was furious.

"But you see, I only love strong men. I'll have you be mine at last, Luffy."

Luffy said, "I'm taken already! Besides, you're not my type. Shishishi!" he laughed. Zoro looked angry still, but didn't cause a scene and attack her like he clearly wanted to do. She was surprised by this. Maybe because Luffy acted dumb before? The crowd booed him for turning her down while also begging to take his place.

Alvida looked angry now, her eyes shadowed by her hat. Luffy went back to fight over the platform, looking all four ways. Then he smelled again. "Hey! Alvida, why do you smell like Buggy?!" he accused. The woman looked surprised. When Luffy met her before, he'd mentioned nothing of smell, as he hadn't recognized any of them on that ship. People were commenting on why he could smell her so well.

He smelled Buggy more, taking a deep breath. He smelled the same. Like booze and makeup. He knew what that smelled like from being in Nami's room. Alvida said nothing, but Buggy did come out, wearing a hood. The marines had heard of who he was, and heard his own name. He had a poster now, afterall.

Buggy was back in one piece again, which was kind of impressive. As he explained his journey of getting his body back, Luffy was uninterested and picked his nose before he heard someone behind him and moved out of the way. "What are you doing?" he asked. Buggy was now on the execution platform with him. The Buggy pirates flooded the plaza, pointing their guns at everyone.

What a mess this would probably turn into. Luffy watched in slight amusement as confusion gripped the pirates. Luffy hadn't needed to exactly use his senses when he dealt with them. "This is your execution!" Buggy shouted. Luffy cocked his head, and walked to the guy, shoving him off the platform. "No one gets executed here but the Pirate King! How rude! I'm not dying, by the way. At least not until after I become the Pirate King!"

"Oi, Luffy! We should get going!" Zoro shouted.

"Roronoa Zoro!" Buggy shrieked angrily. Luffy launched off the platform and landed on Buggy, slamming him into the ground. "Shishishi! Let's go, then," Luffy said. They pummeled the shocked pirates as they ran off.

Luffy was laughing it all off, his hat long gone. Nami would be mad. So, his black and white hair was showing. He had his sunglasses on, though. It had started to rain and hard to see through the glasses. Zoro said he should just take them off. Luffy took them and stuffed them in his pocket. "Oh no! We never got contacts!"

"Shit," Zoro swore. They could see marines after them, as well as pirates. "Well, you'll be even more intimidating if people see them, right?" Luffy wasn't happy, but knew they had to leave now. Sanji met up with them in the downpour.

"Hey, idiots, Nami-san said we have to leave! Wha- why are there pirates and marines following you?!" Luffy said a lady wanted to be his girlfriend and then her companions wanted to kill him. "What?! Who was this woman?!"

"You don't gotta be jealous, Luffy isn't exactly into women!" Zoro shouted as they ran. Then Kuina look-alike was there. She was furious at Zoro, even though Luffy was the one to lie. Maybe because Zoro was a pirate and had said nothing. Sanji demanded to know what he did to that lady. "I didn't do anything worth getting so angry about." His voice was casual.

"How could you pretend to be anything but a pirate! And you, Straw Hat Luffy! You played me! For this, I will take Wado Ichimonji! You don't deserve such a blade!" she shouted, holding her own sword. Zoro grinned, and dared her to.

"Make sure you come back, soon!" Luffy called as they left Zoro behind to battle the woman. Sanji was upset with this, but Luffy dragged him along. Then they saw someone up ahead. "Who's that?" Luffy wondered.

"Ugh, another one?" Sanji said in annoyance. They were yelling everything now because the downpour was so violent. Even without the glasses on, it was hard to see, and scents were being dimmed a bit. So he couldn't smell anything familiar about this man.

He just glared at them. "So, you've come, Straw Hat Luffy."

"Who the heck are you?" Luffy asked.

"The name's Smoker. I'm a captain of marine headquarters. And I won't let you set sail from here!" A cloud of smoke wrapped around him, and he felt stupid! He should have known! He was lifted into the air, and he thrashed around but couldn't get out. Sanji attempted to help, but he was caught, too and then thrown into the wall.

Luffy shouted his name in worry, and then tried to punch Smoker, but he was suddenly behind him. "What the-?" Smoker rudely asked if he was really worth his bounty value. He looked at Luffy, and said he had strange eyes.

"Well you have stupid hair! And you smell bad, too!" Luffy said defensively. This is why he didn't like showing his eyes! People think he's weird or scary! But then he was slammed down into the ground.

Smoker wasn't provoked by his petty insult. "Looks like your luck has come to an end-"

Then Luffy smelled Garp. "Garp?!" he shouted, struggling to get out of Smoker's grip, but he couldn't see who it was. "Hey! What are you doing?!" he thrashed around, but Smoker seemed to recognize him. Well, they were both marines. But Garp didn't completely smell like Garp. Maybe it was someone he was around a lot and so smelled like him.

He was annoyed with being pinned down. They were having a conversation and ignoring him. "The World Government is after your head." So, it definitely wasn't Garp. Unless he betrayed! But, no… that was stupid, there was no way. Now he was sure it wasn't him, but who was it then?! He wanted an answer!

"The world awaits our answer!" and then suddenly there was a huge gust of wind, taking everyone around up off the ground it was so strong. Zoro caught him, and he and Sanji bailed, running as fast as they could back to the ship. When they got to where they docked it, Usopp and Nami were already there. They had to leave now, the storm was really bad.

He launched the three of them onto the ship, and they sailed away through the violent storm. But it was exciting! "Yahoo! It feels like the ship might tip over!"

They were nearing the entrance to the Grand Line! They could see a light just up ahead, the lighthouse in front of the entrance! Luffy's hat was back on, where it should be. He was holding it to his head in the wind, though. "So, what shall we do?" Nami asked with a smile.

Usopp protested entering the Grand Lineduring a violent storm, but was ignored. Sanji spoke, "So we're about to enter the Grand Line, huh? This calls for a celebration!" He pulled out a barrel, and they all walked up to it. Without even having to say anything, they all stated their dreams. Entering the Grand Line was that real start of fulfilling them.

"To be the Pirate King!"

"To find the All Blue."

"To be the greatest swordsman."

"To draw a map of the world."

"T… t-to become a brave warrior of the sea!"

They smashed the empty barrel with their raised feet together. "Off to the Grand Linewe go!"

Luffy felt something heavy in his pocket, just noticing it. He pulled it out, and it was a paper wrapped around a rock. "What's this?" he wondered. He didn't put this in his pocket. He opened it, and read, "Search for pon-" but then it flew away in the rain. "No! Come back!" he ran after it, but it was gone in the rain.

He felt annoyed, and bothered. What if it had been really important! Someone went through the trouble of putting it directly in his pocket. He didn't read enough to know what "pon" was. Luffy huffed, trying not to let his frustration build, and went where Nami was talking to them about what was gonna happen next, all of them inside.

"What's your problem?" Sanji asked.

"I'll tell you later," Luffy said, a frown on.

Nami moved on. "The entrance to the Grand Lineis a mountain." Luffy was amazed, Usopp scared, and Zoro and Sanji just looked annoyed about it. "Exactly. I had a hard time believing it myself when I looked at this map, but look! The lighthouse - the light of guidance was directly pointing at Reverse Mountain location, right here on the Red Line," she explained.

"Does that mean we have to crash through the mountain?" Luffy wondered.

"No, there's a water way right here," she said, pointing to the map. The Red Line, with one side with an entrance from all of the Blues. On the other side was the beginning of the Grand Line.

Usopp said what they were all thinking: that was crazy. Even if there was a water way, how the hell would they climb the mountain? "But that's what the map says," Nami said a bit defensively. Sanji backed her and Zoro pointed out that this was the map Buggy got. It might not be accurate.

It was too late to go back, though. Luffy trusted the map. And it was so cool! "Are we really going up the mountain? That's so cool! So it's a magic mountain, huh?"

They argued about what to do, nobody but Luffy believing that they could actually go up the mountain, before the storm stopped suddenly. They went out, confused, and seeing the storm just seemed to have disappeared, but was still close and still raging. "What the…?" Sanji asked.

"Oh no! We've entered the Calm Belt!" Nami screamed in horror.

"Huh? Calm Belt? What's that?" Luffy asked. "The storm is right over there. Isn't it a good thing we're out, then? Though it looked borin-" he got punched by Nami.

"This is bad! It's not cool! Get the oars, we have to leave right now! This place doesn't move, there's no currents, no wind, and it's infested with sea kings! Hurry! We'd be better off in the storm!"

"It's in the Grand Line?" Zoro asked. Nami was angry they weren't hurrying. Usopp was freaked out, but Luffy was amazed. The ocean really was a huge adventure!

"No! It's not the Grand Line. Listen, the Grand Lineis sandwiched between two belts of ocean, which is exactly where you don't want to be. I just told you why!" The crew finally started to get out the oars and hurry back into the storm when there was a huge creak and shake of the boat. It wasn't an earthquake, but a giant sea king lifting their ship up.

They screamed, while Luffy was amazed. "They're so big! Hey, why don't we just ask them to take us out?"

"Idiot, sea kings aren't friends!"

"Then what do we do?!"

"Hey, sea kings, let us out and I won't kill you!" Luffy shouted with a growl at the end. The sea kings that weren't holding their ship bailed, while the massive one they were on dumped them and ditched with the others. "No, come back and take it out!" Luffy called, but they were all gone. Nami didn't miss a beat before ordering they get the oars and leave.

Luffy pouted and they made their way back to the sea. Zoro got behind Luffy. "That commanding tone was really hot."

"Not now!" the other three shouted, Luffy laughing loudly.

They made it back to the storm easily, though it would have been cooler to have had the sea king take them out. But, they were safe from one danger and back in another. "See why we need to enter through Reverse Mountain!" Nami called. They all sighed, and Luffy was excited to climb up the mountain, which Nami said with finality was the only way in. "It probably has to do with the sea currents. If strong currents from each of the four seas were to all head for that mountain, then they would drive the water up. Once we're up the mountain will bring us back down into the Grand Line. We only have to navigate there."

"Awww, that's not magic!" Luffy complained.

"Of course it's not! Magic doesn't exist!"

"Then what are devil fruits?" Usopp wondered.

"It's science, you morons!" She was growing angrier so they dropped their philosophical argument.

Chapter Text

Artemispolarbear: I don't know if it was in canon or not but I think Whitebeard once said that every crew has a black sheep and Buggy was that one lol. And Zoro has hots for Luffy's strength since it just feels canon, every time Luffy's bounty goes up Zoro's like "fuck yeah, see, my captain is strong, bitch"

Coolkidz: Luffy calls him Garp because I exaggerated their bad relationship while Luffy was a little kid. Plus there's the issues with how Luffy felt Garp treated Ace. So he just holds a grudge in this story about it. 

For reference for the rest of the story: Luffy called Garp by his name. They have a very bad history and so Luffy just calls him by his first name. It will into detail about this much later. Big news in this chapter! Enjoy~

After a bit, the mountain came into view. "It's the magic mountain!" he shouted. "It's huge!" They couldn't even see the top of the Red Line because it was so tall, it was hidden by the clouds. Luffy wondered if anybody could live up there. And he wondered if he'd ever be able to slingshot his way up.

"Get a good grip of the rudder so we aren't dragged under," Nami commanded, Usopp and Sanji hurrying inside.

Zoro had the binoculars. "I can't believe it. The water is actually going up." Then he grinned. "Either adventure or death awaits us, huh?" Luffy laughed, so giddy to hurry up and get there. Until Nami told them to move starboard a bit, and then the rudder snapped. Everyone was horrified, but they didn't have time to dwell on it, they had to do something!

"WE'RE GONNA CRASH!"

Luffy acted immediately, jumping off of the ship and inflating his body to cushion between the entrance pillar and the ship, turning it to the side. He started to fall until he grabbed Zoro's hand and was brought back up. And finally, they were going up the mountain, into the amazing sea. Danger and adventure awaited them.

He was beaming. "Our dreams begin now, huh?" Zoro asked, putting his arm around Luffy's shoulders. Luffy nodded, and then his face fell. Now that it seemed the danger was gone, he was feeling the negative feelings of losing that information. Stupid storm. "So what's wrong?"

"Someone put a note in my pocket and I think it could have been important to what I am but I dropped it and it blew away." Those that heard were silent for a bit, even as they headed up the mountain. "Huh?!" they exclaimed. But then they reached the top, and this part was more fun. "I can see the Grand Line!" All of them were screaming or laughing, and then grabbed onto something as they plummeted down.

The Luffy stopped. "Hey, there's something in front of us! Really loud!"

"I can't hear anythin-"

BOUOHHH!

What they could see looked like a mountain, but Luffy thought it was something else. He squinted his eyes and smelled deeply. But it was something unfamiliar, so that didn't help. Then when they got closer, the sound came again, and they saw it was a giant whale. They argued about fighting it, but that wasn't possible.

"We can't die from a whale this early!" Usopp shouted. Luffy didn't know what to do until he heard it moan again, and it was louder than a cannon. He put his hands over his ears, since it was so loud it actually hurt.

"I have an idea!" he shouted, and went below deck to the cannon that was facing out the front, and he shot it, making it stop abruptly. Well, slow, but the figurehead was still broken off by hitting the whale. "My special seat!" He'd barely gotten to use it! He hurried up above, and everyone was rowing as fast as they could. The moans stopped, so he didn't cover his ears anymore.

He was angry. "Hey, you!" he shouted. The whale's eye moved, and it submerged partially. "I'm gonna make you pay!" It submerged fully and it created a whirlpool, dragging the ship inside and under. They barely made it out, and they didn't even need to stuff themselves in barrels. The ship was swirling, making all of them sick.

Luffy fell off, and hit the water, being thrashed around in the whirlpool and dragged under. He couldn't smell or hear, but he saw a black thing nearing him, and it slammed him into the wall of the cliff, making him lose what was left of his air supply. He didn't die, but he felt he would. His devil fruit wasn't working, so he felt that.

He couldn't even cover his ears as the whale made another moan, and Luffy ended up in its open mouth, just by bad luck. He didn't try going in there himself. He was very dizzy and confused as he went down the thing's throat all alone, into the darkness.

He smelled metal, and found there seemed to be metal piping. He also smelled stomach acid, and worried he'd be decomposed in there. He shot his arm to the metal and broke his way into the dry, metal pathway. Why was there piping in a whale? Well, he had to get out. But it wasn't easy as the whale moved, throwing him down the hall, bouncing on the walls and screaming.

God he was dizzy. His eyes were spinning, but he heard other people here, and their voices got louder as he fell, screaming. He saw two people there, both with large guns. "Ahhhh!" he screamed, and slammed into them. They burst out through a door and into the whale's stomach. Luffy was lucky enough to shoot out his arms to the place he fell out of.

He hung off, and saw the people he slammed into were in the stomach acid. "Ahh! I'm sorry!" Luffy shouted, and climbed his way up. The whale dived again it seemed, and Luffy was thrown into the acid. He sank and couldn't breathe, unable to swim. But the stomach acid shook around and Luffy was out of the water, grabbing onto the only place of land and shooting there, safe out of the stomach acid.

Slamming into the land - land? - he felt like a pancake. He felt his stomach, and saw there was a horrific bruise there. He really could be harmed underwater. He didn't think he broke anything, as it didn't hurt. He was fine, then. He was glad he had his hat somehow. Thankfully. He would have freaked if he lost it.

He smelled a person behind him, only just coming out of his thoughts. The other two people were in the stomach acid, cursing him. He ruined a plan? Well, it wasn't like he tried to. And why was the inside of the whale not black? The walls were painted like the sky. And there was a floating island that he was on, barely rocking.

"Hey, how is this possible?! Is this really in the whale?" he asked. The man was old but jumped into the stomach acid before he said anything, and then went through the chamber he just came out of. Luffy looked around, and saw the two people in the acid. He shot his arms out and grabbed him by the scruff of their clothes, yanking them back onto land.

"I'm sorry I knocked you in!"

The shaking stopped, the whale calming, finally. But then the two people pointed their guns at the old man. Luffy yanked the guns away while they aimed, and pulled them to him. "Hey, the whale ate me, but you shouldn't shoot him," he said simply. The old man was back, and jumped in willingly! The whole place stunk badly.

He came back on the land and grabbed the two with the guns, banging their heads together to knock them out. Luffy looked at the guns, deducting they were used for bad purposes, and threw them into the acid. The old man sat back down, and looked at Luffy intently. Luffy stared back blankly before starting to ask where he was. He was cut off.

"What's your name?" he asked. His voice was hard and accusatory. Luffy hadn't actually done anything bad… so…

"Monkey D. Luffy," he said. "Hey, are we inside the whale?"

"Yes. Boy, where'd you come from?"

"East Blue. Hey, who are you?" The guy sat down on a lounge chair, and said his name was Crocus.

"Take off your hat. I've already seen your eyes, just show me your hair." Luffy frowned, but felt he should show him for some reason. It seemed like he knew Luffy's hair would be weird already. He took his hat off, showing the white spots. Crocus' eyes widened just slightly. "I thought so. You got the marks on your chest?"

Luffy lifted his shirt, and crocus looked more shocked with the terrible bruise. "The whale slammed me into the wall. Did he do that on purpose?!" He was distracted from the guy seeming familiar. Crocus explained that the whale had not done it on purpose. He was committing self harm.

"Ace? What are you doing?"

"Nothing! Don't look!"

"Wait, your arm's bleeding! Did something bite you?!"

"Just… don't ask, okay? Please."

Luffy frowned. Why would a whale be self harming? "He's doing it because he wants to get to the other side of the Red Line. To get to his friends. I'll take you outta here, but I have to ask you. What are you?" He honestly didn't seem like he was surprised by any of this.

"I don't know," Luffy replied honestly.

"Do you know anything?" Luffy shook his head. "Well, what you are has no name, no use looking for one." Luffy's eyes widened. "Does any of your family look like you? You have enhanced senses, right? You have sudden bursts of strength when angry? You need to drink blood to survive?"

Luffy was speechless, couldn't answer. "You're not the only one."

"There are others?" Crocus said he'd only ever met one. But that Luffy was almost exactly like him. Just the hair is different. "Who?"

"My old captain. He wore contacts and covered his hair with a hat, also dyed it black, as well." Luffy asked if he'd always been like this. "He was. Up until his death." He sat down in front of him, eyes wide. "He got no answers throughout his life, even after traveling around the world. He thought he was alone, but obviously not. There may be others like you out there. I wouldn't count on finding them easily."

Luffy asked, "Was he a monster?"

"The world saw him that way, but not in the way you're thinking. I honestly don't have anything to tell you. You will get stronger, but maybe not from being what you are. He worked to be strong. He may have been stronger due to it, but he still worked to be strong. The best I can tell you is you're not a monster and you're not alone."

Luffy held his hat to his chest, and Crocus sharply asked where he got that. "Shanks gave it to me." Crocus started laughing.

"You don't say. Well, the world really is a curious place." Luffy looked confused. "Never mind. What are you in the Grand Line for?" His questions were all blunt, but Luffy answered every single one honesty. Wanting to know more. He wasn't alone? But he was still an unknown creature. His captain had been like this, he hadn't changed as he got older. Luffy would always be this way.

At least he didn't think he was a demon. He didn't like that word much anymore. Monster was better than demon. Demons were from hell, right? And were wicked. He wasn't. He was officially changing his title from "demon" to "monster". Neither were good, but one was better than the other.

Luffy said he wanted to be the Pirate King." Crocus didn't look surprised. "Hey, who was your captain?"

"I ain't gonna say. But you'll definitely go far in life." Luffy asked how he knew. "I just do. C'mon, let's get out of here and back on land." He looked at Luffy almost fondly. He really wondered who Crocus' captain was. What kind of guy? But it didn't seem like Luffy would be told. "Drag those idiots out, too."

Luffy nodded, and Crocus moved the little island boat to the ladder. Luffy wrapped his arm around them. He shot his hand up onto the ledge and pulled himself up, with the other two. Luffy was quiet, thinking. He wasn't all alone. He might never find anyone like him again. But he wasn't alone! He hadn't been alone! He wished he could have met this guy's captain! But he was dead.

Somebody else had lived who needed blood. Luffy might be one of the only ones, but… he wasn't a mistake made of the universe. Maybe he was some mutant. Maybe he was unnatural, but he wasn't alone. He grinned as he dragged the two out. They exited the whale through the top, which was raised above the water.

"LUFFY!" his crew shouted.

"Yo! I got eaten by the whale! And you won't believe what happened!" he shouted. They all looked confused about why he was happy. After being swallowed by the whale but then taken out. They got onto the shore of the Red Line, and the ship docked there. Zoro got off and grabbed Luffy in a tight hug.

"I'm sorry I scared everyone," he apologized sincerely. "But it was a good thing I went in there! Cause I met Crocus! And he told me that I'm not alone and his captain was like I am!" Zoro pulled him away, and Crocus was silent as he tied the two intruders up. They were asleep so didn't fight it. A woman and man. The woman didn't look much older than Nami.

They all sat down, and Luffy explained everything Crocus had said. His crew were amazed, and all of them happy for him. Very happy. Zoro was smiling at him so warmly. Nami said, "I knew you were never a demon."

Luffy beamed and nodded. Crocus stayed quiet the whole time. He didn't have much to offer, Luffy said it all. He winced at his stomach. It was painful. He hadn't had a bruise in almost a decade. Not one that actually hurt like this.

After his story was over, he moved to sit in Zoro's lap, leaning against his chest. "So, what's wrong with the whale?"

Crocus finally spoke, having just listened the whole time Luffy was talking. "His crew left him here. He wants to find them, wanting to enter the second part of the Grand Line to find them. That was 50 years ago. Laboon is his name. He's in denial, desperate to see them."

"They just left him here?"

"If they haven't come back in 50 years, they have to be… dead, right?" Nami asked the last part quietly. Crocus said their ship was seen sailing out through the Calm Belt. "So they did leave him? Just waiting here, for them to never come back?" se asked, much more angry now. Crocus nodded silently.

The crew looked at the floating whale sadly. Poor guy. Sanji and Usopp were the angriest, furious he was abandoned. Luffy wondered if that really happened. He would bet they all died before sailing out of the Grand Line the easy way. Nami said the Calm Belt was impossible to sail through, right?

Well, then they must have died on their way back. "And he won't stop hitting his head against the wall?" Luffy asked.

"No. That's why I live inside of his stomach. I build that place so I can take care of him from the inside." Luffy was amazed all of that was there. How did he carve out his insides? Where did he get so much metal from here, the Red Line? It was awesome, but also kind of sad. He looked at the whale. He wanted to somehow make him stop hitting his head.

Hearing his story was just so pitiful.

Then the two weirdos woke up. Apparently, they'd been trying to kill the whale to feed a starving island. "You can't kill that whale!" Luffy snapped. Zoro traced the spaces he knew where Luffy's markings were, and reminded him that they were tied up and weaponless.

"Even if they don't kill him, Laboon will likely die soon if he keeps slamming his head against the Red Line. But, I'll be there for him until he passes, taking care of him. We have an odd relationship, but I care about him. It's hard to see him like this." His voice was sad, showing the most emotion so far.

Luffy stood up and walked to the area Laboon was resting at. His crew let him be, talking about how to travel though the Grand Line, which was more complicated that they had ever expected.

They were all shocked when Luffy went running from their ship, carrying their main mast. Well, they could fix it! He was sure. He ran onto the whale's head, as he was sleeping, and slammed it down into his skin, onto the pained scars. He felt bad, but this was bad in the short term, but hopefully good in the long term. The whale was wide awake now, thrashing him around as he tried to hang on for dear life. It threw him into the wall, and Luffy punched his eyes. It slammed its tail into him, crashing him against the ground.

Crocus was worried, but Nami told him he was fine. He wouldn't die from this. Luffy slammed his fists into his head, and then was tossed again, the whale screaming in his ears, making him cover them with his hands and scrunching his eyes from the pain. It hurt badly and he felt blood come from them, listening through cotton balls. His ear drums had been injured. That was new.

But it stopped when Luffy said, "IT'S A DRAW! I'm pretty strong, aren't I? And scary, huh? Shishishi. Hey, you're crew's not gonna come back. But we will. Since this fight turned into a draw, we'll have to meet again to finish it, right?"

Laboon had huge tears in his eyes. "And I can promise you we won't die! We will return! Even if our ship is in shambles, even if it's 20 years from now, I swear we will come back. And I'll tell you ALL about our journey! So, you gotta stay alive until then! Until I can fight you and then tell you all the secrets of the Grand Line."

He got some paint from their ship, left over from painting the sails, and painted the Straw Hat mark on his head. Their jolly roger. "Now, you gotta stop hurting yourself, better not rub this mark off! Y'hear me? This is our agreement to meet again. Understand?" Laboon moaned, and agreed.

Luffy got the mast and said, "There, fix it!" he was hit by everyone until they saw blood was from his ears. "Ah, he was really loud and really close. I think my eardrums burst. But I can have some blood and it'll be just fine," he said dismissively. They were mad about the mast, but glad it was for that purpose, it seemed.

The mast was repairable, just didn't look so pristine anymore. Well, wear and tear was natural! They had food with Crocus, and talked about how to navigate, use the log pose, what to expect. They learned about the "final island". Raftel. "Hey, why is it called that?"

"I don't know. Maybe it was lost in translation." But he looked knowing about it. They ended up taking the two weirdos, Miss Wednesday and Mr. 9. Taking them to Whiskey Peak. Well, their first island would be that, then.

"Let's bring them," Luffy had decided.

"Why?! They tried killing Laboon!" Usopp protested. Luffy pointed out that Laboon was in better condition than ever. "Still. Do we really want people like that with us? They won't even tell us anything about themselves."

Miss Wednesday and Mr. 9 both had their heads down. "I can tell."

"Tell what?!"

"Shishishi! We'll bring them along. It'll be interesting!"

"But-!"

"You heard him. Captain's orders," Zoro said firmly. Then he turned to the two. "Just so you know, Luffy can hear anything you say, no matter how quiet. So no scheming. If you do, we'll tie you to the ship and drag you along behind us." Luffy didn't disagree with this.

"... We understand. Thank you," they both said. They sounded irate, but that was to be expected in this situation.

They all thanked Crocus for everything, and he gave Luffy the brightest smile. "I hope I'll be seeing you in the newspapers!" Luffy promised they would. They waved goodbye, and Luffy said he looked forward to seeing Laboon again.

"Wait for us, okay! We won't let you down!" Luffy called. The whale moaned, but it didn't sound sad or angry, like it had. But it was the same sound. Strange. He sighed, very, very happy with their visit to the Red Line. He felt light. Light like he dropped a huge weight that he didn't realize he was carrying. He went inside and drank a blood bag, his ears healing up. Zoro came in, and wiped his ears out for him.

"Did it hurt?"

"Yeah, but it wasn't for a long time. Hey… I'm not alone," Luffy said, grinning brightly. Zoro said he was never alone. Even if he'd been the only of what he was, he was still never alone. Luffy leaned over and kissed Zoro. Luffy got on his lap, and moved his shirt aside.

"Really?"

"Yeah," Luffy said simply. Zoro was feeling intense excitement and anticipation. They hadn't done this in weeks. He bit down on his shoulder and drank heavily. He didn't need blood, but he wanted Zoro to feel good. He let out moans, his jaw clenched trying to hold them in, but Luffy moved his hand to his face, Zoro biting on his finger to stop the moans. Maybe he didn't want anyone to hear and interrupt.

Zoro ran his hands along Luffy's back, pressing them on his hip bones, but not going any further. Luffy pulled back and wiped his mouth. Zoro was panting, and Luffy was glad he enjoyed it. Maybe he shouldn't avoid it anymore. He was confident Zoro didn't love him just for this. He never had gotten mad or impatient with them stopping.

He loved Luffy for who he was, not what he could make him feel.

Chapter Text

Okay, so this story is currently being written alongside the manga as it comes out, and something that was announced in chapter 1016 throws some of my plot out the window! Now it's gonna diverge from the canon plot even more! Fuck it, I'm not erasing all that shit. I'm gonna have to put a lot of reminders during Wano's chapters, but only if people actually read my author's notes! Enjoy~

"Tada! I made myself!" Luffy exclaimed proudly. It was snowing, they were in a winter climate. That was so cool! They were on their way to Whiskey Peak, but Luffy and Usopp were enjoying the snow. It would be temporary, which was why neither were wearing anything warm.

"Looks nothing like you!"

"Well, I gave me your nose, see? And my hat is this barrel," Luffy said, pointing to his creature. "You can't compare, you didn't make yourself." Usopp haughtily pointed to his creation. "Hey, is that the princess?"

"She is not a princess! How many times do you need to hear?!" Luffy shrugged. "But no, it's not Kaya!"

"Good, it looks nothing like her. Shishishi!" and they started snowball fighting. He had a lot of fun. He hadn't been in the snow since his island months ago. He could get really used to the Grand Line. Get used to never getting used to it. Already they'd fought off three storms and some sea kings that they chopped up and had for dinner.

"Ah, it's raining now!" Luffy complained as his snow creation dissolved.

"Kaya!" Usopp shouted at his melting creation.

"I knew it was her! You liar!" Luffy shouted back.

Nami demanded they help with the storm, and so they helped Zoro and Sanji messily get them out of that area. After the storm was over, Luffy wondered why they'd gone in a circle. "What? Wha- hey! The ship did turn in a circle- 180 degrees in the wrong direction!"

Luffy was amazed, and they quickly got to righting themselves. "I have to keep my eye on the log pose every moment?" Nami asked, sounding tired. "This is exhausting." Sanji said she could do it. "Shut up," she said sourly. The guests, who were annoying to everybody by now, made fun of Nami for not being used to the sea. "Are you really a navigator?"

"You. Quiet," Luffy commanded. Nami was feeling embarrassed and insecure about this, they didn't need to make it worse. "Go work on something. Just cause you're here and don't belong doesn't mean you don't have to help out." Nami sighed and gave a small smile.

"Shishishi, take a nap, okay? A really short one."

He left the galley, and climbed to the crowsnest. He closed his eyes, using his hearing and sense of sound to make sure the ship didn't turn or run into a storm. They were lucky and Nami got to nap for 20 minutes with no problem. Which was all they got, as the rest of the day was a nightmare. Storm after storm, different types, too! Going between the different climate zones really messed things up!

It was completely unpredictable. They barely had enough time to eat between crises. Zoro didn't wake up, and Luffy was going to yell at him when he had time and wasn't following Nami's orders. The ship hit a random iceberg and damaged the hull, leaking water inside that Usopp plugged up with a plank of wood. It was a mess. The ship got damaged multiple times, and Luffy knew they needed a shipwright. The Merry was having a hard time already. And they were barely in the Grand Line, too.

When they finally had a break, all of them, even the two extra, were laying on deck, panting and taking a break no matter how long it lasted. "Ah, that was a nice nap!" Zoro said, finally getting up. Luffy was draped over the railing like a towel, his arms and upper body sagging. "Hey, why's everyone laying around for? Is the ship going in the right direction?"

Nami was there, and punched him in the head hard enough to make him cry out. "You were sleeping the whole damn time!" Luffy was glad he didn't need to scold him. Nami did it just fine. Zoro glared at her, but just really looked at their two guests, and smirked. Luffy dropped down, landing on his face, and then sat up, wondering what Zoro was making that face for.

"Hmm… there's something sinister about your faces. What did you say your names were again?"

Both guests were uncomfortable. Interesting!

"Miss Wednesday."

"Mr.9." Luffy commented they were strange names.

"Because they're fake." Luffy said that was kind of obvious, he was right. "They're also bounty hunters." Nami asked what he meant. "I was a pretty famous bounty hunter."

"The pirate hunter. Shishishi, Zoro hunted me." Zoro's face turned red, and Luffy laughed. Nami hit his head lightly. Now was not the time.

"Also, that should be the other way around!" she snapped. Luffy giggled again. She was right, but it was fun making Zoro blush. "Anyways, what were you saying?" Zoro explained that they reminded him of an organization of bounty hunters. He'd turned down their offer. Nami asked if that was true. They both just refused to answer, which was answer enough. "Well, now we know not to trust them. Luffy, you made a mistake bringing them with us."

Luffy hummed. "Maybe." Nami huffed, giving up on scolding him. Then she turned to everyone else. "Listen here! Don't get too comfortable. We'll never know what to expect here. I finally understand how truly terrifying this ocean is! As well as why they call it the Grand Line. I understand because ALL of my navigation skills have failed!"

"You'll do better next time!" Luffy tried to encourage, only to get frowned at.

"Don't act like it's my fault!"

"But you just claimed the blame!"

"I am never the one at fault!"

"That's right Nami-san~!"

"Shut up." Usopp asked if they'd be okay. "It'll work out somehow. And as proof of that, we're finally at our first island. The first leg of the journey is over." She was so pleased.

Luffy commented, "We have a lot of legs left, then. Like a centipede." Sanji said it was more like a millipede. "Yeah, that." Nami took a deep breath, and everyone was excited to land. Tired of being on the ocean when it was pummeling their bodies and spirit. The ship being damaged multiple times a day was a bit disheartening, to be honest.

But they moved on from that. They'd keep the ship okay. Maybe not in pristine condition, but okay.

The island looked like a bunch of cactuses. "So, this is Whiskey Peak? The first island!" Luffy cheered. The two guests thanked them smugly, and then ditched. Usopp asked why they had taken them there anyways. "I don't know. I thought they were good people."

"You were clearly wrong."

"Mmm, maybe." They all sighed, and moved the ship to the island, docking in the river that headed inland. "Hey, I'm worried a little bit. About running out of blood bags," he said suddenly. "Crocus said that some islands had huge gaps in between, right? Well, what if we run out? Or if something happens to the ship and they're ruined?"

"Well, you have Zoro, don't you?" Sanji asked.

"He's not a drinking fountain," Luffy said, voice disapproving. "I just hope nothing happens."

"Don't worry too much. Besides, we've all made it clear we're willing donors. Just not like Zoro is," Nami said nicely. "Now, let's get ready to dock. I don't know how long it will take for the log pose to set on this island. We'll have to find that out." Luffy smiled and nodded.

"Wait, if there's a terrible monster, we'll be stuck here, won't we?!" Nami nodded. Luffy laughed, and said they would worry about it when it happened. "Don't you mean if it will happen?" Luffy shrugged.

"Let's go in already. It's weird to be in front of a river and just not go in it," he complained. Zoro agreed, and Sanji didn't really care. The three of them seemed to be the fighters of the crew. So far, at least. Luffy was excited. He wondered what kind of people they'd meet in the Grand Line, and who was going to join. Shipwright, doctor. He had to admit that a musician was purely for the experience, not a necessity.

He really didn't want to wait, but Luffy didn't like waiting for anything.

"Guys, I think I developed a can't-enter-islands disease," Usopp said. Sanji asked if he would want to be left on the ship at islands. "Well, no," he admitted. "But I'm still sick with it!" Nami sighed, and agreed to go inside.

"Yay!" Luffy cheered. They made sure to all now they had to be ready to fight or run at a moment's notice. "We should fight."

"We should run!"

"Running is no fun!"

"Fighting gets me injured! I can't just drink blood and heal like you can."

"Stop arguing!" Nami snapped. "God, you're all annoying sometimes! I really want a sensible girl to join!" Luffy complained that it wasn't his fault Miss Wednesday was rude. "Wait, what?" she asked in surprise. "Is that why you accepted her? Even when she was a sort of enemy?"

Luffy nodded. "She was a girl your age. I thought maybe we were lucky and found someone early," he admitted. Nami looked touched, and smiled without saying anything. Sanji was scowling at him. Like he was competition when it wasn't like Nami would want either of them.

Besides, Luffy was pretty open about his feelings for Zoro. Sanji getting jealous of Luffy and Nami being close in a best friend sort of way was kind of annoying. Zoro was there to taunt him. "Maybe if you had an actual personality other than horny around Nami, she'd smile at you like that," he said in a gloating way.

Sanji turned around to kick him, and Zoro drew his swords. "No hurting the ship," Luffy said lightly, and went to sit on the repaired Merry figurehead. "Hey, there's people around. A lot of them." They all heard the welcome chants. Nami took a deep breath and turned around. "We all have to remember that this place is supposedly the home to bounty hunters. Don't do anything stupid, okay?"

They all nodded, and Usopp's legs were shaking. Luffy pat his back. "You're gonna be a brave warrior of the sea, right? This is the starting line, shishishi. Do your best!"

The chorus of voices welcoming them continued. Luffy smelled food and a lot of alcohol. And the scent of used money. The scent of money was stronger if it was passed around a lot. There were only a few things that stunk of so many different people. "Shishishi. I think we'll have fun here."

"Why?"

"Alcohol, food, money. Hehe," Luffy mumbled. Nami's eyes lit up at the prospect of money. Zoro was asking what alcohol smelled like, looking forward to diverse alcohol. If they were all welcoming them, why not take advantage of the offers? "Hey, do you think they actually saw my eyes? Or do people on the Grand Linenot think that's weird?" he asked, the thought popping into his head. Maybe at the wrong moment.

Nami said, "I noticed that, too! Neither reacted to your eyes at all. Maybe people on the Grand Line are more understanding of diverse appearances." Luffy hoped so. Cause he didn't know where he would get colored contacts, and it honestly felt better to not have them in. When they docked, they were welcomed by a tall man with long, roll hair. Like long, cinnamon rolled hair. It was so hard to explain.

"Mamama~ welcome, my name is Igarappoi. You might be surprised with such a warm welcome to this town. The town of music and liquor. Hospitality is our middle name. If it's fine liquor you want, we have an ocean's worth. So please, I cordially invite you to our banquet and hope you may entreat us with your stories!"

He led them away, and they followed at a small distance. "That's not his real name, he lied. He was telling the truth about this place having a lot of booze and food," Luffy explained quietly. Sanji mused that he sure was useful to have around. "Hehehe, when I'm not dying."

They scolded him for that, hitting his head. "I was kidding!"

"It's not funny!"

"Okay… sorry." Zoro wrapped his arm around Luffy's waist. He softly said he didn't want to hear Luffy say that again. "Sorry, Zoro," Luffy said sincerely. "I was just thinking the whole thing was stupid and inconvenient. But not a joke, I guess."

"Not a joke."

"His hair looks like layers of cinnamon rolls," Luffy observed. Those on the crew snorted and laughed, unable to help it. Nami scolded him for making her laugh in such a disgusting way. "Shishishi. Not sorry." They were all in a very good mood. Aware of the dangers, but going to enjoy the time while also being careful.

Luffy thought the place was boring, even if it smelled like dead people. He didn't say that to anyone. They were stuck at this island until the log pose set. There was no reason to scare them like that.

Nami went to Igaroppoi and asked how long it would take for the log pose to set. He didn't answer. Nami frowned, but was not surprised. Luffy was glad he was able to make sure they were all prepared. And Usopp was relaxing by there being no monsters there. Luffy couldn't wait to battle monsters. Though they might be afraid of him like other animals were. Laboon was the bravest animal he'd ever come across. Even sea kings ran away!

They couldn't help but enjoy the food and alcohol. Luffy was aware that some of his food had sedatives in it, so he actually chewed around those bits. He kept hearing weird animal noises, and he was curious. So, he slipped outside, and went running towards the weird noises. He climbed a building and peeked over the side.

An otter in a baby onesie was on a vulture's back. "Whoa! I didn't know otters flew!" he couldn't help but say. He stood up and hurried to them. But he was immediately shot in the face with a gun, and was thrown over the side of the building, landing with a bounce. The bullet was dented in his face, so he pulled it out, sour.

He climbed back on the building and threw his arm at the otter, ripping it off of the vulture. "Otters should be in the water!" he shouted, and chucked it at the sea. He got up and looked at the vulture with a glare, making it shrink and then back away a few paces. "You don't bother me again," he snarled.

The vulture nodded and flew off, no doubt to get the otter. Stupid jerks! Now he was in a bad mood. He jumped back down, and found people were watching him around corners. Well, might as well get some more food. He went back inside, and Zoro asked where he went. "Some stupid otter shot me in the face with a gun."

Those around turned silent. "Really?" Zoro asked.

"Yeah, so I threw it into the ocean. Why would an otter be on a bird?" he wondered. "That made me mad, but I'm better now." The building slowly evacuated. "What?"

Sanji was angry that they all left. "Do you think you shouldn't have messed with those animals?" Luffy shrugged. "Well, that's enough for tonight, I think. Obviously the company is gone, now. Let's get back to the ship," Sanji said, sounding sour about the women. "Damn you Luffy! I was surrounded by women, and you had to go and beat up an otter!"

Luffy argued that it had shot him in the face, first. "Besides, those women were all hired and fake!"

"Doesn't mean I didn't like it!" Sanji shouted. The four left the building, and found the area empty. Nami looked around and smiled. She pointed out that nobody was around. So where was the treasure?

"Shouldn't we run? I mean, everyone has left for a reason," Usopp said shakily. Nami pointed out Luffy would be able to tell them if something was wrong. Luffy wasn't too bothered, but Zoro was.

"Luffy is our captain, not our watchdog," he said sourly. Luffy laughed and said he enjoyed being useful. His boyfriend still didn't like it. Luffy looked up and said, "There is it! The vulture and otter!" Luffy shouted. "You want a piece of me?!" he challenged. But they squacked and flew away quickly. "Shishishi…"

Sanji took a drag of his cigarette. "So proud. A captain that abuses animals."

"It shot me first and I never hit them!" They got in a petty argument when they heard much louder booms and screams going off. They hurried to the ledge and looked over it closely. It was a man turning on Miss Wednesday. He listened easily, and relayed everything happening to the others. "I knew she wasn't bad."

Nami looked uncertain. "Well, we shouldn't butt in. It's not our business." But she hesitated. "Well… she is a princess in danger, right? Yeah! Can you imagine how much money I could get for us taking her back?"

Usopp accused her of just wanting a girlfriend. "You don't like being surrounded by guys." Luffy added that it sounded really fun. Escorting a princess to her kingdom! It was totally going to be an adventure. When Zoro and Luffy ran down with Nami, Sanji and Usopp went to the place Luffy directed them, and went to ransack the place now that everyone had evacuated to the other side of the river spitting the town.

All because Luffy got mad at some animals. Luffy kicked the face in of the guy making all of the explosions, and they found multiple people wounded. It looked like they didn't know about the otter since they were still here. Nami walked up to Vivi, and grinned. "I heard you're a princess and need to go home?"

"Wha-? How? How do you know that? You were sup-posed to be tricked!" Nami smiled slyly and said they weren't very quiet.

"Remember what I said about Luffy?" Luffy pointed to his ears. "So, we'll take you back. For a billion berries." Vivi and the cinnamon roll head were both beaten up a bit. Cinnamon roll head promised, if they took her home, then they'd come up with the money then. "You want us to save her first, then?"

"Y-yes, please! Her life is in danger!" Luffy could hear Sanji and Usopp with the sounds of heavy footsteps and metallic jingles. They'd gotten a ton of money. Nami would be so happy. "The Unluckies are after us."

Zoro said, "I hope you don't mean a flying otter and a bird. Yeah, Luffy beat them up. That's why it's so quiet, everyone evacuated." Luffy laughed. "Well, you'd probably actually be protected better from them. He terrifies animals."

Cinnamon roll head said, "please, just get princess Vivi to safety. Return her to Alabasta. Then we will give you the money!" Then the bomb man reappeared. He was angry, a foot step on his face. He picked his nose and he and Zoro watched them in interest. But Luffy felt he was noting much and would be a hindrance. He punched his face hard, and knocked him out, before he grabbed the woman and tossed her in the direction of the river.

The princess and her guard were in shock. "Well we can leave now. If the log pose sets. What about you?" Luffy asked Igaram, who said he had an eternal pose to Alabasta, and would follow that. "Lucky for you!" The cinnamon roll head said them taking the standard road was safer, even if it took longer.

Vivi demanded to know why he wanted to help her. "Cause you're a good person. Shishishi! Even if you were rude before." Then he looked up and stretched his arms up, grabbing onto the vulture. He yanked it down. "So. You're enemies, huh?" Luffy wondered, holding the vulture and otter tightly.

"Listen here. You won't bother us. Any of us. I will know if you're around, and I will come find you. This is a warning. The last one. Don't bother us. Understand?" he had his lip curled up and eyes wide, trying to look terrifying. The otter bowed forward dn the vulture nodded vehemently. "Good! I'll just take this stuff," he mused as he took everything that they were carrying from them. "Run along, now."

They fled as fast as they could. Luffy looked at everything he was holding. Vivi and her guard looked shocked. After all, he didn't look scary enough to freak out those animals. But they were long gone, he couldn't hear or smell them anymore.

Igaram - cinnamon roll head - dressed as Viv, poorly. "Wow, you'll fool everyone, cinnamon roll head." Nami and Zoro looked at him like he was an idiot. He looked happy, though he was injured. He was going to go off and pretend to be her. The unluckies couldn't speak, and they'd lost everything to show who they were and what they looked like.

Plus, they genuinely looked terrified of Luffy, and believed his words. Good for everyone if they heeded his warnings. They waved goodbye to Igaram as he sailed off on the boat. Luffy hoped he did okay. He really liked his hair. He was going to ask Sanji for cinnamon rolls for breakfast tomorrow.

"Aw, he left. And he was such a funny guy, too. I wonder how long it took to do his hair," Luffy mused. Zoro just shook his head.

"He's always been so dependable. I… Thank you so much. I'm sorry for being a bitch before. It was all an act, I promise." Luffy smiled. He believed her, and so they all did. "What a relief-"

BOOM!

They all froze as they watched the huge plume of smoke, of fire, consume the ocean where Igaram's boat was. Luffy was furious, but ashamed. "I should have been able to smell explosives!" he raged. Zoro held him back. He couldn't swim.

"Nami, how long until the log pose is set!?" Zoro demanded.

"It's ready! Vivi, we have to go, or Igaram's sacrifice will be in vain!" Luffy was hurried by Zoro, still furious. Nami hugged Vivi and promised her safety. Luffy knew they would click. He didn't know why or how. Nami would finally have a female friend. At least until they took her home. The four hurried away, away from whatever attacked Igaram.

"It's not your fault, you didn't even know him," Zoro said.

"... I know. It's not my fault. I know," Luffy replied, voice serious and unwavering. Everyone else's safety was not his responsibility. Everyone besides his crew. They reached the ship, and everyone jumped on, setting sail immediately. There was a duck on their ship, for some reason.

"Carue! I'm glad you're safe," she said. Nami hurried her inside as they left the island. Lucky the log pose set so quickly. As they sailed, Vivi came back out when there was nobody around anymore. He wondered if people would be after them, now. "No doubt. Just because the Unluckies are afraid doesn't mean the other number agents there won't tell him. The boss, Mr. 0. It doesn't matter anymore not to say it, but he's a Warlord of the sea. Someone the government sponsors as a pirate so they'll help out the marines if they ask. Sir Crocodile!"

"He's started a coup in Alabasta. A civil war is brewing, because he tricked everyone. He's trying to destroy my kingdom from the inside out. Baroque Works is run by him. People will be after us now…" Vivi sounded guilty to bring them problems, but it wasn't a big deal. A fun adventure was awaiting them!

"Luffy, you showed you were dangerous, so you'll probably be a big target, now." Luffy was unbothered. He looked forward to fighting someone strong. He wanted to get stronger, and that would come with experience.

He said, "Well, I'm strong. I'll be okay. Don't worry! We'll protect you just fine. Shishishi!" Zoro smiled up at him fondly.

God damn I had such a fun time writing Luffy lol. See you next week!

Chapter Text

Artemispolarbear: Thank you! Lol none of the characters seem to respect the majority of animals in One Piece. 

fantasy92: Thank you! I update once a week. Sometimes lately I've been late a day (maybe 1:00 in the morning on the next day), but that doesn't usually happen. 

Shorter chapter this time! Enjoy~

"Sanji, how much treasure did we get?"

Usopp, who was distraught over the current and future situation, said they got three large bags. Nami squealed in happiness. Luffy suddenly ran to the side and looked down at the floating turtle. "Wow! A turtle boat!"

"Congratulations on your escape," a female voice said, sitting on the cabin roof. She had a purple cowboy hat on (not as cool as Ace's) and revealing clothes. A straight nose and blue eyes, too. "What a nice ship this is." Luffy was confused. He just looked at her with a blank look. But then his initial impression of her seeming not like an enemy was shattered when she made it clear she was the one that blew Igaram up, and she knew all along that Vivi was who she was.

"Who are you! Why're you on my ship?!" Luffy demanded.

"What are you doing all the way out here, Miss All Sunday?!"

"Who is she now? What now?!"

"She's the boss's partner! Mr. 0's partner! I followed her with Igaram!"

Miss All Sunday smoothly said, "Because I let you trail me." Luffy thought she was a good guy then. Right? She helped Vivi. "But you're the one who told the boss his identity was leaked!"

Luffy scowled. "She's a bad guy after all!" Vivi demanded to know what her objective was.

"Now, now, no need to get all upset. I only let you follow me because you looked so desperate," she said, taunting Vivi. "And it was just too amusing to observe, a single princess who foolishly thinks she can take on the entire Baroque Works organization and take back her kingdom."

Vivi was furious, and distraught. Luffy was very angry with Miss All Sunday's presence on his ship. She didn't sound like she was lying, so she really did kill Igaram. "Don't you underestimate me!" Vivi shrieked. Everyone drew their weapons. Luffy was shocked when Sanji pointed a gun at a woman, enemy or not!

She then used a devil fruit, clearly, to knock Usopp and Sanji off, as well as somehow make Zoro drop his sword, even from a distance. "What?" he asked angrily, that someone somehow made him drop his sword.

"It's devil fruit!"

"Oooh!" Luffy couldn't help say. He was excited to meet others with some and hear more about them. He was one of the very few in the East Blue with one, so he didn't really get to hear about or meet others with them. All he knew were Smoker, Buggy and possibly Alvida.

Sanji just noticed the woman he pointed a gun at was beautiful. Which was strange. "Fufufu, no need to get so riled up," she said calmly. "I haven't come here on any orders nor do I have a reason to fight you people." Luffy felt his hat come off of his head, and end up in her hand. "Monkey D. Luffy, captain of the Straw Hat pirates."

He raged. "GIVE ME BACK MY HAT! SO YOU ARE TRYIN' TO PICK A FIGHT WITH US, HUH?! I'VE NOW DECIDED TO SEE YOU AS MY ENEMY! COME AT ME!"

She ignored his rage. "You're more interesting than I knew. Scaring away the Unluckies. I wonder if that was the right thing to do. But how unfortunate. A small time crew escorting a random princess to her kingdom, going against a huge organization. Having a princess only able to use a pirate crew. It's kind of funny, really. But most unfortunate is where you're headed. Your route may not have been the best one. The name of that place is Little Garden.

"Even if I laid a finger on you, you would most likely not even make it to Alabasta after going there. Even without meeting Crocodile, the curtain would close on your journey before you even got to your desired destination."

Luffy shouted, "As if we'd roll over and die easily! Idiot! Give me my hat right now!" Usopp nodded his head as he hid behind the mast, barely peeking around it at the stranger, Miss All Sunday. He asked Luffy if he thought the woman was lying. "I can't tell! That's annoying!"

His hat was tossed back to him, landing on his head. He pressed it down hard, angry, still. She said to stop making a fuss. They would die there, and were all foolish. She was really annoying because Luffy couldn't tell if she was lying. If she was, then she was very good at it. But when she pulled out an eternal pose to a place called "Nanimonai". Nothing island?

Knowing this had to be a lie, Luffy didn't hesitate to take it from Vivi and crush it before Miss All Sunday even explained it. Nami yelled at him. "She could have been helping us!"

Zoro said, "That island's name is 'nothing island'. You stupid?" Nami blushed and said a lot of islands had to have weird names. Luffy added he didn't think she was telling the truth, even if he couldn't outright catch her at it. Miss All Sunday just looked interested.

"And you don't decide the course of my ship!" he yelled. He wanted to punch her stupid, condescending face. How annoying! She just smiled, still amused. "I see. How unfortunate." Luffy hated her. He hated that she killed cinnamon roll head. "I don't dislike bold men." Zoro bristeled. "Let us meet again soon if you survive."

"No! I don't want to see you again." She got off the ship and onto the turtle. Luffy longed to ride on it. It looked so cool. He didn't like that lady, but almost immediately moved on, and told Sanji he pointed a gun at a woman! Sanji gasped in horror and fell to his knees, putting his hands in his hair, eye wide.

Usopp asked, "You just realized?" Zoro walked to Luffy, asking if he was okay. Luffy nodded, and Zoro kissed his cheek. Vivi, however, did not move on like they had. She was very upset. Miss All Sunday was unpredictable, and mocked her. "It's not like this is fun or easy! It's her fault!" she cried angrily, her fists bunched so hard they were bleeding.

Nami walked to her and helped her up. "Then it's a waste to think about it if you have no idea what she thinks. She was just here to bother you and lead us to a nonexistent island."

"Hmm, I wonder how you make a fake eternal pose?" Usopp mused thoughtfully.

"Magic," Luffy said simply. Usopp asked Vivi to explain in more detail. They knew about Alabasta's situation loosely, but the story had been told in a rush. Not many details. Well, not enough to sate everyone. The duck on deck was scared of Luffy. He had nearly forgotten about his presence as he hid.

Well, if he was there long, hopefully Luffy could make him not afraid. He decided to try, and hurried to the duck. He squawked in fear. "Hey, I'm not bad. I just smell scary! And we're letting you and Vivi on our ship, right? And taking you home." He walked closer and Carue charged.

He was shaking, but wanting Luffy to go away. Luffy crouched and stuck out his hand before Carue hit in. "Shishishi, you're pretty soft, aren't you?" Luffy asked, petting his head gently. Carue didn't move. "Well, you can be afraid of me if you want. But I'm not gonna hurt you. Vivi is upset, you should go to her."

The duck ran around him and to the princess. He bounced back to where everyone was again. "Are you sure it's okay being on your ship? I'm just putting you in more danger…" Vivi said sadly, not making eye contact.

"Luffy's the one who beat up the messenger things. They seemed pretty important. Besides, they probably already have our faces. At least me, Zoro and Luffy, right?" Nami asked. "You're here whether you feel like you're welcome or not. And you better not have that attitude you had as Miss Wednesday! You'll help around the ship, get it?"

She nodded her head. Nami sat next to her. "Now explain more," she said, but this time it was in a friendly voice. Everyone sat around her, Zoro pulling Luffy into his lap, with the youngest not protesting.

-x-

"Hey, do you think it'll snow? I want it to snow," Luffy said, sitting on the railing.

"Why would it snow?" Zoro asked.

"You were asleep when it was snowing the other day." He turned to Vivi and asked her if it would snow.

"Well, it's not like it never snows. But the conditions from the Red Lineto the first island are different from the rest of the Grand Line. The seven magnetic lines coming from Reverse Mountain crash together, making things more unpredictable. So you can't let your guard down for even a minute. Even if it would be rare to encounter such bizarre conditions in the rest of the sea."

"Yes! That hell will not be repeated!" Usopp exclaimed. Nami gave a relieved sigh as well. Zoro asked what they were talking about, and all but Luffy glared at him. The captain just laughed, but was disappointed about it not snowing a lot randomly.

Vivi said, "Even so, the Grand Lineis still by far the most difficult sea to sail in. So it's absolutely imperative that you don't underestimate it."

By now the boys were a bit bored with the story, and Sanji asked if they wanted drinks. "Ooh, ooh, make my fruity one!" Luffy said. Sanji made the best orange juice, blood drink ever. Sanji jerked his head in Vivi's direction, and he pouted, crossing his arms. Now he had to hide it again!

"Well, I'll get everyone the same drink," the chef said, and hurried into the galley. He was no doubt excited to have another girl on the crew, though Nami would benefit the most by having a friend, or at least a fellow female. Sanji came out quickly with drinks for everyone, even the boys.

"Sorry I can't get your regular drink," Sanji said sympathetically. Luffy said it was to be expected. "At least the eyes aren't a problem so far," he offered. The youngest smiled and agreed. They all started joking around and playing with cards, the drinks, the duck. He had grown to like Luffy in only just a day.

Luffy wasn't inherently scary. He just seemed to give off a scary aura for most animals. Vivi didn't like or wasn't used to this easy going attitude, and worried about it, sounding irritated and angry. "Don't worry, they work hard when push comes to shove. Here."

Luffy looked up from his drink, and said, "We're fun here! Shishishi, get used to it." Nami smiled in agreement. She offered Vivi a drink, who still looked uncertain as Luffy went back to Carue downing drink after drink. When Vivi still looked uncertain, Nami assured her her worries would melt away there.

"I don't want that to happen."

"Just because you don't worry yourself to death doesn't mean you don't care, you know?" Nami pointed out. Luffy stopped paying attention and continued with his friends and nakama. And boyfriend.

Vivi asked how long Luffy and Zoro had been together, trying to be quiet, but Luffy could hear, and now he was interested! "Since the beginning. They were a pair before I joined," Nami said. "I'll tell you everything. Come, let's go to my - our - room. Time to gossip." She turned to Luffy sternly. "Luffy, no eavesdropping!"

"Nami-san, I'll keep him from doing that!" Sanji said. Nami nodded, and she and Vivi went into their room. Luffy jumped up. Now he could go drink! He went to the kitchen and opened the cupboard where they were now hiding the ice chest from Vivi. He opened the top where a tube would go in and drank it like a juicebox.

Then he disposed of it and hurried back, now feeling very energized. He had many. They would last for awhile. And now that he and Zoro were open to drinking again now, he wasn't so scared. He returned to Zoro's lap, and had some more juice.

When they saw a dolphin, they were in awe and then terror when it was huge! Bigger than their ship, but not Laboon. Vivi didn't know how to help them when they were all zipping around the deck, trying to run away from it, not knowing if it would crush or eat them! Luffy laughed, and they rode the wave it made when it reentered the water, heading quickly towards their second island.

Vivi apprehensively asked Luffy if he could tell anything was on the island. "Big animals! Really big!" Luffy said simply, easily hearing it when there was no strong wind. "There are a lot of scents, so they're kind of jumbled up right now." Usopp and Nami were not happy about big animals.

"I call being with Luffy!" Usopp exclaimed. Nami said they could just stay on the ship. Luffy would get into trouble. He had to know that. "Oh, you're right. Zoro, Sanji, one of you stay!"

"Hell no! I'll prove I'm the strongest. Oi, curly brow, we're having a hunting competition." Luffy cleared his throat and pouted. "Okay, who is tied with you." Luffy nodded in approval, and then giggled. He heard all sorts of interesting things, and wanted to explore all of them. Sanji mentioned they should go hunting regardless. They didn't stock up enough at Whiskey Peak, for obvious reasons.

"Sure is lucky about Luffy," he said casually before pursing his lips. Zoro glared at him, and he looked away, taking a drag of his cigarette. Vivi calmly and sincerely said she wasn't a nosy person. She may have been undercover, but she wasn't nosy.

She added, "I won't butt into any personal business. Promise." Luffy knew she was telling the truth, and grinned. Nami smiled, too, her arms crossed, expression of approval. Luffy was glad he decided to bring Vivi along at first. He was right about thinking she was a good person, it was just impossible to explain why.

The ship sailed inland through a river, and Luffy could hear animals all around him. They were at the coast, watching them. But Luffy noticed they weren't running from him. Interesting! He would definitely explore this place, find the most interesting noises. Usopp noticed this. "Yeah, they don't look afraid. Cool."

"Not cool!"

"Sanji, make me a pirate lunch box!" Lufy said with a grin. "I smell adventure!" Sanji wordlessly got one and Luffy ran off the moment the ship stopped. Usopp called him back, begging him. Luffy kept running.

Chapter Text

Artemispolarbear: Luffy is hyper almost the whole story lol. Very different than all my angsty ones where I just put them through pain. Not that Luffy doesn't go through pain and suffering in this one hehe. Just less than some of my other fics.

fantasy92: hehe I won't tell you what Luffy is or isn't. No spoilers for a main plot point! It's definitely hard to figure out for awhile. 

Ahh: Thank you, I'm glad!

Malika: Drum goes quite a bit different in this fic than in cannon. And Chopper and Luffy bond a lot in that arc. So sweet aww.

"Well, you were going to stay on the ship regardless, right?" Zoro asked. Usopp grumbled he still wanted Luffy. "You know he won't just stay on this ship. Right?" Luffy jumped off the ship and ran into the forest. "See?" he heard Zoro say, not sounding surprised or disappointed. He would be having a hunting competition with Sanji, so they hadn't planned on going together.

"Wait, Luffy! I want to go with you!" Vivi shouted. Luffy was surprised, and came back. He grinned, and called her over. Nami was shocked, but Vivi wanted to explore. Staying on the ship would be boring. So, everyone left but Nami and Usopp, who ran inside immediately.

He and Vivi ran off, Luffy hearing all sorts of weird sounds, new scents. He noticed the animals were not running from him. They stalked them, and he had fun attacking them, putting them out with only a few punches. They were strong. Stronger than those on Dawn Island.

Carue and Vivi looked shocked at the huge tigers and bears Luffy took out. "I thought animals were scared of you," she said, mostly in interest and not fear. Luffy said they usually were. But this was so interesting. He wondered why. "What are the humans here saying?" she wondered, comforting her duck with physical affection.

"Don't know. Everything is so loud around right now. I know there are really loud guys, though. Let's go see them! This'll be fun, or really dangerous," Luffy explained happily. They came into a small clearing, and Luffy saw a sea king on land! It was so tall. "A sea king on land?!"

Vivi screamed. "N-No! It's a dinosaur!" Now she was scared. Luffy was amazed, eyes sparkling! "That means this is a prehistoric island! This island is stuck in the age of the dinosaurs. Each island interacts with people and things differently, creating unique circumstances and creatures on each one.

"If there are islands with advanced humans living on, then there are ones like this one!"

"Hmm, you're pretty smart. Hey, we should ride it! Then we'll see the whole island!" Luffy said.

"No, that's a terrible idea!" Vivi said, trying unsuccessfully to stop him from shooting himself onto one of the longed necked dinosaur's heads. Luffy would love to eat lunch there, and could see the whole island. At least, from an aerial view. There were huge rocks with holes in them in the distance, and a volcano, as well.

He could hear the roars of other animals. What a noisy island this was. But it was much more interesting than Whiskey Peak had been. Than any island had been. He hoped there were more interesting islands like this one. Vivi did say weird stuff was common on Grand Lineislands, so he was excited to see more.

It would be nice to visit every island, not just the ones in a straight line, though. But it wasn't possible this time around. It bummed him out, but he did accept it. There was nothing he could do about it, after all. Vivi shouted at him to get down. It was still a dinosaur, even if it was only eating plants. But the thing hadn't even noticed him yet.

"Hey, lets go check out those rocks!" He wished he could eat his lunch box here, but what if the dinosaur moved and the lunch box fell? But then the dinosaur tossed him up on purpose, and ate him. He tried grabbing onto the throat, but it was so slippery. He screamed as he slid down, until he was suddenly out of the neck, and the dinosaur's head was severed. Poor guy. Well, he shouldn't have eaten Luffy. Bad dinosaur!

He saw who had done it. A giant man! He caught Luffy in his hand easily. "Gegyagyagyagya! You sure are a lively one! I haven't had any guests in a long time!" he said cheerfully.

"Whoa, you're huge! Steroids are bad!" The guy laughed loudly.

"I'm not a human, I'm a giant!" Oh, that made more sense! Luffy was amazed. He had heard of giants, but never expected to meet one! And didn't really understand just how huge they were. This guy was massive, and Luffy was glad he would be fine if he fell from the height he was at in the giant's hand. "My name is Dory, Elbaf's strongest warrior!" He laughed again. What a cheerful guy. Luffy liked him already.

Vivi seemed happy to not be noticed before she was, and Dorry happily invited him to his place. Where did he live being so big? And what was Elbaf? Were more giants there or something? He wondered how big their toilets were.

Dorry's home, Luffy on his shoulder as they walked, was at the big rocks with holes. When they got there, he cooked Luffy a huge piece of meat, and he ate all he wanted while talking to the giant in great interest. He was interested in Luffy, too. Liked his enthusiasm and curiosity. Vivi watched quietly, body stiff. Carue was hiding behind her. "This is really good, !"

"And your pirate lunchbox is good, too!" Sanji would like that. Anyone complimenting his food was welcome, even if he said he only liked it coming from women. "Though it is a little small."

"You bet it's good! I would have kicked your ass if you said it tasted bad! Nobody insults my cook! Shishishi!"

"Gegyagyagya! Aren't you a funny little one!" Vivi said they were getting along so well. Luffy was glad. Having a giant mad at him would be disappointing. Luffy asked, around a mouthful of meat, why Dorry lived alone out here. He said something about Elbaf. Was that his home? Why wasn't he there? "My home is indeed called Elbaf, the village of warriors! It's located somewhere on the Grand Line. But my village has a certain law."

He looked serious now, and Luffy was even more curious, staying quiet to listen intently. "If a quarrel breaks out in the village and you can't resolve it, then we beseech our god, Elbaf, for his judgement. Elbaf is just and bestoes protection on those in the right. He'll ensure the survival of the righteous.

"I've gotten into a quarrel myself. And so this island has been turned into the battleground between me and a certain other giant. The one who's in the right will triumph in the end and be the winner." Then he shocked Luffy when he said, "Though it's been 100 years since it started! We just can't seem to settle our deul!" He laughed again, so loud birds and flying dinosaurs fled the area.

Luffy was shocked, and was told giants had three times the lifespan of humans. He wasn't upset about how long it was taking, though Vivi didn't understand why you'd ever want to spend 100 years fighting. Dorry didn't get to reply before the volcano in the distance exploded. It made a loud noise, but didn't really erupt and destroy the island. But Dorry got up, seeming completely used to the thing.

"I don't know when it became a thing, but the volcano is the signal to continue our battle!" He wicked up his huge weapon as another giant approached. Vivi didn't understand. Didn't understand this fight wasn't about violence, or killing on another. It was about their pride. Of course neither one would want to either submit or die. They wanted to win!

"Exactly! It's about our pride! And we forgot why, ages ago!" and they clashed, sending a boom throughout the island, making Luffy clap his hands over his ears. Man that was loud. Even louder than the volcano in the distance. And also quite a bit closer. He went to his pirate lunchbox, and opened the inner compartment, finding the little pouch of blood was still there.

He was glad Dorry didn't find it, as Luffy had forgotten it was there because of the meat given to him for free. Luffy was amazed and fell on his back. "What's wrong" Vivi asked, slight concern in her voice. "I'm beat. They're just soooo huge!" The fight didn't last long, as they fought so hard that it exhausted them both fairly quickly. The fight was brutal, but they were both so strong!

Luffy really liked them. They were laughing about the draw, no problem with it. They reminded him of Ace and Sabo's fights. Those times they were both in great moods and weren't angry about both not winning, getting too tired and bruised to fight anymore. Luffy had never understood why you would enjoy a draw.

He'd want to win. Though fighting with Zoro would be fun. He was strong and a good fighter after all. He blushed thinking about Zoro winning and pinning Luffy down as he was panting from defeat. Maybe being beaten by Zoro wouldn't be too bad. He giggled to himself.

The other giant said that his guests gave them some rum. Did he meet the rest of his crew? Well, he seemed like a good giant too, and Dorry liked him. The giant wouldn't hurt them if Dorry liked him.

Dorry returned with the alcohol, sitting back with Luffy and Vivi. They were talking about leaving, but were both shocked to hear it took a whole year for the log pose to set! Vivi was upset about her kingdom, while Luffy commented that it would get boring being there.

"Those skeletons from over there are from other humans who have gotten stuck here. Most die from the beasts, heat, starvation or diseases."

"Diseases?!" Vivi freaked.

"Don't worry, those that give off diseases are mostly insects that stay in the dark. If you get back to your ship before night falls, you should be just fine," he assured them. Vivi went back to moping about her kingdom falling apart in less than a year. "We have an eternal pose, but it's to Elbaf. You could say Broggy and I are battling over it." Then he grinned. "Will you try to take it by force?"

"Nah, we want to go to the next island, not Elbaf."

Dorry lifted the barrel of alcohol before Luffy told him to give it to him. "Sure," Dorry said, not bothered. Luffy sniffed it. It didn't have the scent of any of their crew. It wasn't from them. "What's wrong?" the giant asked.

Luffy cocked his head. "This isn't our alcohol! It's from somewhere else. Unfamiliar scents." He was confused. Were there other people here? Luffy wondered what was inside. It smelled like alcohol, but still not their scent. He smelled deeply, searching specifically for humans. "There are more people here! Hmm… four, I think. Do you think they gave the barrel?" Luffy asked.

Vivi was worried, and Dorry looked angry, but not at Luffy. Somebody was trying to hurt him? Maybe if the barrel was bad. "Well, I'm gonna move it from here in case it's dangerous," Luffy said simply. When he made the barrel reach the side of the forest, it blew up in a huge plume of smoke, burning Luffy and throwing him back and landing on his back, eyes closed and completely burnt.

"LUFFY!" Vivi shrieked in horror, running over, Dorry following in one foot step. He got on one knee, and picked both Vivi and Luffy up. "Where is anywhere you can treat him?" Dorry asked. Luffy just took a blow meant for him, after all. "Um, the ship! It's that way!" Vivi shuted. "At the river!"

Dorry ran through the forest, reaching the river quickly. He set Luffy and Vivi down. Carue was hurrying after them quickly. Vivi brought him inside and got supplies in the galley. Luffy woke up, knowing what he needed. His whole body hurt. He had usually not been badly affected by burns, but that explosion was huge.

"Vi-vi," he moaned. She was getting the first aid. Luffy knew bad people were here, and so he had to heal.

"Luffy!?"

"That… chest. O-ver there," Luffy said, unable to point. Vivi moved in the direction Luffy's eyes moved. She opened the cupboard and found the ice chest. She brought it over. He tried to raise his hand to get a bag from there. But he couldn't. Vivi would find out. Well, he needed to get better, and he couldn't move his arm to do it himself from the burns. His shirt was in tatters, but not showing his marks.

He was glad Vivi had grabbed his hat. She opened the chest, and saw the blood, looking confused. After all, he wasn't losing any blood, he had burns. "Do… do you drink it?" she asked seriously. Luffy affirmed this, and Vivi lifted him up and broke the top open to put it in Luffy's mouth.

Two bags were needed as his burns healed. He sat up and gasped a bit. "Y-You don't need to tell me."

"I will tell you later. We have to see if the others are okay!" Vivi nodded. And said, "You're not scary. The animals are, but you don't scare me. She said it with a genuine smile, and he heard no lie. Vivi was awesome, and he just smiled.

"Kid! You're alright! Amazing human medicine," he said, sounding so relieved. Luffy said that he wanted to find his crew, and who tried to kill him. Dorry picked them up, including Carue, and Luffy directed him to where he smelled his crew. He found Usopp, but Nami was gone. Broggy was there, and saw Dorry's face.

"Hey, what's wrong, Dorry?" he asked.

Dorry explained that somebody had tried to either kill him, or the crew. Usopp was shocked and horrified, and told Luffy to find Nami now! Dorry put Luffy down, and he asked them to take care of Vivi and Usopp.

He ran after Nami's scent, which mixed with another one. He found her trapped against a tree with white, hard stuff. "Nami, Nami, wake up!" Luffy said, and slapped her face hard. She jolted awake, and looked down. He punched the tree since the white stuff was really hard and solid. She stumbled down, and saw what Luffy looked like. He had ash and soot on him, not to mention his shirt.

She asked what happened. "Someone put a bomb in the alcohol! It blew me up, but Vivi got me back to the ship and fed me some blood. I'll talk about that later!" Nami asked where the others were. "That way, let's go." Nami nodded, and both of them ran back through the woods, being stopped by multiple predators that Luffy attacked.

It was still strange to not be feared by them. He was irritated with how long that took, and could hear shouts and weird sounds. When they went back into the clearing, a lot of things had happened in a short amount of time. There was now some weird sculpture out of wax, which was raining down little bits of it.

Both giants were trapped to the ground in the wax, unable to move. Zoro, Usopp and Vivi were all trapped on the thing. "Luffy, get us out of this thing!" Usopp shouted. Luffy was furious when he saw Zoro's ankles bleeding, only just noticing over the smell of wax, his own body, and the scents of others. Plus all of the scents of the surroundings.

He was annoyed with this island by now.

"What are you doing?!" Luffy roared. Zoro looked like he'd just been scolded by his mother. "Don't you dare cut your feet off, stupid!" Zoro huffed and put his sword down, irritation on his face. Luffy promised to get them out. He turned to the instigators. There were four. Two they'd seen before briefly when they were at Whiskey Peak.

Then there were two new ones. One that smelled of the wax and the other that was a child. Luffy was ready to fight, with Nami in the treeline. "Nami, that guy can make explosions with his body!" Usopp warned.

"What?!" She looked at her staff, and then back at the bomb man. She ran away. "Nami! Try my stuff!" Usopp offered when they heard an explosion and a scream. Luffy wanted to help, his crew was calling for him to crush the pole holding up that spinning candle. He grinned, saying it was no problem. Zoro seemed unbothered, which was impressive. He turned to the enemies, and charged. The other two went after Nami, who was managing to just run in circles around the candle holder, unable to do anything.

Vivi cheered her on, trying to calm her down as she barely missed explosions constantly. She did manage to pull her staff out and slam it into the woman's chest, throwing her away and moaning in pain. Then Nami felt more confident, and went up against Mr. 5.

When Luffy shot forward, Mr. 3, as Vivi called him, grinned and shouted, "Candle lock!" and Luffy's legs were locked in wax, making him unable to run. The others shouted in worry, now that he couldn't move as the wax covered them more, Zoro lifting his sword to be in a good pose now.

Luffy felt desperate to help. But then he thought of something. The wax trapped him perfectly; he could use this, no doubt. He shot his arms out, grabbing onto the sword that somehow was embedded into Broggy's hand, and spun around it as fast as he could until the thick wax trapping his legs slamming into the candle's pole, destroying it. "Nee hee!" he said proudly.

It distracted Mr. 5 enough for Nami to throw the tabasco star into his eyes. She then hit him with her staff, only for it to blow up and throw her back. It was burnt, but not destroyed. She began to run again, confidence gone even as Vivi and Usopp cheered her on while Zoro watched Luffy. But then the top of the thing fell, and Luffy yelled at them to run.

"We can't!" The three prepared to be crushed, but the spinny thing only landed on the base of the pole, closer to them. "Damn it!" Usopp shouted. "I'm gonna die! Ahhh!" Zoro told him to be quiet, but both others noticed that they were getting harder faster. Shit.

Mr. 3 explained that, now that the spinny part was closer, they'd turn into wax faster. As Luffy watched his lover and friends stiffen and their skin turned white, he let his rage and fear take over, and managed to control his violence to absolutely destroy Mr. 3 and the girl, not caring she was a kid.

Then he turned and went after Mr. 5, Nami running off from them. Luffy couldn't hear what they were saying. He went after Mr. 5 mercilessly, dodging the bombs easily, stretching his arm just far enough for him to attempt to blow him up, only to not have touched Luffy, but had his vision impared by the flames and smoke, where Luffy socked him in the face hard enough that he heard his cheek crunch.

Luffy heard what Usopp was calling Nami, who was frantically wrapping the candle thing in rope. The voices of his crew trapped faded until they were silent. Luffy figured out it was a fuse to melt them out, and Luffy grabbed an unconscious Mr. 3, and dragged his candle head over, lighting the fuse.

He grabbed Nami and pulled her back as the candle was engulfed in flames. He watched nervously, worrying they were dead in there. Nami was biting her nails, too. But then they came out. Mr. 5 and the other woman were still alive, but injured. Usopp ended them, getting his bag Nami tossed at him, and shooting Mr. 5 in the mouth with his hot sauce attack, making him scream and attack Usopp one more time before Zoro cut him down.

Luffy went running after a limping Mr. 3, and found a whole area filled with statues of him. He found the real one without him even saying a thing, and knocked him out. He looked around the dark area, and then headed back to his friends, very tired. But he wasn't as exhausted as last time, because he used it minimally and not too long. Not as hard, either.

But he was still tired, like most people would be after a fight like that.

Chapter Text

Phoenix_D_Ace: I don't have any non-crossover baby Luffy stories right now. I still have 11 to be posted lol. I have some that are partially written that are in the OP world but don't seem to be going anywhere right now. I may finish them in the future, but there aren't any baby Luffy ones coming for awhile. And I'm happy my stories make your day! Though most of my new stories are various crossovers so you might not read them. Not all for the same fandom, I have five crossover fandoms. But out of 112 stories, only 16 are crossovers. Oh! And two of those are AUs, so they're exclusively one piece characters in another world. Don't know if those count as crossovers. 

fantasy92: Thank you!

Artemispolarbear: I would think Vivi would be understanding and accepting in canon, too. She's so kind and all. 

We're at the Drum arc in this chapter! Things are different from canon a lot, of course. Enjoy~

A bit later, they were having good food with the giants. Luffy wondered where Sanji was all this time. But he was tired and wanted to just enjoy some food. He looked at Zoro's ankles, angry. He saw this, and said he was fine. "You weren't. That was stupid, cutting your legs off?"

Zoro bristled. "We were going to die!" he said.

"You would'a died from blood loss, right? That would have been bad, and we couldn't reattach them! Unless you got two stumps, your time as a swordsman would have been that much harder!" Luffy shot back. The group was quiet as they argued. Luffy got up and left, heading back into the forest. He found a little alcove in a tree and sat there so no animals would bother him.

It didn't take long for Zoro to appear. Luffy looked away. "Are you really mad about my legs?" he asked.

"Of course! And then you didn't trust I would be there for you," Luffy said angrily. Zoro sighed, saying he wanted to be there for him. Escaping death was part of it. But he was scared about not knowing where he was. Luffy sighed, and looked back at his legs.

"It doesn't hurt, and I'm fine." Luffy was still angry. Then they both heard footsteps, but Luffy knew it was Sanji. When he came into view, Zoro demanded to know where the hell he'd been all this time. Sanji was shocked at the blood and soot on Luffy.

Sanji said he was talking to Mr. 0. He asked if they were okay. Well, he asked Luffy, but Luffy said Zoro was okay. Sort of. He tried to cut his legs off. "Huh?!"

"Maybe if you'd been there you would have known why!" Zoro shouted. "God, you're so useless!" Luffy had them stop arguing so they could just go to the others. When they got out there, everyone else was angry Sanji wasn't there. Especially Nami, whose clothes were ruined.

The giants were happy with how everything ended up. Luffy knew things could have been really bad if Dorry had drunk that alcohol. And Luffy was glad the circumstances were able to get him some blood. Vivi wasn't looking at him in fear, or ignoring him, which was good. He knew others wouldn't accept it, but so far his crew had. Maybe he could just somehow sense people that would understand.

He hoped Vivi might be able to stay once they save her kingdom. Nami finally has a female friend. If not, then they'd find another girl to take with them. That was for sure. When Sanji told them the news about telling them they were all dead, and getting a log pose, everyone was shocked.

Luffy started laughing about how things had turned out just fine! They had more food and booze with the giants, them telling the Straw Hats stories of their times, stories about their lives at Elbaf. Usopp was the most amazed. Luffy ended up falling asleep, food crumbs all over his mouth. The party was unusual, but really fun.

Zoro and Sanji had both brought their hunts back to the ship. Two dinosaurs. A t-rex and a triceratops. Both were almost exactly the same size, and nobody had the heart and bravery to tell them which was larger. They fought over it, but when Nami said, "They're both very nice, Sanji-kun! Why don't we cut up and load the useful stuff onto the ship?"

"Yes, Nami-swan~"

Luffy was a bit bummed they had to leave so soon, but time was of the essence now. Dorry and Broggy had a plan to help them get off the island as they followed the new eternal pose, bypassing the year long wait completely.

Then the water started to rise behind them, they were shocked at what they saw. A massive goldfish that tried eating them! "Keep going! Trust what they said!" Usopp called, though he was shaking violently. Luffy also didn't have any urge to try and run away out of the mouth until two bursts of powerful wind slammed into the beast, killing it and giving them a hollow path inside of it, the thing dying instantly as its body was mutilated.

"Thank you, brave warriors of the sea!" Usopp called, and both held up their broken weapons proudly.

When it was dinner that night, grilled dinosaur, Luffy having blood sauce, they asked Vivi what she thought about Luffy drinking blood. "Well, it must be some condition, right? One I've just never heard of. Things are strange on the Grand Line … though you didn't come from it, so I really don't know. I'm not afraid or anything."

Luffy felt confident he could tell her. "I'm not fully human… probably, most likely. Don't know what I am. It's not just appearances that are weird. You already know about my strong senses, and you saw me go really violent near the end of the fight. My blood is also acidic to enemies. Or just fishmen, I don't know."

"I forgot about that!" Nami exclaimed. "Arlong had terrible burns on his mouth and arms." Zoro nodded, remembering it. "And we've touched your blood before after injuries. So strange." Luffy agreed with that. Vivi asked if that was why Luffy's eyes were red, and he nodded.

She smiled. "Well, I'm not bothered or afraid. It's just unfortunate how bad things can get when you aren't able to have any. Dying without it, that's worrisome."

"Well, it's like when humans run out of water," Sanji said, cleaning up the dishes. "They die, too. Luffy just suffers much longer. Which is good, it gives him more time to get blood, at least from other people. He was comatose near the end."

Nami looked very ashamed, and quietly apologized. Luffy had told her over and over that he forgave her, and was never mad, but she still felt very guilty. He had a feeling she'd always feel that way, so he just simply said he forgave her without making any mention of the repetition of this topic.

-x-

Luffy was really hot and sweaty. His hair stuck to his face and there were sweat stains all over his clothes, so he was taking a cool bath, the feeling was really nice. It made him feel less hot, but also fatigued from the water. It wasn't deep enough to leave him immobile, but enough to make him a bit lethargic.

Once the water got uncomfortably cold, he left it and got dressed. When he stood in front of the mirror, he saw a rash on his stomach, right above his belly button. He scratched at it, but it didn't itch and it didn't go away. Well, he was fine. But everyone would get mad if he hid it. Only Sanji was awake to cook food, so he went in there.

But he was distracted by the beautiful berry pancakes! Luffy hurried to the table. "You sure are up early," he commented, serving Luffy because nobody else was awake (the girls) to get their food first.

Luffy nodded. "I didn't feel good, so I took a bath." Sanji was surprised, and asked if he was sick. "I dunno. Maybe. But I've never been sick before, so I don't think so. I have a mosquito bite on my stomach, though."

Sanji looked suspicious, and asked to see it. Luffy stuffed more pancakes in his mouth, standing up before he vomited it all back up. He'd only ever thrown up after he ate uncooked meat or when he heard Sabo was dead. The cook hurried over, and saw Luffy's face was green. "'M'a again," Luffy warned, and Sanji brought him to the trash bin to throw up again.

Luffy heaved until there was nothing left. Sanji got a glass of water and a napkin. Luffy used them, and apologized for the mess. He promised to clean it up, but Sanji refused, and told him to go to the infirmary. It was very rarely used since they didn't have a doctor or any real medical equipment but for first aid.

The older teen escorted the younger and helped him get onto the bed. But then Luffy threw up the water he'd just drank. Sanji got a bucket for him, and Luffy laid on his side, sweaty again. Sweaty and hot. Sanji took off his red vest so he wasn't as hot, and saw the red rash. It was small, but raised on his stomach. "Is this what you thought the mosquito bite was?"

The captain nodded. "I'm gonna go get Nami-san," the chef said and left in a hurry. Luffy's nose felt stuffy, and it felt like there were cotton balls in his ears. He couldn't hear or smell a thing other than what was in that room. That was scary. He felt vulnerable. And not just because he was sick.

Nami hurried inside, Vivi not long after. They saw how sweaty he was, the sheets soaked in it. "He couldn't keep the water down," Sanji said. Nami frowned, saying he would get dehydrated at this pace. "He has a rash on his stomach." Luffy felt they forgot he was in the room, but didn't interrupt, not having anything to say.

Vivi turned pale. "Um, Dorry mentioned bugs carried diseases on Little Garden." Nami freaked. She looked to Luffy, who looked so exhausted. She got a thermometer, and put it in his mouth. "103.8," she said grimly. "Though we don't know if this matters with his body. Maybe giving him blood will fix it," Nami said hopefully.

Sanji left the room and came back with a blood bag. Nami helped prop up the soaking wet captain and helped him drink the blood. She put the bucket in front of him, ignoring the vomited water in front of her. They were all horrified when he vomited up the blood. If he couldn't even keep down blood, that could be a death sentence.

"We need a doctor right now," Nami said firmly. Vivi worried, biting her nails. Nami turned to Luffy and asked how he felt.

"C'nt hear or sm'll," he said. Sanji swore. Luffy didn't like them being so openly scared, but he also was glad they were discussing it with him there and not in private where he couldn't hear. Vivi looked conflicted, wanting to get to Alabasta as soon as possible. Zoro then entered, looking confused.

After all, there was unattended vomit all over the kitchen table. Then he saw Luffy lying on the bed, soaked in sweat and face pink. "Luffy?! What's wrong?" Sanji said he was sick. "With what?" Zoro demanded.

Nami said they didn't have a doctor, so they didn't know. "It could be a disease or sickness from Little Garden," Vivi said. "He can't keep down any food. Or blood." Luffy weakly said he'd be fine. Sanji suggested Zoro feed him, but not directly in case the sickness is contagious. They'd be cleaning the vomit with gloves for sure.

Zoro cut his arm and dribbled it into Luffy's mouth. But even a mouthful, taking quite a long time to fill up, made him throw up, this time missing the bucket, and staining his shorts with Zoro's blood and Luffy's saliva. The green haired teen looked terrified. Nami quickly got a change of shorts from the boy's room, waking up Usopp, and Vivi wiped his skin with a towel.

Zoro and Sanji helped Luffy into new shorts, but it wasn't like he wasn't wearing underwear, so the girls stayed. Vivi offered to clean up the vomit in the galley, not sounding bothered at all. "There are gloves in that box. I'll take the one here."

"'M sorry," Luffy apologized. Sanji smiled kindly, saying it was no big deal. "I'm the capt'n. I shouldn' get sick." Zoro countered this. He may not be fully human, but he was partly human and that meant he would get sick.

"You were just lucky up until now," Zoro said, wiped the blood off of Luffy's mouth as he laid down on his back. They couldn't feed him anything without him throwing it back up. They started to ration blood bags, splitting them up into smaller amounts as testing if he could drink any.

He couldn't.

Nami and Vivi had not seen the last time he went without blood for more than four days, so they didn't know what to expect to see. Only that they knew it was bad. They had not hesitated to veer off course of Alabasta for any nearby island. He was the captain, he both needed to be there for the crew, but they also wouldn't let him die.

He got severely dehydrated, and they had nothing to make an IV drip of water for him. They were so screwed without a doctor. They could only beg the next island they went to had a doctor. Somebody skilled at least in medicine.

Luffy's temperature rose, and they put ice packs on his body to try and calm the raging fever. A good thing was that Luffy was so out of it that he wasn't scared. He slept most of the time. When he was awake, they attempted again to give him water or blood. Neither ever stayed down.

He wasn't awake or aware of the ship being attacked by some weirdo, and the crew said nothing about it. It was dealt with. They were all distraught about Luffy being so sick and them being able to do nothing. Any nausea pills didn't work, either. If only he could keep water and blood down, he might heal. It would at least alleviate the blood problems.

It took five days, with the blood deficit problems advancing with the addition of the rest of his illness and its effects. He had a blanket over him once they entered the winter climate. He was asleep. Slightly aware, but mostly out of it. His senses were also still blocked. When they docked, Luffy couldn't hear the troubles outside, or even the sound of Vivi being shot.

But the captain was allowed on the island. He was carried by Zoro, all of them bundled up. It was weird seeing Luffy with pants and not shorts. They wanted to keep him warm in the cold. They were actually Nami's pants, since he was about the height and build of Nami. she wasn't upset about it, just extremely worried. When they entered the village, they were glared at, and Luffy smiled in his sleep for the first time. Even when sick, there was an overwhelming, familiar and warm scent at the place the ship docked. Ace… Nobody noticed the smile.

When they ran into Dalton, the authority figure there, he narrowed his eyes at Luffy, making them all bristle. Sanji asked if there was a problem. But the man looked more closely at Luffy, the small captain who was clearly very ill, and his body relaxed and glare went away. They went to his home, begging him to tell them where a doctor was.

"Dr. Kureha lives on one of those mountains. There's no way to contact her, and she only comes down whenever she wants. Finds people to treat and then takes half of their belongings. Then there's some strange creature that travels with her." Zoro and Sanji didn't even need to share a look.

"Well, looks like we should get going, then," Zoro said. Sanji said nothing but stood up. He took Luffy's hat and gently set it on the bed. Vivi asked what they were doing. "Bringing Luffy up to the mountain. At this pace, he'll be gone in three more days. At most." His voice wobbled at it, but they all knew it was the truth.

Dalton asked if he really was that sick. "He hasn't eaten or drunk anything in over five days. He already has a health condition on top of that. His fever is nearing fatal temperature," Nami said. "I… it's dangerous for him, but I don't see anything else we can do about it." She took her jacket off and put it around Luffy so he was now wearing two. She also took the beanie off her head and put it on Luffy's.

Vivi didn't look happy with this, but knew herself there was no other thing to do. They couldn't just wait and hope to be lucky while Luffy was dying. Zoro tied Luffy securely to his back, and put a sword under his butt, holding that so Luffy didn't slip off. "Don't fail!" Usopp shouted as the two ran off, not saying anything as they climbed the mountain.

"I hate to say this, but you better not let anything happen to us," Zoro said, their breath letting out small puffs of steam in the chilly air. Sanji said he was protecting Luffy, not "mosshead", a new nickname after Zoro started calling him "perv-cook" or "dart brow". As they ran, the wind steadily worsened as the snow was deeper.

Luffy woke up during that time due to the heavy jostling. His eyes were open slightly, but he fell back asleep before either of them could notice. Halfway up the mountain that led to the rock pillars that looked nothing like mountains, some rabid bunny started to attempt to attack them. They ignored it as best as they could until it went after Luffy, and Sanji kicked it, throwing it up into the air with a shrill shriek.

Zoro said nothing, and they continued on their way. While they went, however, it became clear they were being watched and followed again, but by giant bear-bunnies. They made a complete mess of the situation. With them causing a damn avalanche, but both older teens getting a hold of a rocky outcrop.

The bunnies got caught in their own iditoic actions. Zoro grabbed Sanji's hand as he slipped away, losing his sword until Sanji grabbed it, hanging over the edge with one arm, holding Zoro's cursed sword with his other. Zoro lifted Sanji up with a grunt. Luffy had slipped a bit, and was panting now.

They needed to get there now. The jostling and intense movement was just making it worse. Neither thanked the other, and went back on their way. At least the snow was thinned now that so much of it had gone down the mountain, dooming the bunny bears. They were lucky they hadn't gotten swept away as well.

Though Sanji's arm was bleeding pretty badly after being slashed by the outcropping rock. They eventually made it to the mountain. It took way too long, though. Zoro put all his swords back in the haramaki loop. Sanji helped tie Luffy securely onto the other's back. They both looked up. "How high do you think it is?" Sanji wondered.

"Doesn't matter, we're getting to the top."

"I never said we wouldn't!" Sanji snapped. They both started to climb. The wind got worse, the snow blinding, but it didn't matter as Zoro could hear Luffy's ragged breathing in his ear. If he didn't need to be still, he'd be shaking. Up and up they went, saying nothing, not complaining or making any pained noises as the rough texture of the pole, whatever it was, cut their fingers.

It did hurt, but Zoro ignored it all. He was glad he healed fast and hadn't cut his feet off. Thinking about it, if he had, he wouldn't not be able to do this. Save Luffy. He had been right for getting angry at him. Sanji slipped near the top, and Zoro shouted his name in worry, unable to not. But Sanji caught himself, looking worried and scared by how close he came to falling.

"Are you okay!?" Zoro called over the wind. Sanji said yes, not making fun of Zoro or his genuine concern. They continued their climb until they saw the top. Finally, they clawed their ways up onto the snow, and saw the castle. It was shiny and seemed to be covered in a decorative layer of ice.

Sanji's left arm was trembling, and he held it with his other. Zoro knew he had that wound there, but had climbed the drum anyways. He looked more exhausted than Zoro, and was sluggish. Both were exhausted, but struggled towards the castle. Their legs hurt, they both clearly had burnt skin on their faces from the cold.

They had been wearing gloves and pants, but were still freezing. The hat on Luffy had been lost. "Shit," Zoro said, his legs failing. He was wrong. The wounds on his ankles were bleeding. His legs collapsed under the weight. Sanji was able to walk, and grabbed Zoro, helping him limp to the castle.

It was all for Luffy. After this, they'd go back to hating one another. When they made it to the castle, there was some furry creature there. "Help," Zoro begged. "Help Luffy." He didn't know what the hell it was, but it was wearing clothes and a hat. Sanji was shocked, too, but this had to be the creature Dolton talked about.

Dr. Kureha, the old lady, did not look her age. She had a crop top on, and looked at the bleeding and sick teens. "Chopper, take the two older ones. This one is hours from death." Zoro and Sanji freaked, and Zoro didn't want to be separated. "Calm down! You can come, too. Chopper, carry the idiot with the bleeding ankles!"

Chopper, the monster, picked up Zoro easily. Sanji followed, his legs trembling from exhaustion as he walked up the stairs. When they got there, Luffy was laying on a bed, face bright red and breathing quickly. The next problem would be how to explain Luffy's condition to strangers. Strangers that might refuse treatment to him if they knew.

Chopper got to work on cleaning Zoro and Sanji's wounds silently, both of them focusing on Chopper, who was showing signs of fear of Luffy, seeming to be part animal, after all. "He's not scary," Kureha said before they could. "I've met another fool like this. He ain't gonna eat you. He's a patient," she scolded the monster. Furry man, whatever he was. Chopper nodded. "Now, how long's it been since he drank?"

Zoro wanted to ask how she knew, but didn't. "Five days. He's been throwing up anything. Food, water, blood. He can't keep anything down and has a terrible fever." Kureha wondered where they'd been when he got sick. "A prehistoric island. Little Garden," Zoro said, answering every question immediately.

Sanji was holding his bandaged arm. Zoro had seen the flesh had been badly ripped open, yet he climbed the mountain that took over two hours. But he was more focused on Luffy. "Chopper, get some phenytal and capucius herbs. This sickness isn't usually this bad. This only has to do with the lack of blood mostly. And dehydration," she explained. "Though the fever is bad," she added.

A water bag was set up to help relieve the dehydration. He also got an injection of some medicine and had certain herbs pressed onto his tongue, but not forced to swallow. Chopper was small now, in a much different appearance. Zoro was curious, but not enough to look away from Luffy.

Food and pain medicine was given to both men as they sat quietly, Sanji the more openly curious of Chopper. "So, what are you?" Sanji wondered. Chopper didn't answer. "Is it a devil fruit?" he pressed.

Chopper remained silent, and Zoro shrugged when Sanji looked. After two hours, with Luffy's fever going down but the blood sickness continuing, Kureha finally propped Luffy's body up with some pillows. She got a blood bag from a freezer, checked the date to make sure, and then hooked it up to a feeding tube.

"The herbs help nausea well, but they create a horrifically bad taste when mixed with anything else. That alone might make him vomit again," Kureha explained. "Oi, Chopper, come here. I want to show you something."

The thing was cautious, but when he got a sharp look, he hurried over. The blood was pumped into his stomach. "Look at his tongue, what do you see?"

Chopper's look of fear turned into curiosity. "More tastebuds. A lot more!" he said. Zoro and Sanji were shocked he spoke, but said nothing of it. Zoro didn't like them looking at Luffy like this, but she was saving his life, so he wouldn't complain. She tilted his head up, and shined a light into his nose. "A lot more olfactory cells much lower than normal. What's wrong with him?"

Zoro growled. "There's nothing wrong with Luffy."

"Shut it, boy. You know Chopper didn't mean it in a rude way," Kureha said, making Zoro scowl. She pumped another blood bag in, and then carefully pulled the feeding tube out. Kureha told Chopper that Luffy was only the second person like this she'd ever encountered or heard of. "There's no name for what he is, sadly."

She opened his eyelid to show Chopper his red eye. "Wow. So… he's not dangerous?" he asked quietly.

"Not in the way you think. I don't know his personality. But he'll be weak for at least another hour or so."

"What?! An hour? But he was so injured and ill!" Chopper said in shock, but looked fascinated. Kureha nodded. Blood made him heal quickly. "Wow."

Luffy woke up soon, and opened his eyes to see he was in a place with a high, stone ceiling. He could hear and smell things, and winced as all of the sound returned. He weakly put his hands over his ears. Zoro was there, and a creature that wasn't human handed him ear plugs cautiously. Zoro put them in. He sighed, but couldn't help the smell of everything.

"How do you feel, kid?" an old woman with a bottle of booze asked. Luffy cleared his throat, and was given some water. He said he felt tired, but not dying. "That's cause you're not dying anymore. You're lucky I know what'cha are. Well not really, but I've met another like you," she said conversationally.

Luffy asked who she was. "Dr. Kureha, but you can call me Doctrine." Luffy looked at the creature, and asked what he was. "Chopper is a reindeer who ate the human human fruit. Chopper, we looked at him, we can at least give them a brief explanation," she said when Chopper looked upset.

"Heh… you look pretty cool," he said sleepily. "Hi, Zoro. Sanji. Wh-where are we?"

"Safe. Go back to sleep, you need a lot of rest," Zoro said softly. Luffy wasn't upset about going back to sleep. When he woke up Chopper was right in his face, looking inside his ear with a flashlight. Zoro and Sanji weren't there. They were outside. The sun was setting. It must be a lot later.

He also smelled his crew around, too. It was nice for some quiet. Chopper's eyes widened and he jerked away. "I'm not gonna hurt you." He was still so tired. He coughed and his stomach rumbled painfully. That's right, he hadn't had food in like, five days. Man, he hated being sick! He never wanted that to happen again!

Chopper left, but brought out some bread and slightly cold soup. He lifted the bed for Luffy and put the tray down before running around the corner to watch. Luffy ate slowly, carefully. The soup was good, and the bowl smelled like Sanji. So it was his cooking. He ate the bread more enthusiastically, glad for solid food.

"Hey… do you… attack people? For blood?" Chopper asked with a shaky voice.

Luffy was honest. "If necessary, but I don't hurt them, and it's not often. I usually drink from donated blood. Zoro gives me his blood. Shishishi, he really likes how it feels," Luffy said with a smile. Chopper glared at him. "Anyone I drink from, I knock them out first."

"So, you are a bad guy?" Luffy's face fell, and Chopper looked guilty immediately. Luffy just shrugged. "S-Sorry, that was mean…" Chopper said in shame. Luffy said he understood. It was weirder for people to understand he wasn't a dangerous, scary monster than it was for them to assume he was evil. "... People think you're a monster?"

Luffy said, "Well, I am a monster, technically. I accepted it, but it's different referring to myself as a monster than when other people say it. But everyone on my crew is okay with it. Sanji even makes blood food for me!" He beamed proudly about Sanji's understanding and offers to help Luffy with his personal diet.

Chopper's face relaxed. "People think I'm a monster, too."

"Is it a bad thing to be a monster? I think you look really cool! Shishishi!" Luffy said brightly. Chopper got mad and said he'd always been shunned and hated by humans. "Well, maybe you just haven't met good humans yet," he replied lightly.

"Humans are bad. I hate them," Chopper said harshly.

"Well, lots'a humans are mean. Not all of them, I think at least." He was interrupted when Nami and Vivi ran in. They called his name happily and Luffy waved. He still looked and felt a bit tired, but wasn't so he was uncomfortable. Chopper hurried out of the room. Luffy heard some teary sniffling from that direction.

Nami asked how he felt. "Tired, but I feel a lot better." He removed the ear plugs and saw they didn't hurt anymore. Both women sighed in relief. Nami wiped her eyes. He had really scared everybody, and apologized for it.

Vivi told him it was a disease from Little Garden after all, but it was so, so bad because of how long it had been there. He would have died from dehydration or the fever before the blood issues, but those only made it worse.

Luffy looked out the window. He wanted to play in the snow. "You can't go outside yet," Nami said, as if reading his mind. "Doctrine said harsh changes in climate can hurt you. At least for now. We're going to be leaving the day after tomorrow."

"I'm sorry, Vivi," Luffy said. "We're taking longer to get to Alabasta." Vivi said it wasn't his fault. "Hey, did anyone say something about Ace being here? My brother's scent is here! He must have been here not long ago." Luffy's voice shifted immediately into happiness. Nami and Vivi hadn't heard of anyone named Ace.

Chopper was back, and said a man with an orange hat and a trench coat had visited after the pirate attack on the island that drove Wapol away. "That's him!" Luffy then coughed from raising his voice. "That means he's close. Maybe we can meet up with him." He was so happy. "After Alabasta or at Alabasta maybe. But who's Wapol?"

Zoro walked in, and moved to the bed, sitting on the stone floor next to him, taking his hand in his. He kissed Luffy's forehead, asking how he felt. "Better. A lot better," Luffy said with a bright smile. Zoro looked so relieved. "Hey, who's Wapol?"

Vivi explained about the former "king" of the place. He attacked their ship while Luffy was sick. He was probably dead by then, somewhere. "I pulled no punches. He attacked the ship while you were sick. I cut him down without hesitation."

Neither woman looked upset with this at all. Nami had wanted to make sure he didn't come back, too. And Luffy wasn't bothered, either, if it was an enemy. "Hey, Chopper. These are my crew members. Vivi is a guest."

Chopper asked if they were bothered that Luffy was a monster. They grew angry at the wording before Luffy said it was okay. Zoro said he wasn't bothered. Luffy was Luffy, dietary necessities aside. "There's nothing wrong with him."

Nami said, "There's nothing wrong with being different. Some people may be rude, but not all." She said it knowingly. Luffy beamed and nodded in agreement. He openly said Chopper should come with them. He refused.

"Pleeeassseee," Luffy whined. Chopper shook his head again, and Luffy deflated. Well, he wasn't giving up, he was just tired and didn't want to argue. He yawned, and drifted back to sleep. When he woke, it was the next day, and Chopper was pressing on his stomach. Luffy noticed it was where the rash had been. Stupid rash. "Am I better now?" he asked. He wasn't tired anymore, and sat up. Chopper nodded. Luffy wondered why the other doctor wasn't here. But he didn't ask. He was so grateful for their help. They saved him.

Doctrine came in. "Man, you really are an old woman."

"Watch what you say. I usually ask for payment of half of your belongings, but this time, I'd rather take some of your blood. For medicinal reasons. That a good tradeoff?" Luffy nodded, glad they didn't need to give her anything important. She took out a small syringe and a large bag and filled it up with his blood.

It wasn't enough to hurt him, but he was given his own glass afterwards, Chopper watching in amazement as the little wound healed over. At noon, it was time to go. Doctrine was discharging him, keeping some blood she was excited to have. Chopper was gone. Luffy was dead set on having him. He was a monster, too! And so cool!

Even if he might be weak, Luffy still really liked him! So, he smelled the air for him and went chasing. "Reindeer! Chopper, be my nakama!" He followed him around the area for a long time, maybe cheating by being able to smell and hear him. When he gave him a break, he went to pout with his friends playing on the snow.

"Luffy, maybe he just doesn't want to come," Zoro said.

"No, it'll be fun!" Luffy protested. Zoro sighed, and leaned back against the rock again. Vivi and Nami were waiting in the snow, too. They were all ready to go, now. It was time to leave. They couldn't afford to spend too much time here. They had to get to Alabasta, they'd wasted a week already.

He was just happy he hadn't done anything to make himself sick. It wasn't some stupid thing that was all his fault. Luffy smelled Chopper and looked up. "Hey, Chopper! Come be a pirate with us! You want to, right?!" He was full of energy and his crew seemed so relieved with this.

"It's impossible," Chopper said.

"No, it's not! It's fun, you have so much fun!" Usopp said he wasn't listening to him.

Chopper lowered his head so his hat was shielding his face. "I really want to thank you…" They were all quiet now. Luffy wondered why. Then Chopper looked up with an upset expression. Showing anger but also hurt. "I'm a reindeer! I have hooves and horns! And a blue nose!" Luffy had a slightly sad face on as he listened quietly.

"Actually, I want to be a pirate too," Chopper confessed. "But I'm not human, I'm a monster!" Luffy was sure they went over this, but didn't interrupt. "I can't be friends with humans! That's why I came here just to thank you! Thank you… for asking me. But I will stay here. If you are bored, just come visit me sometimes."

Luffy just thrust his hands in the air and shouted, "Shut up and come with us!"

"Okay!" Chopper cried. It wasn't that hard to persuade him after all! They waited outside the castle for Chopper to say goodbye to Doctrine. Luffy really was grateful for her help. None of them would say goodbye or even thank you to her. Zoro was bothered by her taking his blood.

"Better than her taking half of the things on our ship, right?" Nami asked as Luffy and Usopp built snowmen. "We'll leave once Chopper says goodbye and we'll head straight to Alabasta. That alright with you, Vivi?"

She smiled. "As long as we have a doctor."

"Doctor?" Luffy wondered. Kureha was the doctor, Chopper was the helper or something. Was there another person? He was confused but didn't ask, getting distracted. Usopp offered to get the lift ready so they could go back down the mountain. Luffy helped him with it, so glad he gotta ride it. He didn't remember the climb up. Though he saw Zoro and Sanji's injuries from it, and felt bad.

Sanji had said, "Don't pity us, shitty captain." Zoro hadn't argued, feeling the same. Luffy tried to turn his guilt into appreciation. It was hard, but he felt he'd managed to do so. And he was amazed he and Sanji didn't kill each other on the way up, but didn't say that out loud.

Luffy looked up, and said he heard a lot of commotion from inside the castle. "Looks like somebody is fighting," he said casually. "And screaming! Oh, Chopper!" But the reindeer was running at them frantically. So he was the one screaming. Though he could hear Doctrine shouting, too. Chopper ordered them to get into the sled. "But the lift!" Luffy complained.

"Just get in, idiot!" Nami said, grabbing his jacket and yanking him inside. "Oof!" he grunted when he hit the floor of the sled. But this was way cooler! Chopper was leading them down the cable by himself. Like magic. Well, the lift would have been cool, but this was really awesome, too.

Luffy cheered when the sled hit the snow and hurried downhill, back to wherever the ship had docked. "Hey, let's do that again!" Luffy said.

"We can't! We have to leave, idiot!"

"Stop calling him idiot, witch!"

"Don't you dare call Nami-san that!"

"Shishishi!"

They ended up stopping the sled to look up as they heard a ton of booms coming from the kingdom. They all watched behind Chopper as the snow turned into a beautiful pink. Pink snow, gathered and thick over the place they had just left.

"So beautiful. They look like cherry blossoms!" Nami said in awe. Luffy stated they smelled like snow. But they looked really cool. Luffy was startled when Chopper started to wail and cry. Maybe something special was about the pink snow. They let him cry, nobody interrupting.

On the ship, Nami forced Luffy to go to sleep. "What?! Why?! We have a new nakama!" Luffy protested. Nami said he had been terminally ill! "But I'm all better, now!"

Chopper was shy and quiet, but he said Luffy should still be resting. "There, doctor's orders," Nami said. Luffy blinked twice and asked what she meant. They were still looking for a doctor. "Luffy, Chopper is a doctor."

"What?!"

She sighed in exasperation. "Go to sleep. Now!" Nami said, shoving him into the boys room through the hatch, making him fall on his head and bounce. She wanted him to rest yet rough handled him! Jerk. But he did what they said, and fell asleep fairly easily, even though he wanted to be part of the celebration under the cherry blossom snow.

My regular readers should not be surprised that I hurt Luffy. Hehe!

Chapter Text

Pheonix_D_Ace: I understand about not knowing the characters. I feel like there should be an order I put the stories in. Like one where everything is explained and then helps with the other stories. "Stuck Between Two Worlds" I think is the best explanatory one for My Hero Academia. I'm sorry but most of my stories coming along are crossovers. I'm just having so much fun putting the OP characters in other worlds and situations! One fo the AUs I'm still on the fence about posting because I feel it's really stupid to cross those fandoms. It's another Disney one. But my cinderella AU was so much more unique and not like the actual disney tale at all. Idk. 

CrimsonEyedKitsune: I definitely changed up the fight between Luffy and Crocodile. It's a bit graphic but doesn't last too long. And Ace isn't in Alabasta too long. But he'll be in the story more later. Of course for Marineford and Impel Down! I butchered those ones haha. 

I finished two more crossovers that aren't my hero academia, which I'm proud of. Man, I have 11 stories to post and most of them involve dragons. I freaking love dragons and dragon characters! I think regular readers know that by now lol. Enjoy~

Zoro was clingy to Luffy. He was fine with it, but Zoro wanted to be with him at all times. Luffy understood why. But he was distracted, too. He hadn't gotten any answers about Ace. What he was doing, where he was going. They'd left too suddenly. "What's wrong?" Zoro asked when he was training and Luffy was watching him sweat without a shirt on quite shamelessly.

"I didn't find out anything about what Ace was doing or where he was going," Luffy said with a frown. "And I can't smell him right now. He might not have gone to Alabasta after all." He was moping, hunched over. Zoro said going to Alabasta wasn't like a real road that was strict and compact. Ace could have gone to Alabasta but not in this area. "Still…"

Sanji came out with a chocolate lava cake with blood in the center. Luffy was surprised by it, but happy. He didn't ask why, but was grateful and ate it happily. Sanji didn't say a thing about it. Maybe because he was there when Luffy was really bad at the castle, near death. They were all kind of clingy. Kept asking how he felt.

Guilt was in him every time they asked. He'd scared them so much. A second time for the three boys. Besides Chopper, who was also clingy to Luffy. He wasn't used to being around so many humans, even if they were nice. He said Luffy didn't smell like a real human, so he was more comfortable to be around. The doctor was no longer bothered by the threatening aura Luffy unconsciously and unwillingly gave off.

Luffy was different, like he was, and that was comforting. Luffy wasn't upset about him being around, even if it annoyed Zoro. Luffy was distracted about Ace, truly. But it didn't stop him from eating too much and realizing too late. Five minutes after he found out he ate most of it (with Usopp and Chopper, too! Wasn't just him!), he was in a cell. "C'mon, let me out!" Luffy called as he was confined in a cage, scrunched up like a ball. Usopp had made the cage out of wood and sheet metal. The kind that they wouldn't use.

"No, you ate all of the food for the 8 of us on our way to Alabasta! You get to stay in time out!" Sanji shouted. Luffy whined that he wasn't a kid. "Adults know to not eat all the food and leave the rest hungry, idiot," Sanji said. "It's not the same for us. You have blood for spare, we don't!"

"But Usopp, Chopper and Carue ate some, too!"

"You traitor, Luffy!" Usopp shouted as Sanji focused his anger on them next. He turned and begged Nami for a fridge with a lock. Nami said that might be for the best. Luffy called out he was hungry from the cage.

Sanji refused, pissed at the boys for taking the food. Damn it.

That night, Luffy was released from the cage, and sat with the others as Vivi explained Crocodile's position in Alabasta more. Luffy was drinking a blood bag like a juice box, nobody really caring anymore. It was nice, feeling so accepted. He just didn't drink from Zoro in front of others. It was way too intimate to do around others.

"Crocodile is the hero of Alabasta?! Isn't he the villain here, though?" Nami said in confusion, saying what Luffy thought.

"In a way. The Seven Warlords work for the government in their own way. Crocodile pretends to behave so the government won't revoke his position. He's very strong, so he could take over Alabasta more directly, but he's doing it in the shadows so he doesn't get caught. At least, that's the conclusion I've come to. Though it also is probably because having the country turn on itself will do less work.

"He's hard to understand. It's hard to understand evil people," Vivi added. Luffy was in Zoro's lap and Chopper in his, regardless of the blood bag. Chopper was a doctor and had been around blood a lot. It was nothing new.

Sanji asked if anyone suspected him. Anyone that wasn't royalty. "No. I don't think so. He drives pirates off, protects the country from them. So everyone sees him as a hero."

"Then nobody would think he's anything but a hero. If they didn't, they would lose some sort of hope and the feeling of protection," Sanji concluded. Vivi nodded. The islanders being duped was easy to understand. It was natural they'd like someone they saw was protecting their safety.

Luffy was done with his drink and tossed the bag over the railing. "But we're still going to kick his ass." The others nodded in agreement, but they first needed to stop the rebellion. "Why? If we defeat Crocodile, then you can just tell everyone without him interfering, right?"

Nami replied, "No. If the royal army defeats Crocodile without giving any proof as to why, then it would look bad. They'd look like tyrants, how some of the country already sees them. Ending the rebellion first is the first step to freeing the country, and then to defeat Crocodile."

"We also have to drive out Baroque Works. Stopping the rebellion would be intertwined with getting rid of the bounty hunters. They work as manipulators as well," Vivi added. Usopp asked how they even worked. The names were odd. "The system is simple. There are numbers in terms of strength, all starting with 'Mr'. Then there are female partners with them that complement their abilities. These people are number agents, taking orders directly from Crocodile. Twelve pairs and one of animals."

"Ah, are those the ones Luffy scared off?" Usopp wonders.

"Yes. Miss Friday and Mr. 13. They usually punish the agents for failing," Vivi replied. Chopper asked what they were talking about. "Luffy scared off those two. They were animals, and reacted badly to him."

Luffy laughed. "Chopper's brave! Shishishi!" Chopper yelled that he didn't like compliments, but smiled. He did that a lot. Uncomfortable but enjoying compliments. Like how he hid around corners backwards.

Vivi said that the crew only had one devil fruit user, and that most of the upper officer agents had devil fruits as well. "Some are dangerous I assume. Mr. 5 could explode parts of his body." Nami roared that they would not speak of that man. Vivi smiled. "Sorry, Nami. But he and Miss Valentine are probably fired. As are Mr. 3 and Miss Golden Week. We don't need to worry about them anymore."

"Why?"

"They all failed. The Unluckies probably offed them or their place in Baroque Works were revoked. We shouldn't worry about them much anymore." They were happy to have those people gone. At least, that's what they assumed now. "Those below the twelve officer agents are not as strong."

"So, taking over Alabasta is the final job for the organization?" Nami asked. "That means all the officer agents will be in the same place!" Usopp and Chopper freaked. Luffy smiled and said he believed in both of them.

"Stupid, that doesn't make me happy!" Sanji smiled and took a drag of his cigarette.

The group was quiet for a bit before Luffy asked, "What is Miss All Sunday like? She was really good at lying, or almost everything she said was the truth. I don't know." Vivi said she was probably a good liar. Working for Crocodile closely gave her important tasks. Lying shouldn't be so hard for someone like her. Crocodile was good at fakery and lying as well.

Zoro asked why he wondered. "I don't know," the captain said simply and honestly.

The next day, they were fishing, attempting to, when they came across a large part of the ocean that was steaming. "Don't worry, that steam isn't harmful to us. Underwater volcanoes spew magma that heats the ocean. There are many more volcanoes in the ocean than on land. In several thousand or ten thousand years, an island will be there."

"Heh, ten thousand years. I wonder if I'll be alive then," Luffy mused as he fished with no bait. Usopp said he wouldn't be. "But it would be cool! But I might be all shriveled up and dry. So never mind, then." They proceeded through the steam before Luffy casually said there were people in there with them.

"What?!" Usopp demanded. Luffy nodded simply. Then he looked down to see somebody had fallen into the water and was sinking. Luffy didn't hesitate to throw an arm down and catch him, yanking him back up. He landed on the deck hard, Sanji inside while the rest were out. "Are you okay, mister?" Luffy asked.

Usopp and Chopper were hiding. "Don't worry, guys! He's seems like a nice guy."

"You're a wonderful person, thank you for saving me! My life has been saved by pirates I don't even know! I will never forget this. Might I have a warm cup of soup?"

"We don't have any food," Luffy said as the others got irritated. "Shishishi, we're starving!"

"WE are, you're not!" Usopp shouted. Luffy laughed again and Nami slapped her face with a sigh. The okama looked up at Vivi, and sort of weirdly said she was cute. Vivi just looked grossed out. Luffy noticed Nami glaring at the guest. Luffy looked at her and she blushed and looked away. Hmmm…

He turned back to the guest, and asked, "So you can't swim, either, huh?" He said he ate a devil fruit. "Oh, what is it?" Luffy wondered. "There are zoans, and logias and paramecias. So cool." The guy said he liked Luffy's enthusiasm.

"Well, I must wait for my ship to come back anyways, so why not put on a show? This is my devil fruit!" He slammed his hand into Luffy's face. Zoro got furious immediately, and made to draw his swords before they were all shocked with the man's new face, which was Luffy's. "I told you this was my show! Stop joking around!"

"Wha! It's me!" Luffy said in shock. Zoro looked disgusted, clearly not attracted to this Luffy at all. Luffy giggled. Everyone was surprised and impressed that it was identical.

"Surprised, surprised?! Touch my left hand and it goes back to normal! This is the power of my clone clone fruit!" He walked and slapped everyone's faces with his right hand, not punching them, and explained that he only needed to touch someone with his right hand to copy their face, body and voice. He changed into each one of those outside. Then he opened his clothes in Nami's body. Luffy was uninterested but Nami punched him in the face for it. Luffy looked up and saw Vivi's face was pink and she was looking away. "Shishishi…"

They cheered him on to do more, and he agreed, changing his face many times into others he had touched before. He sure had a lot of faces to use! Zoro thought the whole thing was stupid, still seeming sour over someone else taking Luffy's face and body.

"How do you like my super special talent?! I never show anybody, but you guys are good! Nahahaha!" The boys started dancing with him, and Luffy really liked him! He was funny and cool. But then his ship came, and it was time to leave. They wanted him to stay longer. "Do not be sad, my babies! Separation is inevitable! Never forget me. Length of time means nothing to true friendship!"

"Come back again!" Luffy, Usopp and Chopper called, tears in their eyes. The guy then told his crew to leave, and they exposed who he was. Bon Clay… Mr. 2. They were shocked, and demanded to know why Vivi hadn't said anything!

She was defensive but upset. "I've never met Mr. 2 or Mr. 1's pair! All I know is that he talks like an okama, looks like an okama, and wears a jacket that says okama!" They all sort of looked unimpressed. It was pretty clear that Bon Clay was Mr. 2 based on just his outfit. "One of the faces he used was my father's. What did he use his face to do?!" she asked in distraught.

Nami walked over and helped her stand, rubbing her back soothingly. Zoro unhelpfully said that there were a lot of bad things you could do with the face of an authority figure. "We just let a really dangerous guy get away. Oi, Luffy. I thought you said he was a good guy!" Usopp said. "He was an enemy."

Luffy frowned. "Everything he said was honest. Can you be a good person… and an enemy at the same time?" he asked. The deck went quiet, everyone thinking about the question. It was a good one. Vivi said that everyone working for Crocodile's cause were bad people! Luffy nodded, and they all tried to move on.

The question reminded him of Miss All Sunday. She was a good liar, and did terrible things. But was she a bad person? He didn't know why he thought she wasn't, but he said nothing. He distracted himself by going to kiss Zoro. He felt like a traitor in that way of thinking. Vivi was one of them. Her enemy was their enemy, too. He just hoped they didn't need to fight Bon Clay.

"It'll be bad if he finds out we're enemies. He has our faces, doesn't he? He could use them for something against us." Zoro pulled back from the chaste kiss that he welcomed completely, and grinned.

"It's a good thing we ran into him. We don't need to be afraid. We can use countermeasures now that we know one of their powers," he said with a proud voice.

The next day, they were all very hungry and Luffy was rationing his blood for every three days. Sometimes using Zoro as a snack because he asked. But there was a problem. The sea seemed to be full of big things to catch, kill and eat, but nothing would approach the ship. Even when Luffy was deep inside the men's room, nothing approached, and they could see things swimming far from the ship.

There was really nothing to eat.

"Ooh, look! A big cat!" Luffy cheered. "But it didn't come close," he pouted

"We wouldn't eat it even if it did. Sea cats are sacred in Alabasta."

"Oooh, we could eat a god?!"

"No!" Vivi scolded. Luffy huffed, and went back to being irritated about driving away any food when they needed it. She turned to Nami and smiled. "We've entered Alabasta's climate. We'll be there soon," she said. Her voice was full of happiness, but also a hint of fear. Nami put her arm around the princess.

"Whatever is there, being here is a big step in the right direction, right?" she asked lightly. Vivi nodded, and leaned her head against Nami's before Sanji came out. Then they separated quickly. Luffy saw Zoro smirking and smiled too. But Luffy hoped Vivi would come with them.

The mood was ruined when they suddenly saw multiple ships, all with enemy flags. All of them were Baroque Works ships. They were all gathering, like they'd thought.

"We have to shoot them with cannons! Before they get to us!"

"No, we have to save their ships and then eat all their food!" Luffy responded frantically. It was the only source of food they had right now. Beating them all up shouldn't be hard, right? He scared away all those other people. But that was with the Unluckies being beaten. Luckily they didn't need to fight and they weren't noticed. But they also didn't get any food.

-x-

"Zoro's smart," Luffy said as they all tied bandages over the X marks on their forearms. That's how they would know if it was them or Bon Clay impersonating them. He wouldn't know about what was beneath the wrappings. Zoro grinned and kissed Luffy's cheek. Those two were excited for fights. Luffy wanted to take out Crocodile as soon as possible.

But there were a lot of steps they had to do in a specific order. Though things rarely went how they initially planned so far in their journey. Maybe this time will be like that. He hoped he got to fight a lot, but not Bon Clay and not Miss All Sunday. Those two weren't bad. They did bad things and were enemies, but they weren't bad.

He hadn't told anyone his opinion about Crocodile's partner, not even Zoro. It would be mean for Vivi, since she had said such cruel things to Vivi and had killed Igaram.

They were coming up on Alabasta, and Chopper was excited to go on a new island. He asked what he should do in this. "Just do what you can and nothing else," Usopp replied lightly. "Run from enemies you can't beat! Just do your best!"

"You're just telling yourself that," Sanji accused lightly. Chopper wasn't bothered, and took the words to heart. He would do his best. Luffy hugged him like a stuffed animal and told them he had faith in all of them. "For someone who can't lie, you're pretty good at being manipulative," Sanji said.

"Mostly just overly positive. He's not smart enough to manipulate us," Usopp added.

"Hey! I was being nice and polite, jerks!" Luffy huffed. Zoro glared at them and they looked a bit repetanant. They were coming up on the harbor and would stop at the inlet on the west side. They had to hide the ship, after all. It wasn't like on other islands where they thought the ship was safe since it was isolated and not densely populated.

Not only was Alabasta dense with population in many parts, but there were a ton of enemies, too. He grinned, excited. "Whatever happens, this left arm is proof of our friendship!" Luffy said, and they all held their arms out. Nami and Vivi brushed hands and smiled wider. "Let's get onto dry land and to a restaurant!"

Then he screamed, startling everyone. "I smell Ace! I smell Ace!" he shouted. "Hurry, hurry! Go faster!" he was bouncing on his toes, and Zoro smiled fondly. Nobody told him he couldn't visit his big brother, even if they were crunched for time. Even Vivi didn't say anything. Which was good, because Luffy would see his brother regardless.

The moment they docked out of sight, Luffy ran at full speed to Ace, even if he was really hungry, too. He zoomed through people and objects as he followed the comforting smell of his only brother. He smelled marines, the scent of their coats they used, but didn't care right now. Ace was all that mattered.

He was so curious about his life as a pirate. His crew, his adventures, everything. And then he would have him meet his crew. He thought Ace would like Zoro, which was relieving. When he found the source of the smell, he saw Ace had fallen asleep in his food at a restaurant. He heard people suspecting he ate something poisonous and died, but he was just asleep with his weird sleep disorder thing.

When they were together, it was only when he turned sixteen that it came. Luffy had to watch out for him a lot, which was training in and of itself. Taking care of someone else, keeping them out of danger while vulnerable. But Ace set out anyways, somehow not having it ever bother him! He was alive after all.

He slammed into him from behind. He jerked awake. "Boo!" Luffy shouted.

"Luffy!" he cheered and turned to hug his brother tightly. "Ah, I missed you! You got a bounty now!" Luffy nodded proudly. "Well, you don't look much different from last time."

"Hey, I'm older now. And stronger. And more attractive."

"Pffft!" Luffy proudly said he had a boyfriend. Ace scowled.

"Shishishi. C'mon, you have to meet my crew!" he insisted, pulling at his brother. "Ah, but I'm hungry. Mister, food please!" Luffy asked, banging silverware on the table. Food was served to him, and he ate a ton before he was full and then he and Ace ran, dine and dashing like old times. "You smell the same!"

Ace was smiling, and asked if his crew knew. "They know everything," Luffy said proudly. Ace grinned wider, and congratulated him sincerely. He had so much to tell Luffy, as well. Luffy stopped suddenly, and dragged Ace into the alleyway between another restaurant and a clothing shop.

"What do you smell?"

"This big marine guy from Loguetown! His name is Smoker and he had a logia fruit and somebody was there that smelled like grandpa but then left a note in my pocket but I lost it." It was a lot of important information in one sentence. Ace seemed interested in the logia part, but then shocked at the other. "I got so much stuff to tell you."

They watched as Smoker went by, and then hurried off to find his crew. They needed supplies and new clothes, but being with the marines was dangerous. They ran out of a corner and to where he smelled Zoro. Ace ran behind him, his watermelon bag on his back. He seemed super happy to see him.

"Ne, were you at Drum?" Luffy wondered, but didn't get an answer before he ran straight into Kuina look-alike! Her glasses fell, and he took them and smashed them. "Shishishi, can't find me now! Hahaha!" Luffy said, leaving her shouting that she couldn't see anything.

Ace laughed loudly and called him a little shit. "She's annoying, though! And a marine, the partner of Smoker!" Luffy explained. But then he laughed, saying Zoro would think it was funny. But they got spotted by marines who saw what he did. Ace calmly said breaking her glasses was pretty obviously something an enemy would do. "Or a mean person."

"True," Ace said lightly.

"It's Straw Hat! Ah, and Firefist!" he marines heard. Luffy could hear Smoker shouting over everything else. What a busy place this was. Luffy exclaimed that Smoker was coming. A logia was hard to deal with! He found the source of Zoro's scent and slammed into the little building alcove they were in.

Ace hadn't followed, and Luffy peeked his head over the side to see Smoker was fighting Ace. only there were loud "whoosh!"s as the smoke and fire fought. "He has a devil fruit! He's even cooler now!"

Sanji shouted at him that he brought attention to them. "But I found Ace," he said, but got a hit to the head. "Well, then let's go!" They gathered everything and went running to the ship, Luffy running backwards while carrying a water barrel on his head. "He's so cool now. He was always cool, but now! Wow!"

Nami smiled, saying it was cute how excited he was. "Well, I haven't seen him in three years! So of course I'm excited. Hey, Zoro. I saw the Kuina look-alike and I broke her glasses so she couldn't follow me. Shishishi." Zoro started laughing and they made it out of town and to the ship.

Before all of them boarded, Vivi had Carue take a thick envelope with papers in it, and tied it to his neck. "This is an important mission I can only entrust to you," Vivi said sincerely. "Go north and give this letter to my father. Igaram and I researched it all. Everything is spelled out clean and clear."

Luffy jumped on the ship, waiting for Ace who would follow them. Carue left with the letter and the task to tell the king that Vivi was here and with dependable people. "Good luck, Carue!" Luffy shouted, Chopper and Usopp shouting, too. Vivi got on the ship, and they sailed down the river further.

All of the crew were excited to meet Ace, since he'd spoken about him before. And they knew he had been there for Luffy with his special needs, and they had been close. And how damn happy he was to finally meet him again. Sanji was surprised at the odds of both of them eating devil fruits. "I know, right?! Even without that fruit, I've never been able to beat him. Well, my fruit is much cooler than fire, but that's pretty awesome, too."

Usopp disagreed. Fire was awesome and powerful. "Jerk! What am I then?"

Sanji took a drag of his cigarette. "Comic relief? But did you really never lose? It's still hard to believe." Luffy nodded. He'd never won. He'd come close a few times, though. But I could beat him now! Shishishi!"

"Just who can you beat?" Ace asked from behind on the railing. Luffy beamed and hugged him again. Ace was just as excited to see him as Luffy was. He turned to the crew. "Hey everyone. Thanks for taking care of Luffy. And his circumstances. Now, which one is Zoro and smells really nice?" Zoro's face turned red. "Oh, I assume it's you then."

"Hey, why are you here, Ace? I smelled you at Drum." Ace raised his brows. Apparently a letter had been left for him but he never got it. "How did you know we'd be at Drum?"

"I didn't. I've been leaving those notes on every island I visit. I wanted to see you after I saw your wanted poster. That face is definitely not what a wanted pirate's face should look like. But it fits, I guess." He was grinning. "I'm here on a hunt for a traitor on my crew. But first: will you come join the Whitebeard crew? With your friends of course."

"Nah," Luffy said brightly.

"Ahaha, I thought that would be the answer." Usopp was shocked to hear Ace was a Whitebeard. "The mark on my back is my pride and joy. Whitebeard is the greatest pirate I've ever known." Luffy grinned, and said he could take him. Zoro commented that he really doubted that. Luffy asked about the traitor. "Blackbeard. Marshall D. Teach. He killed my friend, Thatch, for a devil fruit. So as his commander, it's my job to take care of him."

Sanji invited him inside to have some tea, and Ace obliged. They all went inside, Luffy on Ace's back. He kept smelling him. Smelled like home. And the good parts of his childhood. Zoro looked irritated about it, and Ace looked at him in amusement.

They sat around the table, and Ace said, "Your ship is really cozy. The Moby Dick is massive. 1,600 people and all." Luffy would never want a crew that big. Can you imagine how much food it would cost?

"I don't know, cooking for the masses is a good skill to learn," Sanji said as he brewed and then poured the tea in the cups, all of different appearance. Ace took a sip and asked if they all knew about Luffy's circumstances once again. "Yeah, we know."

Luffy gladly said, "Sanji even makes blood food for me." Ace looked at him in respect. "And Zoro gives me his blood all the time." This made Ace's eyebrows raise quite high. Zoro's face was pink and he looked away. Luffy didn't talk about how aroused it made the swordsman. Only Nami knew about that little tidbit. At least, had been the only one to be around when it happened.

"I did almost die from lack of blood twice, though. Yeah, it was scary, but I'm better now. We actually went to Drum because I got sick on an island with dinosaurs and giants, and then we got Chopper here, as our doctor." Ace was reeling from all the information. His brother nearly died twice, there was an island with dinosaurs and giants that gave him a sickness and now they had a reindeer doctor.

Nami suggested he start at the beginning. "After all, you've wanted to tell him all about our adventures for awhile now." She had a smile on. Everyone was happy he was so happy. Luffy spent the whole time going up the river talking about his life as a pirate so far. Everything since he popped out of a barrel and onto a ship with a fat lady who turned out to be skinny later.

Ace watched and listened with a fond look, making all the right reactions at the right times. Zoro was smiling, too, hand holding Luffy's under the table, as he was embarrassed about being affectionate in front of Ace, it seemed.

"Ace, there was somebody like me, too," Luffy said, making Ace look serious immediately. "They're dead, but have the same features I have, the same needing to drink blood."

"Who said it?"

"A guy taking care of a whale. His old captain had this stuff. He wore contacts and dyed his hair so nobody knew other than his crew. I trust him. He knew I was something before I said anything. Did you know people in the Grand Line aren't freaked out about my eyes?" Ace said people looked all different in this sea.

He was happy for Luffy. Ace wanted to talk to Luffy on his own, so they went to the crowsnest, Luffy bundled up in a blanket, as the ride up the river would take awhile. "I missed you. And I have a lot to tell you, too." Luffy nodded, and heard all about the Whitebeards. His friends, the pranks, Whitebeard, who they called their father, and his best friends. "Marco is the first mate. We tease him all the time. It's fun. There's so much in the world to explore. So much you don't know yet. But I won't give any spoilers."

Then his face fell, and he bit his lip. "What's wrong?"

"... It's about my friend who was killed. He was stabbed in the back by one of my own division. I feel so responsible for it. Like, I should have noticed before. That he was rotten," Ace hissed. He clenched his hands tightly. Luffy moved next to him and leaned against his side. "I wish you could come with me. But I'll never take you from your happiness."

Luffy nodded. "Well, they knew him longer. Not your fault, right? I'm sorry I can't help. I don't know what he smells like, but I maybe could help you find him."

"It's not your job. I just want you to come for company, not as a tool." Luffy nodded and smiled. "I want to talk to your boyfriend, Zoro. Don't worry, I won't hurt him. And don't eavesdrop or I will know," Ace said, looking happy again. Luffy nodded, and was glad Ace still talked to him about important things, when he used to be so incredibly closed off. Isolating and internalizing all of his problems before Luffy broke down his walls.

Still one of the things he was the most proud of ever.

Chapter Text

Phoenix D. Ace: You're not weird by not liking crossovers. I hate reading them but enjoy writing them lol. Hopefully the other four crossover fandoms are better than the MHA for you. If they aren't, I'm not offended. I just hope everyone will be fine with the huge dragon content dump. Dragons will be making a comeback in my stories soon. 

I'm gonna call poorly done chapters "oopsie" chapters. When there is under my standard 3,000 words. So, enjoy the oopsie chapter.

I did what the manga did and made Ace not accompany them in the desert. That was all anime. which was a good choice, they should have put way more screen time with Ace. Enjoy~

Ace would be spending the night there, and then would leave the next day, returning to his hunt. They had a rowdy dinner, Ace almost face planting in his food when Luffy shoved him so he fell backwards instead of forwards. "Shishishi, Ace has narcolepsy," Luffy said simply.

Chopper was in awe. "And he was on his own once? And he's a big time pirate?!" Luffy nodded. "Wow. Narcolepsy is hard to deal with on your own, even with medication." Luffy bragged his big brother was awesome. When he woke up, he returned to his food, making sure he didn't talk with his mouth full.

They had dessert, and Zoro was irritated that Luffy was going to sleep with Ace on the floor like old times. Both were on the floor with Luffy's leg thrown over his brother's leg, who didn't care about being punched in the face during their sleep. They looked like two kids sprawled out, and not two strong pirates.

He was bummed to say goodbye to his brother so soon, but understood that his search for Blackbeard was very important to him and their crew. He gave him a piece of paper. "What's this?"

"Keep hold of that. If you can't find me in your own ways, use this. It'll guide you to me. Well, everyone, leaving my stupid little brother alone is worrying, so make sure you take good care of him. It was nice meeting all of you." He gave a special smile to Zoro, who barely nodded, nobody else catching it. "Luffy, next time we meet, we'll both be stronger. " The younger one nodded.

"I'll come see your crew some day. Promise!" Luffy called while Ace got on his cool little craft powered by his flames. Ace grinned, saying everyone would love him. "Love you! Be careful, okay?!"

"Love you, too! And you be careful, too! Get your bounty up higher next time we meet!"

"I promise!" Ace zoomed away on his little craft. Luffy was so happy to have seen him, even if it was brief. He put the paper in the tight space between his hat and the red ribbon, making sure it stayed. He bounced back to Zoro. "No more jealous Zoro. Hmmmm, I'll make you not jealous," he said, and dragged Zoro into the storage room, making everyone blush a bit. Vivi was the brightest red about it, and Nami jokingly said she'd heard it once. Zoro was quite vocal.

Once they were back out, Vivi gave them all cloaks with hoods to wear to keep their skin from being burnt. "Heh… but it's already so hot!"

"Actually, it will keep you cooler. It looks like it would be hotter, but it's not." Luffy thought that was amazing, and didn't question it. They rounded the Sandora river, and were getting ready to disembark and head to Yuba, where the leader of the rebellion was. Vivi wanted to negotiate, but Luffy wanted to fight!

They didn't know if anything Vivi said would work, or if the hatred was too deep. Hopefully it would stop. 700,000 people were in the rebellion. A lot of people that could die and kill. "I… we'll find out on our way there just what Crocodile has done to this country. We can stop the senseless violence," she said strongly. "I won't let Baroque Works have their way!" she shouted, balling her fists.

All of them agreed. Vivi was one of them, they all felt that way. Maybe they hadn't said it, but still. Sanji made some lunch boxes for them for crossing the desert. Luffy liked exploring new things, but he'd never liked the heat. So going through an empty dessert seemed like it wouldn't be fun at all.

"Let's go! Upa!" Luffy cheered at the railing as they got closer to the shore to dock. Vivi corrected him. "Yuba!" They dropped off the ship, all wearing long robes and some sort of headdress to cover their heads. Luffy's was just tied around his hat. When they started to leave, a turtle-seal popped up. "Oooh~!" Luffy called in interest, only to flee. "No, come back! Urgh," he mumbled angrily.

Vivi said, "Well, it's a good thing they left. They're usually very violent. He would have attacked one of us." She sounded sympathetic, and Nami smiled. They walked in the back of the ground, close enough that it would be hard to see they were holding hands. Sanji was distracted with arguing with Usopp, and Luffy had his hand tightly held since he wanted to explore and was getting distracted from what they really needed to do.

"Vivi, were those creatures that live in the ocean? They swam pretty far up into the river," Sanji wondered. Vivi and Nami stopped holding hands.

"They're ocean mammals. Ever since the ancient times, the Sandora river has sustained the country. But lately the river has lost the force it once had. Now it's being pushed back by ocean currents. That's why the kung fu dugongs are here. The water they're in is salt water. Unsafe for drinking or growing food."

"Is that why this village dried out?" Zoro asked, rubbing his thumb over Luffy's knuckles, barely noticing picking his hand up to gently kiss the back. Sanji rolled his eyes. Despite how in love with all women he was, he never looked down on Luffy or Zoro for being the complete opposite of him in the preference department.

Vivi shook her head. This village was already dry, they just used water from when it rained. "Up until recently, it was thriving full of greens. Now it's completely dry. In the last three years, not a single drop of rain has fallen," Vivi said sadly. Vivi assured Chopper that the town they'd been in was sustained by the Katorea Oasis. "Even in Alabasta, we survived with little rainfall. But there was one place that always got more rain than others, Alubarna. The city was built around the king's palace. It was called the 'king's miracle'."

But two years ago, the king was blamed to have been using dance powder for the rain, a powder that causes rain to fall, but the powder sucked up all the moisture in the air around it, causing droughts, taking away even the chances for it to rain. The king's home supposedly only had water from the dance powder.

"But it caused a huge war… the loss of life was profound. After that, the World Government outlawed using or creating dance powder. The powder that brings happiness and misery at the same time…" After that, it stopped raining everywhere but the king's city. Of course that looked suspicious.

"You're dad is evil!"

"He was framed," Zoro said patiently before Usopp could yell at him. "No matter how good a ruler is, there will always be those that oppose them, and might do this- take drastic measures, do something terrible." Vivi nodded. She knew that Crocodile's plan had started years ago, with the strange weather. It was when the people first started to be manipulated.

Vivi said, "There was such a huge scandal, and somehow the dance powder ended up in the palace under his nose!"

"Heh, are you sure he's not the bad guy?" Luffy asked, picking his nose absentmindedly. Nami smacked him, yelling at him to trust Vivi's dad like he trusted Vivi.

"No, he's right to be skeptical. The plan is too good. But that is not the truth. My father would never put his beloved people through such pain! He would never let his people starve from no food, die from no water, sparking a war and rebellion that only continued to get worse. It was all Crocodile! He took everything! The rain, the faith, the happiness! He stole the lives away from so many! I WILL NEVER LET HIM GET AWAY WITH THIS!" she cried, becoming very emotional, reasonably so.

Lufy was furious, seeing Vivi's tears. He couldn't help but take off some of his anger by going with Sanji and Usopp and wrecking a nearby building. Luffy walked up to her and said, "Well, we're all here to stop it, right? And kick Crocodile's ass! Let's go. I'm getting anxious."

Zoro mused that he wanted to fight the number agents. Sanji vowed to protect the ladies.

"I will do the best I can!" Chopper said strongly. He latched onto Luffy's back, and Luffy held him on his shoulders. He was still so clingy. Usopp was scared and worried, but didn't protest saving Vivi's country, no matter how much effort it took. How scary any of it must be.

The next day was spent in the agonizing heat, making all of them miserable and sweating inside their clothes. Luffy hated being in the robe, he wanted to cool off, but nothing was cool. Not the air, not the sand, not even the breeze. It was terrible. Chopper was in the worse off right now as he was covered in fur.

Zoro was pulling him behind on a sled. "Zoroooo, let me, too," he complained.

"No, it can't take that much weight. You have to walk like the rest of us." Luffy called him mean and said he wished Ace stuck with them longer. "He was made of fire, it's not like he could cool us down," Zoro said, sounding just fine even in the heat. He was so tough.

Luffy explained, "He would'a distracted me. Mehhhh, I wanna see him again." Sanji commented they sure were close. He sounded wistful about it. "We were always together when we were young, and he'd never thought me drinking human blood was weird. It's hard to explain, but we both helped each other out a lot."

Usopp commented that he wished he had a sibling. "Shishishi, Ace tried to kill me a lot when we first met!" he said in amusement. Some got angry, demanding to know why. "Cause I was annoying and he was really cranky! But Sabo was there, so he kept him from being too mean." Vivi wondered when it changed. "After Sabo was gone. Then we got closer."

Nobody said anything about the loss of his brother. He took a blood bog out of the pouch inside of his robe and drank a small portion.

"How did you get human blood when you lived in the forest?" Chopper asked, voice tried and tongue out from the overwhelming heat.

Luffy had a donors when he wasn't sent blood bags. "You never drank from Ace?" Luffy hadn't. Only other humans. The bandits gave him blood in blood bags if necessary. They were jerks a lot, but kept Luffy alive. In the beginning they'd been freaked out, but then Luffy got really sick without it, like he had before. Then they gave him blood so that didn't happen anymore.

Sanji said, "You sure get lucky with the people you're around. You sure you can't smell good people?" Luffy shrugged. He felt good feelings from good people sometimes. But he was wrong about one. It was frustrating him. When he was asked who it was, he was frustrated with himself saying anything.

He glanced at Vivi, and asked her not to be mad. "Oh… okay," she said slowly. Everyone stopped and Luffy looked down. He said, "Miss All Sunday." Vivi's face hardened, and Nami took her hand to calm her down. "There was also Bon Clay. Two enemies didn't give a bad feeling. It's frustrating. I want to hate Miss All Sunday because of how much pain she's put Vivi through."

Luffy looked up, and apologized to her. "I can't help the feelings, but I don't let them take over my actions. I won't let it block my actions if we ever meet up again," he vowed. She nodded, relaxing. The princess thanked him for being honest.

They were hungry, Luffy especially, as the little amount of blood just wasn't enough, so they stopped at the nearest rock. He had to carry all of the stuff after losing rock-paper-scissors, and it was exhausting. He wished he had super strength with being part monster. If he had to drink blood, he wished he had some pay off! Hopefully it would manifest, right?

"Rocks!" Luffy shouted once some came into view. He zoomed there, dragging the stuff behind him. He put it under the shade, and saw some dead birds on the ground. Ooh, food! Luffy ran at them, but they jerked up, seeing him, and stopped pretending to be dead. "Hey, come back, food! Jerks!" Luffy shouted, trying to catch one with stretched out arm, but the others pecked at his hand painfully.

Usopp asked what he was doing. "There were birds pretending to be dead! How rude. Jeez." Vivi said it was for the best that they ran away. They played dead and then stole things. "How rude, I was right!" Luffy said. "Well, I protected everything," he added proudly, hands on his hips.

He looked up and to the side. "Something is coming. Maybe food!" he got up and ran towards it before seeing it was a huge lizard, big enough to really eat him. "Help me!" Luffy shouted as he was nearly eaten.

"A giant Sandora lizard!" Vivi screamed. There was a camel running away from the thing, too. Luffy jumped onto its back and rode it away. Before he got far enough to turn around and use a couple seconds to attack.

Zoro, Luffy and Sanji all attacked at the same time, killing it easily. Luffy wiped his brow. "Phew! Man, that was close. Neehee!" he laughed. Nami punched his head. "But we got food from it! And a camel, too."

"You guys didn't even put up any trouble," Vivi said in surprise. Nami called them all monsters.

"Haha, welcome to the monster club!" Luffy cheered as they prepared cooking the meat on a stone. Some laughed, and Zoro sat and yanked Luffy into his lap, kissing his neck softly. Vivi blushed, and she and Nami held hands with their sleeves down and covering them. Luffy and Zoro smiled. And Nami smiled back. Too bad they couldn't openly show affection.

Nami didn't want everyone to know. It wasn't like she told Luffy her preferences, he just figured it out somehow. Once the meat was cooked, conserving most of their food but eating some, they also fed the camel.

Chapter Text

Phoenix_D_Ace: Baby Luffy ones get so much attention omg. My highest read story on ff.net is the one where Luffy is half vampire. Second is the one where Luffy is a monster and it's also ASL on WB ship. Then another baby Luffy one! But I have no inspiration for any right now. I'm really glad you like my stories. I'm in the slow process to putting things up on wattpad, where I have more followers than on ao3, which is weird to me.

DotNotFound: Lol that was a response to a reader's comment. Below the responses is the real author's notes. 

izzywolf22: Hmmm, nobody knows what will happen to Ace later. Remember, I butchered the plot, right? though I also enjoy making Luffy suffer, so killing off Ace would be the ultimate thing. Then they have to have the time skip anyways, so who knows how that will work? You'll only know once Marineford arrives!

After their break, they got up, they put their things back on their backs, giving Luffy a break, and tried to ride the camel. He thanked them, Chopper knowing what it was saying, but said he didn't let men ride on him. Zoro, Luffy and Sanji started yelling and kicking him. They were the ones to save him from that lizard!

"'Actually I let the scary one ride me' he says," Chopper translated.

"That doesn't count! I helped defeat him, too, y'know," Luffy complained. But in the end, he ended up only allowing the women. Vivi was nice enough to walk while Nami rode like a lazy person. Even a princess was walking. They ended up naming the camel Lashes, turning down the insulting names from the boys. Though Lashes wasn't that good, either.

When they were leaving, suddenly the world tipped. Everything went blurry and he saw monsters and many Crocodiles in front of him, only there was a huge wave of water coming at them. "Ahhh! Run! A tsunami! Hey, you get away!" he shouted at the Crocodile near Zoro. He could hear noises in his ears, but through cotton balls. Everyone turned into Crocodile, and Luffy went after the first one.

He jumped at him, mouth open and ready to drink him dry painfully so he was scared and paid for hurting Vivi. His teeth clamped around something before he was asleep.

Sanji looked at his ripped up robe's sleeve. "Well, that was close," he said casually. Luffy lunged at him going to attack, trying to bite, but only getting his sleeve, as he yanked out of the way. Vivi was shocked at this, and asked if Sanji was alright. Usopp said they were never letting him drink from cactus again. "Yeah, I'm fine. I would be worried if he actually bit me, though."

They were all nervous, but Luffy was asleep now. "He has a pretty strong jaw. Ripped off part of Arlong's arm with his teeth," Sanji commented. "Nobody tell him. He'll feel really guilty about it." The crew agreed to do this, while Chopper was scared and shaking.

"What's wrong?" Zoro asked, dragging Luffy now instead of Chopper in case he woke up and freaked again.

"His whole demeanor changed. Like, the feeling he gave off was murderous." Nami commented that this had happened twice. With Kuro and then Arlong. But Arlong's fight, he was in much more control. The cactus just made it worse, that was all. "He was shouting about Crocodile. He didn't mean to attack Sanji, he just saw him that way. There's no need to be scared."

They knew who Luffy was. He wouldn't ever hurt them on purpose. "Guys… don't ever let him drink animal blood," Zoro said quietly. They asked why, distracted from the heat into their conversation. "Ace just told me to not let him ever drink animal blood. Luffy did it before and got sick."

Hearing it came from Ace made it more serious, so they all vowed to never let that happen. Luffy woke up, kind of disoriented, but not hallucinating anymore. They walked until it became night time. At night, it was freezing cold. Luffy liked this much more, and took off his robe and shirt, not caring.

Vivi saw the markings for the first time, and asked where they came from. "Oh, these? I was born with them. They just stretched when I grew," he said casually. Vivi said his appearance was actually really interesting. Luffy smiled. But even if he was fine with his hair, he still wore his Straw Hat, of course.

Chopper climbed back onto his back, and Luffy didn't protest. He wasn't too heavy. And it was nice and cool now, not exhaustingly hot. When they finally got to Yuba, Luffy smelled only one person. "Vivi, how many people should be here?"

"Thousands, why?"

"...There's only one." Vivi's eyes widened and she started running over the dune blocking the sight of any buildings other than the tallest. They could feel the earth rumbling and saw the source was a sandstorm.

"A sand storm, Yuba's being attacked by a sand storm!" Vivi said in horror. It was huge! The wind was intense and the sand rubbed onto Luffy's skin in an annoying way. Like sandpaper. He moved Chopper off and put his protective clothes back on. It was nice and cool while it lasted. But when it cleared, they saw the place was sunken in sand and a ghost town. Luffy was right, there was one person, digging in the ground.

Luffy asked where the water was. It was an oasis right? "The sand has swallowed it up." They all looked at the nearly empty water barrel. They were out of water and were planning on refilling it here. But that looked unlikely now. Luffy was thirsty, and not for blood that he had to ration. He still had the packs sewn into patches on the inside of his robe. Nami made them for him.

The guy was digging when he addressed them. "Travelers, huh? You must be tired through your trip across the desert," the old man said in a friendly voice. "I'm afraid this town's a little dried up." He continued to dig. "But you can rest. There are plenty of empty inns. That's what we're known for, after all."

His face looked like a kind old man. He wasn't lying. Vivi hid her face, and said she thought the rebellion was based there. The guy's face changed in an instant. "Why do you want the rebellion?" he demanded. "Don't tell me you want to join those filthy rebels! Those fools are not here anymore!"

"WHAAATT?! We came all this way! Vi-" Zoro clamped his hand over Luffy's mouth. She just tried to move on and couldn't believe it. She was angry and worried, too. They'd gone all this way for what seemed like nothing. No water, no rebels. This sucked.

He looked down, his digging stopping again. "This place has been ravaged by sandstorm after sandstorm. They come so frequently that they'd turned the town into this husk of what it had been. Took away all the water the people depended on. I'm here, knowing water is still there. I want to bring this place back to life. Without anyone coming here, without the circulation of goods, the rebels no longer had any need to be here. They moved their base of operations to Katorea."

"Is that close, Vivi?!" Zoro slapped his hand to his face. He should have kept his mouth clamped shut longer. The old man stopped at hearing the name. "Oops."

"...It's the oasis near Nanohana."

"Hey, why did we come here then?!" Usopp demanded. All of them were angry they went through that hell of a desert only to not be where they needed to be. Now they had to walk even further. "Who knows if they're still there, either?!" They didn't. They could be trying to catch them and then they move every time.

"Vivi… did you just say Vivi?"

Luffy answered. "She's not a princess! I said Vicky," he lied, unable to lie to save his life, which basically confirmed he'd said Vivi's name.

"Are you really Vivi-chan? Are you really?!" the old man begged. "I'm so glad you're alive! It's me, don't you remember!? I guess not, I've lost some weight."

Vivi recognized him finally. "Mr. Toto…?!" She was horrified when it was confirmed. The old man did look skinny and very aged. Tired, too. He took hold of her shoulders as she fought off tears. Maybe of anger or sadness or hopelessness. Looking at Mr. Toto, it was clear this wasn't how he used to look.

"Listen to me Vivi, I believe in the king! He would never betray our country! Isn't that right?!" Mr, Toto asked, wearing a true smile, not a trace of a lie in his voice, chest or face. He was sincere. It was nice. "This rebellion is absurd! Please, I beg of you! Stop these fools! You're the only one who can do it!" Her face relaxed, and she handed the crying man a handkerchief.

"We can stop the rebellion!" she said confidently. Nobody smiled but Mr. Toto. Vivi sounded more like she wasn't saying "we" but "I", even though she didn't. The others went into an inn to sleep while Luffy went to talk to the old man. It was dry out there, so it must be hard for him to live there.

Mr. Toto was confident he could dig up the water. It was still there, just needed some help coming out. Luffy looked at him blankly before offering to help dig. He dug a hole, but threw the sand into the other's until he told him to stop. They dug for a really long time, even as his crew and Vivi sleeped.

Luffy wondered what Vivi was like when she was little. "Ah, she was quite the troublemaker. Would leave the palace grounds and her guards to play with the other kids. She was strong, dependable, even at a young age. Loving this kingdom deeply, wanting to help it as well as she could, even as a child," he said it with a smile.

"So, she really likes it here?" Luffy wondered.

"Yes, she loves her kingdom very much," Mr. Toto said with a smile. Luffy stood, a frown on his face, as he said he was going to sleep. He crawled into Zoro's bed, looking at Vivi sleeping close to Nami. Vivi… she wasn't going to stay, was she? They would miss her. Nami especially. Luffy wanted Vivi to stay, but would never bring somebody by true force. Zoro was different, he didn't count. He had nowhere to go next, nowhere to miss.

Vivi loved her country, and was doing anything and everything she could to heal it. Even though he could tell they all wanted her to stay, they all had to know, even deep down, she was too in love with her home country. Well, that was understandable. Luffy eventually fell asleep.

When they woke up, they would be heading the long trek back to the current base of the rebellion. They said goodbye to Mr. Toto, who gave Luffy a small container of water that his watering hole had created the night before! He was so happy with it. The man was happy to give it to him. The special water of Yuba. He took a small sip. It tasted a bit like sand, but not too bad. As they left, he dumped a blood pouch inside, filling it more. "Isn't it gross? All watered down?" Sanji asked.

"Nah, it just isn't as filling. But it's more liquid!" Zoro said he needed to conserve more. "I still have four bags. They'll last a long time." His lover asked if he'd noticed he was drinking more after the sickness. Luffy frowned. The others had noticed, too.

"Maybe it's a side effect?" Nami offered. Luffy nodded, and secured his bloody water barrel around his neck. He'd be fine. "You need enough to fill up before you fight Crocodile. Keep that in mind." Luffy nodded. They left Yuba, resuming their long journey.

While they walked, Luffy mulled about what to do to get his point across to Vivi. So, when he came across a small tree, Luffy sat down. His crew and Vivi demanded why he was stopping, Zoro watching curiously but saying nothing. "I quit," Luffy said simply, arms behind his head against the dried up tree.

"You quit?" demanded his crew.

"What do you mean, Luffy-san?" Vivi asked.

"We're going back," Luffy said flatly. No emotion on his face. Sanji said they were going back to stop the rebellion and save one million people! This was for Vivi, he had to stop being stupid. "Boooring," Luffy replied dismissively.

"What did you just say?!" Sanji exploded, but Luffy paid no attention to him, staring at Vivi. She looked confused and uncomfortable, not full out mad yet.

He looked straight at her with a serious, hard face on. "Vivi, I want to bring down Crocodile and kick his ass. If we stop those guys rebelling, will it stop Crocodile? We can't do anything, even if we go to that place, and try to stop it there. Besides, we're pirates. Your cause would be better off without us. Right?"

Sanji muttered that Luffy hit the bullseye. Sounding surprised. Vivi wasn't sure what to say. "Well…"

"You just don't want anyone to die in this war, the people of your country, even us! You're talking about going up against a Warlord, in which over one million people will battle, and all you want is for nobody to die! That's naive." Nami got angry at this, but Sanji stopped her from raging.

Vivi was angry now, too, and hurt. "What's wrong with not wanting people to die?!"

"People die." And she punched him in the face. It didn't hurt, he was made of rubber.

"Stop talking like that! Don't you say that! That's what we're here trying to stop! You can't blame the rebel army for this! Why should they have to die?! It's all Crocodile's fault!" Luffy got up and punched her back, though definitely not at full strength.

"Then why are you risking your life?!" Sanji and Usopp were furious that he went so far as to punch Vivi in the face, throwing her back a little ways. She pummeled him on the ground next as he spoke anyways. "Even I can tell what this country needs the most! Just by looking at the situation! You think risking one life is enough?!"

"Then what am I supposed to risk?! I have nothing else I have to!" Luffy slammed her back down.

He roared, "Then try risking our lives, too! We're friends, aren't we?!" Vvi started crying, and Luffy sat up fully. "Look at you, you're crying. You're the one that wants to kill him the most!" Everyone had a look of agreement and even relief. They were all feeling the same to some degree, but must not have known how to address it. Definitely wouldn't punch her to explain.

"Tell me where Crocodile is," he said darkly, seriously.

-x-

They made their way through the desert to the place Crocodile lived. It sucked, again, with it being so hot and no shade to help. Luffy was glad that his shoes weren't made of rubber or they'd melt on the hot sand. But he was also made of rubber and smelled like burning chemicals even if he wasn't actually melting. It was boring and hard, and he and Usopp were the most open about the difficulties of being in the sun so long.

Vivi looked like she felt a lot better after their fight. She was stressed still, but her entire body wasn't tense and her face tight. They all looked forward to the water of the oasis that the warlord lived in. Water! And nobody wanted Luffy's water because, of course, it had blood mixed in. He took a few sips. He would conserve his blood packs. Didn't know how long the fight with Crocodile would last, or how hard it would be.

Arlong was a bit difficult, and he wasn't a Warlord. But Luffy wasn't afraid, and was confident in himself. Zoro was as well, and wasn't worried about him. Well, he tried to look that way. Luffy let him fight a Warlord, it was his turn. Well, Zoro wouldn't have stopped even if Luffy ordered him to.

Because of that, Zoro would never try to have him back down in a fight or run away, even if he was worried like Luffy had been. At one point, Zoro wandered away, and Luffy grabbed him and snapped him over, both colliding. "North is this way, idiot," Nami snapped.

"Neehee, I won't let Zoro wander off," Luffy said and took his hand. Zoro snapped it was always the other way around. Luffy laughed again. Then he went back to dying with Usopp just a little after he took small sips of the blood water. Vivi promised Luffy she'd give him tons of food after his fight. "Now I have something good to look forward to!"

Sanji hit his head. "You should be excited about winning!"

"But good food after a win is better than the win itself, isn't it!"

"Or good booze."

"Ugh! You're both hopeless," Sanji said, and went back to the camel still carrying Nami. Chopper wasn't complaining today or being held or dragged by anybody else this time. Luffy gave him a thumbs up that made Chopper happy. He really was connected to Luffy well. With him getting more confident the more everyone accepted both of them.

He was the happiest when it was fine when Luffy drank the blood bags in front of everyone.

They made it hours later, and they were all so happy to be there! Finally! Water, shade! But a few were scared of finally meeting Crocodile, who Vivi made seem so strong. She hadn't told them why he was strong though, just that he was. Honestly, Luffy hoped to meet Miss All Sunday again. Just to try and figure her out more. But he didn't say this to anybody.

"Yesss! Crocodile, your ass is grass!" Luffy shouted, thrusting both fists in the air. He turned when he heard Usopp had made Nami a weapon. "Ooh, what is it?" Luffy asked, hurrying over to them.

"Look, this is your new weapon. A clima tact. At first it looks like your old one, but these are totally different! The attack changes based on how you put it together," Usopp explained proudly, handing Nami three blue tubes. Luffy wondered when Usopp had the time to make these without any of them seeing.

Sanji told Nami and Vivi not to fight, as he'd keep them safe. "Like last time? Where one was being chased by explosives and the other turning into a wax statue?" Zoro taunted darkly. Sanji went to attack them, and they had a fight until Nami kicked them in the heads from the camel's back. "Now is not the time, idiots!"

"Yes, Nami-san!"

"Bitch…"

"Ne, do you think they know we're here?" Luffy wondered, taking another sip of his blood spiked water. Vivi assumed so. Some of the agents were definitely there, two that knew them personally and others than might know their faces.

"At least, mine. The Unluckies might not have given any information on Luffy out of fear, though," Vivi explained. Usopp looked at Luffy's clueless face, and wondered who would be terrified of him. Luffy ignored it, taking Zoro's hand, though both were sweaty from the heat. Didn't matter much. "We should try to keep hidden. We don't want all of them attacking at the same time."

"Why? That would be fun."

"We want to take out Crocodile quickly. Having nobody else interfere would probably be the easiest. They are specialized in assassination, after all. We should be careful." They were all staring at Luffy.

"Crocodile, your ass is grass!"

"Were you even listening?!

"Yeah! Don't cause a scene and take out only Crocodile, right?" Sanji said he summed it up correctly, shockingly. Chopper was acting brave, maybe feeling brave, too, while Usopp was scared. Luffy didn't encourage them again. They had to be strong on their own this time.

They finally entered a thriving city: Rainbase. The city of dreams. They were going to go get barrels of water before Luffy stopped them at the doorway. "That's Smokey. And the Kuina look alike. Huh, she got new glasses." Luffy shoved Usopp inside to get water, his knees shaking. He pulled his hood up and deepened his voice.

"E'hem, I'd like five barrels of water," Usopp said. Smokey and Kuina look-alike looked at him, who clearly couldn't lift them all. The girl asked if he needed help. "Ah, no thank you. I have friends out there, I'll carry them out one by one! My friends don't like being in confined spaces and all. So annoying, am I right?"

Smoker looked at him in suspicion as he carried them all out one by one before they ditched, carrying them. Luffy heard the smoke noise. "No! Usopp, why'd you let him know?!"

"You're the one that ran past the open door laughing! Idiot! Damn it, why are the marines here! Let's get the hell outta here!" they both sprinted down the same streets, through alleyways.

Usopp tried to lead Luffy down a path not to their crew, but it was too late. "Guys, the marines are here!"

"Why'd you bring them to us again! Let's get outta here!"

Smoker shouted, "Make sure you get them this time! They're all fast little buggers!" he said in annoyance. Zoro pointed out they were probably already noticed by the enemy organization, making a fussy and commotion like this.

Luffy said seriously, "Tell me where Crocodile is, Vivi!" She pointed to the casino with an alligator on the top. It was his place of residence. Sanji suggested they scatter, and did so. Zoro went to the left, Sanji went to the right and Luffy jumped on the buildings to run. Vivi probably wouldn't be arrested if she got out of view fast enough. The marines didn't know her face personally.

They agreed to meet at the casino after losing the marines. "Come and get me, Smokey!" Luffy taunted on one of the buildings, laughing and running away in an annoying manner.

"That little punk! Don't think you can run away forever!" Smoker shouted, and used his devil fruit to go after him. Luffy said Ace's power was cooler. He wasn't trying to annoy Smoker, but it was doing so. "How do you know Firefist?!"

"He tried to kill me!" Luffy said truthfully, leaving everything out. But then he got caught and trapped in the smoke. He had no way out other than to use his gomu gomu balloon, widenly the smoke and drop down, though they lost the water. He landed on the ground hard, and felt and smelled all of the bags on his chest burst. He was dripping with blood now.

He was angry, and shouted at Smokey for being a jerk! Now all he had was the bloody water. Well, he had to rely on luck now, he guessed. He smelled his friends outside the hotel, though the stench of blood was very overwhelming. He had to focus on any smells other than the blood. Smoker thought he'd fatally wounded Luffy, and Zoro shouted his name in horror.

"Everyone, go inside!" he shouted. "Smokey's chasing me!"

"Get medical attention, you idiot!" Smoker shouted at the enemy who was drenched from chest to sandals with blood. He'd had many packets left. That was gone.

"Just you wait Crocodile!" When they entered the casino, Luffy called for Crocodile to come out so he could kick his ass. His mouth was covered, and they all knew they had no idea what Crocodile even looked like. "Maybe somebody strong looking."

"You are strong but don't look like it. That criteria might not be reliable," Usopp pointed out reasonably. Then they heard Smokey come in, only he was ushered back out, as marine officials were not welcome. Luffy stuck his tongue out at him, enraging him more, though he left as he was told to.

People looked at Luffy, and his nakama knew by now his blood packets had burst. "Yeah, I'm all out now but for this," he said, pointing to his water barrel. They were concerned. "Well, now it just gotta go with luck, right? I had one earlier, I should be fine," he assured them. Nami was the most concerned. Having seen what happened to him once he ran out of blood and was also exhausted. He'd gone out of control and drunk heavily from Kuro.

They didn't want a repeat of that. He smelled Miss All Sunday briefly. A carpet leading to the VIP room was opened for them. "Is he saying bring it on?" Nami asked.

"A clever guy," Zoro sneered.

"C'mon, let's go!" Luffy said, the four of them running inside, down the carpet and into the hall. Usopp wasn't happy but came, even though he claimed they were being led to their deaths. "What's VIP mean?" Luffy wondered as they ran. They came across a divergent hall, one side saying "VIP" and the other "pirates". They went to pirates, and the floor collapsed, leaving them in a cage made of seastone.

Chapter Text

Phoenix_D_Ace: I love ao3 the most because of how easy it is to tag. Nobody gets mad at me for gay stuff because they already know, unlike ff.net. I can't believe I have almost 600 followers on there. I never knew but it made me so happy!

Usopp demanded to know why he didn't realize it. There was a whole chamber beneath them! "The blood was smelling really strongly," he said defensively. He looked down, and scowled. He was coated in blood all to his legs. Shorts ruined, shirt ruined. "Now all I have is this barrel. Kinda."

"Well, in different circumstances… but not right now, here, no way."

Nami smiled behind her hand. "Would somebody be embarrassed?" she teased. Zoro scowled at her, and went to sit in the corner of the cage. Luffy pressed his hands against the bars, but it made him weak. Nami saw the look on his face, a furious, unnerving and slightly crazed look suddenly, and yanked him away. Smoker was dropped inside, too, having entered without permission.

"No touching that anymore, understand?" she demanded. Luffy nodded, moping. He was losing it when he touched something that made him feel extremely vulnerable. Smoker asked why Luffy was covered in blood, but didn't seem hurt. "None of your business," Nami snapped. Smoker then hit him in the side of the head with his jitte and then pinned it on him.

Luffy's eyes widened and he managed to grab the jitte and hold on tight enough to collapse it. Zoro pulled Luffy away from it. "Damn it," Zoro hissed, seeing Luffy was exhausted already. "What the hell was that?" But Smoker looked at his jitte in shock. He glared at Luffy suspiciously.

"He's a fruit user, seastone should weaken him immediately. Looks like it has an after affect. The stone of this jitte and cage is made of seastone, a mysterious metal that emits the same energy as the water. It's still a mystery, but it keeps devil fruit users from using their power," he explained, looking at his jitte in light anger.

He sat down, glaring at Luffy. Zoro looked troubled. He looked at Nami and Usopp, who knew the gravity of Luffy being exhausted already. Both of them moved in front of Zoro and Luffy, who took Zoro's arm and drank enough that was the size of two of the mini bags. He didn't moan, he just made himself look bored, completely controlling himself. Luffy wiped his face on him.

He pulled away with a thanks. He made sure not to touch the bars anymore. He snuggled into Zoro, an action that didn't fit the situation. Smoker looked at them with narrowed eyes, clearly now knowing there was more than a crewmember relationship. "Is now the time?" he snapped. Zoro gave him the middle finger. Then they were interrupted with a deep, cold voice, teasing them about fighting amongst themselves. Luffy hadn't even smelled him. He wanted this shirt off as soon as possible.

"Crocodile," Smoker sneered.

"You really are a stray hound, aren't you, Smoker? You never thought of me as an ally from the start. Oh, that's right, I was going to have you die in an accident. I reported you fighting the Straw Hats several times. Hahaha. I don't know why you came here, but it was obviously out of your own accord," he said casually, sitting in a fancy chair. "The government believes me, they wouldn't send any marines here normally."

Zoro had his hand on his sword. "So, that's a Warlord, huh?" Luffy was glaring at him, Usopp and Nami terrified.

"Hey! You!" Luffy started angrily, but was cut off.

"You did well to come this far, Straw Hat. I never thought I'd actually meet you. But you somehow scared the Unluckies, it seems. I don't see why, you aren't frightening at all," Crocodile said mockingly. Luffy glared. "But don't worry, I'll be killing you very soon. But the guest of honor isn't here yet. I've just sent my partner to pick her up recently." He laughed.

He truly looked weird. Slicked black hair with a very nasty stitched up scar across his face. While they waited, Luffy seething, he wondered if Crocodile's head had been chopped off and then fixed. "Not possible. That scar has to be from something else," Nami said calmly.

Smoker asked just how stupid he was, and Luffy stuck his tongue out at him. "Hey, Usopp, watch. Sanji impersonation: 'who took all the meat?'' He pretended to be smoking. Usopp laughed, and Zoro added he had to be harassing women casually from the corner of the cage. Nami yelled at them to all be serious.

"It's not like we can get out and have anything better to do," Usopp shouted, holding the bump on his head.

"Nami impersonation: 'you idiot, pay me back my money! Don't touch my tanger' - oof! Hey!" Nami was seething more, and Zoro was cracking up in the corner. She took a deep, calming breath. Smoker was looking at them like they were all crazy.

Crocodile was still there, being quiet and watching them in cruel amusement. "You're quite the feisty girl, aren't you?" he asked.

"What?! You'd better take this time to compose yourself! Once these guys are out of this cage, they'll beat your ass!" Nami snapped, gesturing to Luffy.

"Yeah, get ready, punk!" Luffy shouted back. Crocodile wondered what happened to Luffy. He was covered in blood. Zoro said he just fell into a butcher's shop. "Hmm, I wonder." But he didn't seem overly curious.

"Your crew really has a lot of trust in you, don't they, Straw Hat? Trust, hahaha, the most useless thing in the world." They were about to argue more when they heard a very familiar voice scream Crocodile's name.

They were horrified to see Vivi was captured! "Hello, welcome Vivi, princess of Alabasta," Crocodile said, not even rising from his chair or looking any different. "No, Miss Wednesday. You have done an admirable job of avoiding my agents on your way here."

Vivi looked at him in disgust and hatred, "Of course! I'd come from anywhere as long as I get to watch you die, Mr. 0!" Luffy was surprised. Well, Vivi wouldn't kill him herself. He felt she wasn't capable of it, no matter how livid or hurt she was. She was too peaceful. But the pirates would do it for her.

"It's your worthless country that's going to die, Miss Wednesday," he said with a lazy but evil grin. Vivi attacked him, spewing her anger about the state of her country. She brought out her weapon and attacked him. But they needed her to open the cage door to let them out to back her up, but she was too consumed in her anger.

Her attack hit the target, but his head burst into sand. They were surprised but Smoker. This was no doubt another devil fruit. Like Smokey's and Ace's. But then Crocodile was behind Vivi, grabbing her face. "If you live in this country, then you should know the power of my sand sand fruit. Shall I turn you into a mummy?"

"Let go of Vivi! I'm gonna kill you!" Luffy roared while the others were shouting at her to be released. Smoker and Zoro were quiet, though Zoro was angry. But thankfully he didn't kill her right in front of her helpless friends, she was forced to sit at the long table. Miss All Sunday was back. "Sit and stop glaring at me," Crocodile said to Vivi. "It's just about time for the party to start. Am I wrong Miss All Sunday?"

The woman said, "You are correct. It's past seven." Luffy looked at her long and hard, not at Crocodile. She looked at him and then discreetly turned her head to the side, looking away from him, though her easy smile didn't falter. A smile of amusement. She really was good at lying if she was, even on her face. He wished he could talk to her. But she was an enemy, and had hurt Vivi.

Crocodile revealed his plan to them, laughing the whole time. Planting his own employees to give out firearms and spur doubt in the kingdom after he produced and framed the king for the dance powder. He had been secretly egging on the rebellion indirectly. He was positive his plan was going to be pulled off that day. Miss All Sunday stayed quiet.

Vivi was adamant they could get to Albarna before him and stop it before the plan was successful. Everyone in the rebellion and royal army would die that day, while Crocodile would watch the downfall of the country. It was messing with Vivi's head, making her more and more emotional as her friends were forced to watch.

None of the threats or reassurances were heard by the princess, caught up in painful emotions. Luffy would take him out painfully, no doubt.

Then Crocodile threatened the king, but didn't say what he'd do, making Vivi more terrified for her family now, as well. A key was dangled in front of her, to unlock the cage that the Straw Hats and Smoker were in. He then tossed it into a pit below. "Go and get it, Miss Wednesday," he taunted. Vivi looked down in the hole with fear as Crocodile told her she could choose to save them by getting the key out of the banana gator room, or leaving as soon as possible to get to the place where so much bloodshed would occur.

When the banana gators came into view, they saw they were massive and had banana shaped things protruding from their heads. They watched as the banana gator ate the key. "Ahhh! Go get the key, Vivi! Make it spit it out!" Luffy screamed.

"I can't! Banana gators are extremely viscous! I'll die the second I get close to it!"

"You have to do something!" Usopp shouted. Zoro looked calm and Nami was biting her nails. Zoro turned to Luffy and said, "Once the villains leave, command the gator to give us back to key. How you did with the Unluckies." Luffy's eyes brightened and he nodded. The others hadn't heard.

He was now just waiting for the enemies to leave. Crocodile taunted Vivi a bit more, and then told them the room would be destroyed in 1 hour. He didn't need this base anymore. After all, the country would be his by the end of the day. The room would fill with water and kill them. Zoro's eyes narrowed.

Luffy was concerned about his other friends, but was trying to put that on the backburner. Where was Chopper? And Sanji? We're they okay?

"So, choose between one million lives, or these small time pirates," Crocodile said on the stairs. "Your chances of saving either one are slim. Here, your bet is your feelings. Do you like gambling? Kuhahaha! Even a princess is powerless in these circumstances. It was too easy to do my work here. There are so many idiots. Especially those young rebels-"

"Go away already! You're annoying!" Luffy shouted.

Crocodile looked down at him from the top of the stairs. "Well, annoying is better than dead, is it not? Kuahaha!" As he left, he admitted he was responsible for burying Yuba in sand, driving the rebels out, and ruining Mr. Toto's dream. Luffy was going to kill him. Though a logia would be hard to smash his knee against like he had done with Kreig.

Finally he was gone after taunting them just one more time, truly being annoying. He was the annoying kind of evil. Kreig had been the stupid, Arlong had been the selfish. And the water started to come quickly, soon up to Luffy's thighs. Zoro picked him up and put him on his shoulders. "Do it!"

And the first banana gator came out, the floor flooding as it came in. "VIVI GET OUT OF THERE!" Nami screamed. Vivi said she needed to key or they were dead, everyone was dead without them. Luffy took a deep breath. "BANANA GATORS!" he roared. "GIVE US BACK THE KEY!" Surely they'd be just as afraid as sea kings had been. Smoker said there was no use in doing that, until more gators were seen breaking through the glass walls of the pit and fleeing the compound.

But one came back, threw up some big ball and the key and then ditched, all of them gone for now. Vivi got the key and unlocked the door while Luffy scrubbed his clothes in the water as best as he could.

Zoro had his shorts and were frantically squeezing the blood out. "How is it?"

"Doesn't smell anymore!" Luffy said as they waded through the water and up the stairs, running out, all soaking wet. Smoker was following, his jitte mangled. He demanded to know how Luffy did all these things. The water then suddenly gushed immensely faster, and Zoro held Luffy above in his arms, not touching the water at all. Smoker was drowning though.

"Save Smokey!" Luffy ordered. Zoro huffed and chucked Luffy to the staircase, where he ran up and helped his friends up. Zoro swam deep into the sinking marine captain, completely immobile. And much heavier than Luffy was. He dragged him up and onto the staircase. He coughed out water, and demanded to know why Zoro saved him.

"Captain's orders," he said, and ran after his friends. "Don't thank me, it's Luffy being Luffy."

They met up with Sanji hurrying in. He saw the dried and faded blood all over Luffy, and grew concerned. "We're all okay. But we have to get to Albaurna immediately!" Nami shouted. Sanji said he was about to be the cool guy. "Better to be fast than draw it out, Sanji-kun."

Vivi was crying in anger and fear, frustration and shame. "Why are you all soaked?" Luffy said they were in a cage and then water came and he ordered monsters to vomit. "Oh… well, never mind." They left the casino at the same time, and heard Smoker say, "I'll let you get away, only this time. The next time we meet, you're a dead man. Remember that Straw Hat Luffy."

Smoker stopped the marines and the crew ditched, not being followed, he three behind him, "You're not that bad, after all!" and ran. He listened as Smoker told them the chase was off for now. He was tired. And to send reinforcements to Alabasta.

They were looking for Chopper by following his scent before he was right in front of him on a giant crab! "Guys, we're leaving on this!" The crab grew afraid of Luffy, but they couldn't afford for their ride outta there to be afraid.

"Shishishi, no need to be afraid! Chopper likes me right?" Chopper vehemently told the crab that Luffy would never hurt him. They jumped on while the crab was hesitating. Luffy patted its head as they headed to the desert, Lashes still there with them. It was his friend. The animals really were helpful.

But then Vivi was suddenly off of the crab! A hook was around her waist. Luffy yanked her back and switched positions. He would end this, now. His crew were screaming his name, Zoro stayed quiet but Luffy heard him muttering prayers or maybe just begs for him to be okay. Luffy hadn't told him not to fight, or said a thing to the battle against Hawkeye. He was returning the favor. And Luffy would be fine, he didn't need to worry!

"You guys go on ahead! I'll be fine!" he shouted firmly, confidently. "Make sure you get there! Get Vivi to the palace! No matter what!" The others were freaking, Vivi especially, but Nami calmed her down, or at least stopped the screams of his name. Their voices of confidence in him dimmed and their scents did as well as the crab zoomed away at an incredibly fast pace.

One last call was Vivi promising to meet him in their final destination: Alubarna. "Okay!" Luffy called back.

Luffy stood up, and both Crocodile and Miss All Sunday were there. "Haha, the princess just ran out on us," the woman said. Luffy stared at her deeply again, making her look uncomfortable. Luffy still couldn't figure her out.

The Warlord was unbothered. "Anyways, the agents in Alubarna should be done with their duties soon… call them," Crocodile said. "I think your little games have gone on too long, "Straw Hat Luffy."

He had his hat hiding his eyes. "You know her. She's weak, but does everything she can. She can't bear to abandon anyone so she's always in pain. She wants this rebellion to end without anyone dying." Crocodile said it was useless and for fools to believe things like that. Luffy agreed.

He brushed off his bloody shorts, and finished, "But as long as you're alive, she will fight you to her grave. That's why I'm stopping you right here." The Warlord mocked him, like Luffy expected. But he would win against this monster. He protected the homes of Sanji, Nami, Usopp. Now it was Vivi's turn. And he would do it with no complaint, like how he'd never done before.

"I'll give everything to win against you, and go help them foil your plans. Your reign of terror... Is over," Luffy said darkly. He would not lose control. He had had recent blood, and he would still need to head to Alubarna, he couldn't afford to be fatigued and just die out there in the desert alone, unable to move. Dying alone, and not dying fighting, would be the worst kind of death.

He had no plan on losing. "I want to shut your stupid mouth. Maybe I'll give you a big weird scar like the one already on your face," Luffy said, voice dark and whole popping his knuckles. Crocodile got irritated, and Miss All Sunday started to laugh.

"What's so funny?!" he demanded. "Do you want to die as well, Nico Robin?"

Robin said, "If that's how you feel about it, do as you wish. And what happened to your promise of not calling me that?" she asked lightly, walking away. He asked where she was going. "To Alubarna."

"Crazy woman," the Warlord muttered. He turned back to Luffy, and tossed a sand timer down. "I'll give you three minutes. After that, I won't have the time to play with you anymore," he said dismissively, completely looking down on Luffy. "Any problems?"

"Nope. Fine with me." He didn't want to get separated for too long. "Gomu gomu pistol!" and he shot a fist out in his head, only for it to turn into sand. The man moved forward thrusting his claw at Luffy's throat. He contorted his body to bend backwards. "Gomu gomu stamp!" he shouted, shooting his foot out, but it just went right through him.

He wished Ace had taught him how to deal with logias. Crocodile's fruit looked a lot more deadly than Smokers. The sand would hurt if it rubbed against him, even with his rubber skin. He was knocked to the ground and rolled, irritated now. How did he deal with a logia?

"Let me tell you one thing, Straw Hat Luffy. No matter how much you struggle, you will never, ever-" but Luffy set a gatling gun at his face before he finished his sentence. He was fine, the fists hitting only sand, no real body. He tried speaking again, but Luffy shot a gomu gomu bazooka into his stomach, blowing the sand apart, but still not doing any damage.

While he was reforming, Luffy slammed him into the ground with a battle axe. He stomped on the sand, asking if he got him. "Stupid croc! Crocodiles suck! Gators taste better!" he raged as he stomped down, before Crocodile reformed behind him.

"I already told you that wouldn't work," he said calmly. He wasn't even breathing quickly.

"Asshole!"

Crocodile smiled his condescending smile at him. Luffy could tell the sand timer was going quickly. "No matter how much you fight, gomu gomu human, you will never-" Luffy slammed a fist in his face. He made a noise, being cut off by Luffy's fist from whatever he was going to say. How much did he want to talk during the battle? Arlong did that, too!

"What's with bad guys and monologuing!? Besides, you should finish your sentences!" He looked momentarily furious.

But he composed himself enough to speak. "Why don't we end the games now, Straw Hat Luffy?" Luffy shouted he'd been fighting seriously. All he'd been doing was literally nothing. Was he too scared to attack Luffy directly? "If you want me to attack, fine. I'll show you the true difference between our strength. You and I are pirates of completely different leagues!"

He shot a blast of sand that ripped through the earth, creating a huge fissure that almost went right through the rubber teen. "Oof!" He'd barely been missed. His eyes were wide in shock, but not fear. He rolled and then jumped back up, putting his fists in front of him. He couldn't lose control. He wouldn't, he'd be useless afterwards.

He'd finish with just his skill alone! He was strong, wasn't he? And time was running out. It felt like it'd passed three minutes long ago. "Well spotted, you would have said ouch if it hit you." If it hit him, he would be dead, not just ouch. Luffy was still shocked that the desert was literally cut in half, but he didn't let it distract him.

"Depending on the devil fruit and how you use and train them-" Luffy hit him.

"Stop monologuing, stupid! You're just like Arlong and Kuro!" Luffy shouted. It was nearly three minutes, he didn't have time for the guy to brag about his powers and status. "Get serious already, idiot! Stupid Crocodile!" Luffy was very irritated. He was acting like Luffy was just some weakling and not worth any effort.

"Very well," Crocodile growled. Then a sinkhole formed under him, and sand started to rush into the crack of dessert. It was going fast, and Luffy was being sucked inside. "Crap!" he shouted. He started running as fast as he could, not listening to Crocodile as his heart was beating in his ears. He wasn't going to lose, right?

He couldn't fail his crew, Ace, Vivi... Zoro… "I won't be buried alive!" he shouted, and slammed his hands down to propel him out of the quicksand.

"There's no living being who can go toe to toe with me in the desert."

"You're going down! Gomu gomu net!" he shouted, his fingers tangled in a net that he stretched around Crocodile, easily encompassing him, but it failed, and the enemy slipped through his fingers, literally. Crocodile looked unimpressed and exasperated. "Gomu gomu whip!" and he slashed him in two.

"Repeating the same old thing again?!" he asked, voice truly sounding annoyed with him now. He was the annoying one. Talking the whole time. A clump of sand latched onto his arm, and he felt all of the blood dry in it. It hurt like hell, and he couldn't move it. He just screamed at the pain.

"My arm! It's mummy, he turned me into a mummy!" He explained he'd sucked all the moisture in it, not just the blood. He contemplated killing Luffy by doing that to his entire body.

"Give you a little taste of the desert…"

"Enough of this!" Luffy screamed angrily. "Ah, that's it!" Luffy cheered. He ran to his little barrel of water and blood and slurped a big gulp, bringing back the moisture in his arm. "Water!" he yelled.

"Ridiculous."

"No, it's not! An old guy from Yuba gave it to me. Spent all night digging it up! And you know what he said? Yuba will never be defeated by mere sand! Gomu gomu chomp!" and he stretched his mouth open around his head, actually biting down, and making him jerk away. His neck was bleeding with large teeth marks. "Haha! I ate you! You taste horrible!" Luffy mocked, finally being the one to land an attack.

"Enough bullshit!" Crocodile screamed, looking livid and unhinged. It looked like Luffy's teeth were special or something? How did they bite a logia? Could he eat anything? Ace would laugh so hard about this. "Prepare to die along with that hardy soil of Yuba! Your three minutes are up. Didn't I tell you I didn't have time to play with you? Sables," he said the last part calmly as a sandstorm came. A little sand tornado that rubbed Luffy's skin roughly. "The sand is nice and dry today."

Crocodile then mockingly told and taunted Luffy about sending this sand storm to Yuba. He'd sent plenty there. It pissed Luffy off, remembering the hard work of the nice old man, and his determination to find water even there. Luffy tried attacking him again, got close enough to bite his jugular like some animal.

But he got too close, and couldn't see very well in the lots of sand, and had something shoved through his stomach, coming out his back. Luffy hung there. "Just who do you think I am?" Luffy felt his blood dripping onto his hook. But it didn't dissolve, as it wasn't the enemies body. Even though it was run through him, the blood did no damage, unfortunately.

Blood bubbled up in his throat, and he spat it at Crocodile, determined to fight to the very end, even if it made him look immature. The blood burnt on his face, leaving little burns all over his cheeks. Luckily for him, it missed his eyes. He also could tell the water barrel had broken, and as he lost lots of burning blood, he was able to grab his wet arm. "I… won't die," Luffy said even as more blood bubbled in his throat.

He was slashed across the chest, too. Now he had a hole in his gut and was bleeding from his chest, too, before he noticed the hook had been rusted. "You sure are a little monster. Well, you won't ever bother anybody else again, ant," and Luffy was tossed into the quicksand. Crocodile's face looked angry, but also unnerved as the burns on his face were bubbled badly. Like pimple-freckles.

Luffy had no blood to drink and was losing a lot. He was sinking inside, and Crocodile didn't taunt in the end. The last thing Luffy thought about was how his blood was helpful against enemies. Then the sand consumed him, got in his mouth, his wounds, his eyes. Everything was dark, and muted.

He could hear, see, and smell nothing.

Chapter Text

This chapter has some (slightly) disturbing imagery, so beware. I made some fanart for the story, it's near the bottom in case people didn't see it in the first chapter. Enjoy~

Suddenly he was back out in the air, and could smell again. It was Miss All Sunday. He looked to the side, coughing blood. "Than-k yo-u. Knew y-ou were g-ood," Luffy hacked. The woman furrowed her bows, and walked closer, not touching his blood as she revealed a string of blood packs. She dribbled in his mouth, and couldn't help but watch as his wounds healed over.

He was covered in blood, could taste it in his mouth. He was too tired to do anything, though. Even with the blood he was given, he'd lost a lot. Four bags were not nearly enough. But it was all he could ask for. "H-ow? D-you know?"

"You're very interesting. I've known since the first time I saw you in person," Miss All Sunday said lightly. "But that's no matter now. You have someplace to be, don't you?" she asked. He nodded, and rolled over, but couldn't stand up. She handed him his hat, and Luffy's whole body was covered in blood. It didn't burn the sand below or his clothes.

Did it only work against enemies? And his teeth had worked against a logia. What was he? He wanted to know what he was, what the purpose was for him to be the way he was. She looked at him for a bit, seeing he couldn't move and was pale. Robin hesitantly helped him up, taking her jacket off to not get blood on it.

His blood didn't burn her, and he was then unconscious. When he woke up, he was in a room on a bed. He smelled someone there, and also a bird. He felt much better, and looked to see the blood was cleaned off of him but for his clothes. He looked around and saw who had treated him, it seemed.

Then he smelled a pile of meat, which he ate greedily, feeling great. "Hey, who are you?"

His name was Pell the Falcon, one of the main guards for the palace. He said, "Your body is very interesting. You had all this blood but no wounds." Luffy said he didn't want to talk about that. He did ask what happened to Miss All Sunday. "She left when I brought you here. Is it true you helped princess Vivi?"

Luffy nodded. "She's so determined to save her kingdom, and so we're trying to help too. We brought her here for Whiskey Peak. I need to go to Alubarna now and help my friends. But it's so far away," he cursed.

"I was planning on going there myself. To help with the current situation. I'll bring you with me. But we have no way to defeat Crocodile even if we go there." Luffy knew using his blood would be futile. He would get injured in the process. But water had hardened his body and injured him lightly, besides the burns.

Luffy said, "Water is his weakness. It makes his sand body solid and hurt to attacks. If I can use a lot of water, then I could defeat him. I'm not dead. I have to fight, even if I was dead!" he declared with conviction. "Let's go save everyone and take down Crocodile," he said firmly.

Pell smiled and agreed. They got a barrel of water and strapped it to his back with ropes and belts, and got a tube that he could drink through. It was their best plan. He wanted to meet Miss All Sunday again. If he was hearing right, then she knew about him. What he was and where he came from. He had to find her and get that information. He wouldn't live in regret not knowing!

Pell was injured himself, but not too badly. Luffy climbed onto his falcon back and held on tightly, body flat while his hands held onto the junction between his neck and wings. He flew as fast as he could. It had been a little over an hour and a half. If they got there fast, maybe things could be fine. He would get there in time to help.

Crocodile would be shocked to see him, no doubt. He smiled, not wanting to wait to see that look on his face. Plus all of the burns would be a nice sight, too. They flew fast and Luffy led them to where he smelled Vivi. All of his friends' scents were strong in this area they directly passed through.

He smelled a lot of blood around, which wasn't his or in blood bags this time. When they were near the city, Luffy took in a deep whiff. He found Crocodile easily, mostly because he also had Luffy's scent. Nothing was stronger than his own smell of blood. "Down there!" Luffy shouted. Vivi screamed as she fell, but they caught her and flew up.

Looking down, he saw Crocodile's face was showing shock, rage and a bit of fear. He had something on to cover the burns across his arm. He also saw his hook was damaged, but still sharp.

"Luffy! Pell," Vivi sobbed. "The palace is going to be bombed!" Her body was shaking from intense sobs. "There isn't any time left! Everyone is going to die, and no one can hear my voice! If this continues, this country will…!"

"Vivi! Don't worry, we can hear your voice clearly," he said with a bright grin on her face. "You say there's a bomb?" Luffy asked. Vivi nodded, begging for him to be able to hear it. He shut his eyes, but there were so many sounds. The sounds of weapons clashing, guns going off, screams, crying, the sound of the wind. "I- I can't hear it. I'm sorry," Luffy said. "I can't stop the bomb, but I will stop Crocodile. You can count on that!"

"But, you are covered in blood-" Luffy lifted his shirt to show Vivi.

"Neehee, not anymore," he said with a grin. "I ate some blood and a ton of meat! I'm ready, don't worry," Luffy said firmly. "I will not lose or die." He stared up at Crocodile and then jumped to the ledge he was on.

"Weren't your wounds mortal?" he asked in a deep, furious voice.

"Weren't your burns visible?" Luffy shot back. He was embarrassed about how badly he lost last time. He wouldn't lose like that again. Never again. Crocodile glared sharper when he said that. He could hear his friends cheer him on from below as he stood in front of the warlord, his barrel securely on his back.

"You want to be impaled again? No matter how many times you try, you guys still can't get me," he said, though his body showed he was on guard. Luffy was petty, and asked who had been impaled, lifting his shirt. He took that moment to spit water at the enemy and punched him in the face into the wall.

Crocodile was shocked, strapped in the palace wall before he stood up. "Gomu gomu buzzsaw!" he said as he rapidly twisted his body in front flips that slammed them into the enemy's chest. He was still drenched in water, and Luffy let off a battle axe, not afraid to damage the palace structure.

They'd all rather save lives than buildings. Crocodile laid on the ground, but Luffy wasn't giving him even a second to recover. He shot at him and kicked in his nuts and then grabbed him and flipped him over to the ground. The man seemed to be in shock. This time, Luffy was the one to talk. "The water you crushed was from Yuba. It explained why you hate the rain, why you want this dry country. Your weakness is water! And I've got plenty to use! You're scared of it, and I won't hold back."

Crocodile laughed, but it didn't sound amused. "Even when you were in such danger, you learned my trick. You're still so young, you think that's all there is to it? I'm one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea!" he raged, sitting up.

"Then I'm the eighth warlord!" Silence. He shot a bullet at him, but he ducked. He grabbed it and Luffy just barely got out. "Ah! I forgot about that power! You don't get to drain my arm again!"

"Then I'll do the rest of your body, you monster!" Crocodile said, and grabbed him and trapped his arm in his sand. Luffy sprayed a mouthful of water over it, making the sand sag and useless. He knew his tricks. But he didn't know Luffy's. After all, he didn't even know himself. But for now, he'd use normal attacks.

Miss All Sunday was watching from behind, and he made no sign he knew her or even knew of her besides her being a butthead to them all on the ship and then. "Did you want to know what happened to your banana gators when you left? I scared them away!" Luffy shouted, dodging a desert spada that cracked open the ground, slicing the palace wall below in half.

Luckily, it didn't hurt anyone down below, still fighting. "How childish. You think you scared a banana gator? What a stupid lie!" he shouted and lunged for Luffy, grabbing his arm and succeeding in sucking out the moisture. Luffy took a long gulp and then another before he did a punch and then faked it.

"I'm totally confident!" he said as he punched Crocodile with the other arm he hadn't made it look like. "I've been planning this from the beginning!" he shouted and threw the whole barrel at him, drenching him in water. "Get soaked, you!"

Crocodile stood up, furious, veins pronounced on his forehead completely. He looked like a mad man, completely different from the composed and cocky person he'd been during their first fight that Luffy lost spectacularly. "Of course you did. Sandstorm!" he shouted, forming sand in the palm of his hand. The palace courtyard, or wherever they were, was blown apart. Luffy was, too, but managed to grab on to what was left of his water barrel, landing with it hard.

"Straw Hat, are you actually going serious in this fight? All you have now is a barrel of water. Besides that, you haven't changed one bit from the last fight." Luffy pointed to his own face, and Crocodile scowled.

"But you're right. I haven't changed. It wouldn't be any different! But how about this?" he demanded, and drank every last drop of water, making his stomach bulge and bounce with all of the water inside, trapped with nowhere to go. He almost spit it up, and had to cover his mouth. He was glad he no longer had a hole in his stomach. "Oh, guh. Almost lost it," he said with a deep breath. Everyone there was looking at him in disbelief. "I-If it's like this, then I am different than last time!"

Crocodile was dumbfounded. "You can't be serious."

"Now I'm Water Luffy, the eight Warlord!" He nearly vomited again. "I guess you can't drink this much water." He was incredibly uncomfortable with it stretching his skin but also bouncing around. Well, he wouldn't be Water Luffy for long, hopefully. Miss All Sunday started laughing from behind Crocodile.

"You damned kid, what the hell are you joking about?!" the warlord raged. Luffy pumped water up from his stomach and spit a huge ball of water at him, soaking him once again freshly. He laughed but spit up some more water accidentally.

Luffy demanded, "Who's kidding?! I'm always serious! Gomu gomu rocket punch!" he shouted, slamming both hands straight into Crocodile's stomach, making him spit up some blood onto Luffy's face. But then he jumped away when he saw how close Luffy's mouth was to his throat. He bit him before, who says he couldn't now?

He fell back and laid on the ground, breathing quickly, trying to catch his breath, his eyes white from the shock or maybe pain. He'd reacted on instinct to not be close to Luffy's face, perhaps. Miss All Sunday walked past him, and he stared at her. Was she lying before? But she knew about the blood. So, she was a good person, but she was hurting Vivi's dad. He was tired of this. Feeling bad for thinking someone bad was good.

"Your good luck ends here. No more time for you," she said pleasantly, and took the king away.

Crocodile was awake again and stood up. "Get away from here, Nico Robin! If you don't want to be dried, too! I am PISSED!" he raged. "Straw Hat, you listen. Every rock on this earth will be destroyed!" Luffy watched as the ground died before him, spreading out from the enemy's hands and hurried towards Luffy. He was killing the ground, grass, even rocks were turning into sand.

Seconds later, the whole courtyard had not a trace of vegetation. The ground beneath him crumbled, but he managed to catch onto one of the ledges, and turned in Crocodile's direction and shot him with more water bubbles. But his hand shot out and he absorbed the water. He had thought being wet on any part of his body weakened it.

Crocodile sucked out all moisture further, damaging the building itself and not the floor. Parts of the walls started to turn into sand, and Luffy felt he was in real danger. Luffy looked down and saw the sole of his shoe was being dissolved, as well. He managed to grab onto the ledge of the roof, and look down at the destruction of everything that now became a thin layer of desert. If the surrounding buildings weren't around, it would look like a normal desert.

"That was close. Where'd he go?" But then he heard the rush of sand before him and swung to the side. He brought his leg up and got it wet, slamming it into the wrong hand, which caught him and dried his leg. He tried spouting water at him, but his head was pulled back and the balls of water went straight up.

His leg spread to the rest of his body until he was a mummy. He could barely hear or see anything until all went black, and the last thing he heard was Crocodile telling him he'd lost again, laughing.

The teen drifted down to the desert ground like he was a paper in the wind. He landed with barely a sound, nothing left in him to make him heavy at all. But after Crocodile left, the three balls of water from before, that had been spouted in the wrong direction, landed on him directly. He absorbed the moisture, but was not healed. His whole body was damaged badly. He could barely move. The water hadn't cured him.

He was solid, but felt just as empty as he was when he was a mummy. He needed blood. He smelled the air for any human, anybody near. Before he went after Crocodile the third time, he needed blood. And a nap. He searched the area, but there was nobody around. He did find a horse. No humans around, but a horse just waiting there. He didn't remember ever drinking animal blood. It didn't look or smell appetizing at all.

But he was dying. Even if he was alive, he could barely move, barely think. He spooked the horse but grabbed onto it, biting into the hide with no problem and drinking heavily. Once the horse finally got away, Luffy was on the ground, on his knees and forearms. Everything was fuzzy. None of his senses were working but his sense of smell. He couldn't see anything, he was blind.

He felt so angry, and scared. Barely managing to stand up, he felt wetness drip down his face. He thought he was crying, but it was too thick. Was he bleeding? He followed the scent of Crocodile, desperate to win. He threw up all over the ground, and stumbled to the side, tripping over a body and landing hard.

"Hey-! Straw Hat Luffy!?" It was the Kuina look-alike, great. "Oh my god…" she said, looking at his bleeding eyes and nose. Not to mention all the blood he'd thrown up. "What happened to you?" she asked in shock.

"Cro-croco-dile," Luffy said. He meant to say something about needing to defeat him, but all he could say was his name.

"Crocodile did this?" she asked in horror. He tried standing up, but fell into her legs. She grabbed onto his shoulder, but he still couldn't see. Luckily he could hear now. "W-Where he go?" Luffy asked. Blood was coming out of his ears now, too.

Kuina look-alike said he wouldn't be able to fight him like this. He was too injured. "N-No, have to." He vomited more blood all over her. She screamed and dropped him. He coughed and gasped. What was wrong with him? Was it because he drank from a horse? Did it make him sick?

His sight slowly came back, and he saw the marine girl wiping his face off. He gasped and turned on his side to vomit. "You desperately need medical attention," she insisted. He stood up, feeling better with less horse blood. But now he needed human blood. Throwing up the rest, he was stable again.

Luffy disliked this girl, but he would not attack her. She helped him. "You can't fight like this!" she insisted. Luffy looked at her, and asked if she could. She looked at her broken wrist and cut up body and shook her head. He turned, and went on his way, staggering, but much better. Looking in the window, he saw his eyes were red from blood, dripping down like he'd been crying uncontrollably. He had some coming out of every orifice on his face.

He followed the scent and came across a tomb. But they were below. He went down. He was dumb, he needed blood, but a bomb was about to go off. He ran down the halls in a daze, following the scent and found three people. One of them was Miss All Sunday, who was gravely injured it seemed. The king was unconscious, and Crocodile was standing in front of a stone with writing on it.

The place was deep underground, and he didn't know or care why. He found a source of food. A big one. His teeth could do it. He could do it without killing him. "Straw Hat?! Why won't you d-?! The hell?" Luffy looked completely sick and deranged. His eyes a bloody mess, and blood staining his mouth and nose.

Crocodile was truly unnerved by Luffy here. The enemy woman looked shocked, too, though she was injured, as well. Luffy was hunched over, just staring at the enemy. Then he rushed him and slammed his face into the wall, dazing him before he got on his back and bit down on his shoulder, breaking the skin and drinking heavily, not caring when he started to look ill.

Once he was unconscious but not dead, Luffy came back to himself enough to notice he was going to face plant. He landed with a sickening thud, feeling more blood bubble up in his mouth and drip out. The king was now sitting next to him. He rolled Luffy over and was another person so be horrified at his state.

"Wake him up," Miss All Sunday said, clutching her stomach but stumbling over. Cobra shook Luffy awake, his eyes snapped open and he looked everywhere in shock and fear. What was going on? How did he get here? "What happened to you?"

Luffy coughed, getting blood on her shirt, which was already covered in it. "Hor-se," he said. She looked puzzled and helped him get onto his hands and knees and throw everything up. Everything from the horse, from Crocodile. He was completely empty. The bleeding stopped and he couldn't move.

"Cobra, take him, get him human blood," Robin said. "He will die if you don't." Cobra looked at Luffy, asking if he was safe to be around. "He won't be waking up soon."

"What is he?"

"I'd like to find out." Luffy was picked up, and carried out of the tombs, finding it was raining. The rain cleaned off Luffy's face, but the blood was still crusted in some places. He found the Straw Hats all sleeping in one area. He shouted at everyone to wake up. Some didn't respond while others saw Luffy and jumped up.

"What happened?!" Chopper screamed. The king said he wasn't sure, but he threw up a lot of blood. "Where's your hospital?!" He was directed to the palace and was carrying Luffy in his monster point as he headed to the damaged palace as fast as possible. He was unresponsive, seemed comatose.

When he got to the place, Chopper threw everything around carelessly, looking for any blood. He found a large fridge with them, and brought seven packages. He had Luffy on the bed already, and propped him up and got a feeding tube and put the blood in that way. Luffy didn't throw it up, but didn't wake him up.

His heartbeat was normal now as he got him more blood. Chopper saw his body was pretty much dying without blood. He knew Luffy's blood type already and started a transfusion, trying to get his body back to normal as fast as possible.

The king was in the room, Chopper hearing the others run down the hall and to the infirmary. "Shhh! Don't shout, he needs rest." Most of them were horrified by the state he was in. Mostly his face and how pale he was. "I don't know what happened, but he smells like animal blood. Zoro said not to let him have any, right?"

Sanji asked why they didn't say anything to Luffy about it. "What actually happened, what did Ace tell you?" the blonde demanded.

"He said it was like poison," he said simply, dumbly. "I didn't know Luffy didn't know. He's never talked about animal blood before, I just assumed."

"Then why didn't Ace tell him? What the fuck?" Sanji asked, confused. Zoro said it had been traumatizing for Luffy, and he just didn't want him to remember it. He's just told Luffy it made him sick and just made sure he didn't drink animal blood ever again. He only said it was traumatizing, with nightmares, but with no memory of the time. Hopefully… Luffy doesn't remember what happened."

Vivi asked her father if he knew what happened. He looked surprised she knew about it. "We all know about it," she said. "You brought him here, right? Do you know what happened?" she insisted.

"He came in bleeding from the face, and attacked Crocodile. He might be dead. Nico Robin was betrayed in the chamber, stabbed by her boss. She knew what to do, it seemed. She helped him throw everything in his stomach up and then told me to get him a lot of human blood or he'd die. I don't know what happened to her after that."

Nami asked who that was. "Her code name was Miss All Sunday." They all gasped, jaws dropped. "She was Crocodile's right hand woman."

Usopp said he noticed Luffy acted weird about her. "Do you think she actually is a good person? She did such horrible things, but she saved Luffy." Vivi was shocked, and confused. Why would she hurt them only to save Luffy?

"The only way we'll know is if we ask her. For now, I think that we all need some sleep and medical attention." They each passed out on one of the beds, and Cobra promised he'd keep them safe there. The room was full of the sounds of snores.

The art was actually normal Luffy before and I just changed the eyes, teeth and hair a bit.

Chapter Text

Bonclaysboyfriend: Aw thank you!

LuffysGirl: Thanks, I'm glad you like it!

DotNotFound: Lol I'm glad it doesn't seem it was too gruesome. I did write another story where Ace had a sickness that caused him to hemorrhage from the face too, though, so it's nothing new for me to write. 

Noa_5: (≧◡≦)

One_of_the_rainbow_gods: Then I'm glad you found a fic you like for the first time!

Shorter chapter this time. Also! I finally wrote another non-crossover/au story! It features recently turned vampire Luffy and dad Katakuri. Don't know when it will be posted! Enjoy~

Zoro was sitting next to Luffy's head when he heard some breathy gasps. He looked down to see Luffy's eyes were opened but he looked terrified, wasn't looking at Zoro. "Luffy?" He jumped from the noise.

"Zoro?" he asked. The older teen bit his lip but affirmed he was right there. "I-I can't see." Chopper said he had eye damage, but that it should heal. Zoro cut his arm with one of his swords and put it to Luffy's lips.

"C'mon, captain, drink so you get better," he said softly. Luffy grabbed his arm and started drinking deeply, breathing in a panicked way. He was clearly trying to push Zoro's arm away but was only pulling it closer to his mouth. He didn't stop until Zoro felt like he should. He easily pulled his arm away, and Luffy could see again! Everything was tinted pink, and his eyes were dry, but he could see.

He saw his boyfriend all bandaged. "Do you remember what happened? You were in a really bad shape, you know," he said softly, moving his hair out of his eye. It had been four days since the battle was over, and Crocodile was found, defeated and missing a lot of blood. But for some reason, it didn't show he was bitten, but just a bad knife wound. Which Cobra said hadn't been there before he left.

"I… Crocodile killed me again. Then I came back and I was so thirsty, cause I was dried out, and then I found a horse and drank for it and then got really sick. It hurt, and my eyes were bleeding. The marine girl… she was nice and tried to help me get medical attention. I threw up a lot of the horse blood and followed where Crocodile was.

"I don't remember much other than I drank a lot from him. I… I didn't even win the fight, Zoro. I only beat him because I was sick and deranged," he said, putting his arm over his eyes, so ashamed and disappointed in himself. Zoro kissed his hand and asked for the rest. "Then I was still really sick, but Miss All Sunday seemed to help me and I threw it all back up. I felt better after that but then passed out. Then I'm here."

He sniffled. "I'm so ashamed," he confessed. "I died twice, both times Miss All Sunday helped, but I didn't even win the fight. I'll always be the loser to him," Luffy finished. It was humiliating. He won, but in an underhanded way, and he didn't even remember it. The king walked in, and smiled at seeing Luffy awake.

"How do you feel?" Luffy asked what happened in the tomb. What he did. "You were very sick when you found us. In a very bad shape, but when you got Crocodile, it ended pretty quickly. It took almost no effort for you to defeat him. Yes, defeat. You attacked him and slammed his face into a pillar before you drank. Yes, I know all about it. Don't worry, I will tell nobody." Luffy nodded. "You did win. He lost because he was taken off guard. If he was aware, he could have won."

Zoro smiled. "It was a victory. Just not in the way you expected or wanted," he said kindly, thumbing Luffy's cheek softly. "Do you want to see everybody?" he asked. Luffy nodded. His hat was on the bedside table. He asked if he looked okay.

"You were bathed. No blood left," Zoro said. Luffy was wobbly on his feet but was able to walk. He headed with Zoro to the kitchen. It was lunch time. He smelled good smells and found the others at the table, all looking resigned. "Yo, somebody woke up." They jerked up and cheered at seeing him.

He smiled a wobbly smile. "Sorry for worrying everybody," Luffy said. "I'm glad you're all alright. Vivi, how's everything? The kingdom and stuff?"

Vivi smiled and said the country was already healing, everyone happier than they'd been in years. "It's also rained twice. The marines have come here looking for us - the pirates - but the guard kept them away. Crocodile was taken away by the marines. I heard they were going to say Smoker did it."

They were all sour, but Luffy wasn't upset. "It doesn't matter who takes the blame publicly. We saved your kingdom. Now you don't have to worry so much," he said, sounding more back to normal. Vivi smiled and nodded her head. Many were in bandages, and he asked for all of their stories. What happened to them while he was gone.

"Wait. What happened with Miss All Sunday?" Vivi asked sadly. "Nico Robin, I mean."

Luffy sat at the table, and clasped his hands together. "I never thought she was evil. The first time I lost to Crocodile, it ended with me being sucked into quicksand. Her devil fruit pulled me out of the sand, and she brought me blood. She knows what I am, at least a little bit, maybe where I came from. Then she left. I don't remember much after drinking the horse blood, but I do know she was there and helped me again."

The table was shocked. "Father said she was smart. Maybe she does know about you," Vivi said stiffly. "She did such horrible things to me, and I don't know if I'll ever forgive her, but I'm so thankful she was there for you," Vivi said with a warm, true smile. Luffy nodded, and then they all told him their stories. He was so proud of each of them for their respective fights and accomplishments.

Usopp firmly said he couldn't ever drink animal blood again. It was really bad. "I won't. I just had nothing. It was the only living thing in the area. I just… assumed, y'know? I guess it was the wrong assumption, huh?" They nodded. "I really am sorry."

"Just don't do it again and all is good. It's just a relief to see you looking and acting like yourself. If not a bit mopey," Sanji said with a smile. Luffy grinned. Then Sanji faltered, and looked at Zoro and Chopper.

"What? What's wrong?" Chopper said it while everyone looked awkward.

"Your appearance changed a bit. I think it was from the intense trauma your body went through in a short amount of time. You nearly died twice, hours apart, and didn't get any rest, just chugged some blood to get better. Then you were incredibly sick and injured." Luffy asked what changed.

Vivi came over with a mirror, and Luffy saw that a larger portion of his hair had turned white. At least, the roots had. Half of his hair had white roots. It was still black, but would grow in white. He lifted his shirt, assuming the change has to do with the other parts of him and saw there were a lot more markings.

His eyes were the same, thankfully. No slitted pupils. His canines were larger, though not excessively. Now it would be easier to bite things? "Well, it's not too bad, right? It's all covered, isn't it?" It wasn't too big of a problem. They all smiled in relief. "It'll be weird to have my hair like that, but I can always dye it."

They were all glad to have him back and cheerful, if not a bit distracted. "Hey, does anyone know who that marine girl was?" Luffy asked at a surprisingly calm and civilized lunch. Luffy was full of blood already, so wasn't hungry enough to snatch everyone's food away. Nami said she heard her name was "Tashigi". Luffy was glad he had a name for her now, and not Kuina look-alike. Luffy was relieved Alabasta was safe.

The captain had more check ups willingly, but everything was okay. He was healed up well enough to not need to worry. Zoro was really clingy, and so was Chopper. But it was fine. Hugs and cuddles were great. But the real feast was how they expected it to be. Loud and obnoxious, tons of food and uncouth manners.

The Straw Hats and Vivi had a great time, while the guards around were grossed out by the pirates and their manners. But Luffy had fun, and it was great food. He missed the Merry, though. Missed sharing the couch with Zoro at night. Sitting with him on deck. They would be leaving the next day.

The big question was if Vivi was coming. Luffy had taken Nami aside on their ways to the bath. "What are you gonna do about Vivi?" he asked. Nami swallowed and gave a sad smile.

"I don't think she'll come. We got really close, but I was careful. I knew she'd always choose her kingdom and family over us. So, I'm okay. You don't have to worry, promise. But thank you for deciding to help out Miss Wednesday." She hugged Luffy, which was surprising. Luffy pat her back. "And I'm so happy you're okay. It was scary."

Luffy gave a small frown. "It was like a repeat with captain Kuro. Where I attacked my opponent in such an underhanded way and won." Nami said that his win against Crocodile was not the same. He was strong, he took effort to fight and survive against. "I guess. It's still disappointing. I pictured myself punching him with my own blood covered fists! Yea, my blood burned him, but nobody else."

They were walking to the bathhouse again. "Weird. But interesting. There are still many secrets to your body it seems."

"I want Robin to tell me everything," Luffy said. "She's a good person, besides her knowing. She helped me twice. I would have died the first time if she hadn't been there."

Nami said she was grateful for her, then. They went to the separate bathhouses. Luffy kept a towel wrapped around him and so did Zoro for one another's comfort. Sanji teased them, but they were embarrassed about it and wouldn't be naked in front of one another. Vivi and Nami had no problem with it. Luckies.

The bathhouse was really nice, and Luffy mentioned he'd never been to one. "Really?" Sanji asked. Luffy nodded. He'd also never had an indoor plumbing bathtub before the Going Merry. "Man, how uncivilized."

"Sanji," Chopper said in disapproval. Luffy laughed it off.

"Nah, we were uncivilized. We lived in the jungle, after all," Luffy said, sitting in the water. He rested in the tub with Zoro, both still towels on, but relaxing against the side. Zoro washed his hair for him, and it felt really good. He smiled with his eyes closed, enjoying the sensation.

Then he washed Zoro's and then themselves, while everyone else peeked over the side to the girls. Gross. "Vivi is probably not coming."

"Yeah. I expected her to stay," Zoro said quietly. "And Nami got so close, too," he added in sympathy. Luffy said she had been happy, even if Vivi didn't come with them. "Yeah. Well, hopefully we'll find another female crew member, right?"

Luffy nodded. "Where do you think Robin is now?" he wondered.

"Dunno. She's been running from the government for 20 years, she has to be somewhere far away by now. You know she might have only saved you because you're interesting, right? She was pretty bitchy to all of us when we met. Even you didn't like her." Luffy nodded. But she seemed like she made herself unlikable. "Still. I don't think we can trust her. Even if she isn't long gone."

Luffy agreed. "She'd have to build it. With the others, we spent time together first. It was never on the way out. Still, I want to know more about myself," he said simply. He looked down on the intricate designs on his stomach and chest, and his face in the reflection. He touched the underside of his eye.

It had been terrifying to know he was crying blood. Why? He could see through his mouth and nose, but why his eyes, too? He wanted to know, but also was afraid to. Chopper didn't know. It was scary with his doctor not knowing what his body can do and does do. He wished he was normal.

"I like you not 'normal'."

"You'd like me if I was normal, too, right?"

"Of course," Zoro said, kissing his clean forehead. Luffy believed him fully. "Love you."

"I love you, too. Time to look for another adventure, huh?" Zoro nodded, smiling. Things were okay. Hopefully they'd get better and not worse. Hopefully Luffy wasn't dealt too much damage from drinking the animal blood.

Chapter Text

Noa_5: ╰(*´︶`*)╯

"Thank you all," the king said, cutting through the sounds in the room. He then bowed his head to the pirates. Zoro wondered if a king should be doing this. Especially to pirates.

"Cobra, your majesty, this is a big matter! Kings shouldn't bow their heads..!"

"Status exists if you wear your clothes. But here in the bath, there isn't a naked king! I am thinking as a father, and with a citizen's heart. To thank you. Thank you, everyone."

Luffy beamed. "Neehee." He heard Vivi thanked Nami, and what he thought but tried to ignore was a kiss. His face fell slightly. Poor Nami.

That day, the palace got a call from a ship. "You have a den den call," the guard said, making them all wonder who could be trying to reach them there. "It's someone called Bon Bon."

"Huh? Bon Bon? Who the hell is that?" Sanji wondered.

"How should I know?" Usopp asked when they all looked at him. Whoever it was said they were their friend. Who?

"Forget it, just listen to him!" Luffy said, wondering if it was their recent frenemy. He hoped so, he was an awesome guy! Sanji said it'd better not be a trap.

"HEY, HEY! GYAHAHAHA! IT'S ME! OKAMA! O! KA! MA!" Bon Clay's voice shouted over the snail. Luffy cheered, and Sanji pointed out he was the enemy! Luffy laughed and shrugged. Sanji hung up, but he just called right back. He didn't think they were enemies anymore, and happily told them he had taken and was on their ship.

"What?!" they shouted angrily. Sanji demanded to know where the hell he was. Luffy thought he was telling the truth, not because he could hear his heartbeat - which he couldn't - but that he was an honest guy. At least, from what Luffy had seen. Though he did some dishonest things as Mr. 2. But Luffy had realized past enemies could be future allies.

At least, this time that is.

"Wait, just listen to me!" Bon Clay exclaimed, still a bright smile in his voice. "Aren't we friends?! Your ship is at the upstream of the Sandora river."

When asked if they could trust him, both Luffy and Usopp said he was their friend. Besides, they only had to look. Wouldn't be so bad. The captain said he thought he was telling the truth. When asked why, he had no satisfactory answer. He was sitting in Zoro's lap, who was absentmindedly tracing circles on Luffy's stomach.

"That's right. If it's a trick, well just kill him," Zoro said simply, making Luffy pout. "There's no guarantee you're always right, Luffy." He nodded, knowing Zoro was right in that.

"It's decided then! Let's pack up," Luffy decided. Vivi appeared in the doorway. She shyly said, "Everyone… please tell me what I should do," she said quietly, sitting on a couch and looking down at her lap.

Nami immediately told her she could come in 12 hours and no later. They would wait for her that long, but once the time was up, they had no choice but to leave. Both girls looked near tears, but were hiding it as best as they could. Vivi nodded. "If you want to come along and travel with us again, that's only how long we can wait. If you come, you'll be a pirate and go on adventures with us! Because you're a princess, that's the only way we can do it."

"Come with us, Vivi! Please! You gotta come with us!" Sanji scolded Luffy for trying to pressure her. It was a difficult choice.

"Okay, let's go," Zoro said simply, sounding bored. Chopper demanded to know if Zoro didn't want her to come. "I never said that!"

That night, they rode off to the ship, where Bon Clay said he was waiting, all on the ducks like Carue, fast and taking them far across the country. Luffy was continuing to eat the leftovers from their feast, looking at Nami sadly. She looked so upset. "Nami?" Luffy asked. She plastered on a smile and said she was just tired. Liar. She had to know he could tell and looked back down. Luffy hoped Vivi would come. But he'd heard her indecision and fibbing when she said she'd think about it. She was heavily leaning towards not being a pirate with them.

Sanji thought she was upset about a good friend, not a severe crush. Luffy didn't know the extent of what they did or felt for each other, but he could tell it was more than friendship. He saw the expression on Nami that he saw on Zoro: beyond fondness. So, he was very sad for her.

She tried lifting her own spirit by mentioning never getting the money that Igaram and Vivi had promised in the beginning. Maybe that was what the objective for her was at first, but it wasn't by the end. Besides, it was clear the kingdom needed all the money they could get to rebuild itself, together.

When they made it to the coast, Bon Clay was actually there. He guarded their ship for them. Watching his crew get mad at him for being their enemy made Luffy sad. Bon Clay had indeed been their enemy, but now they were disbanded, so they should forgive one another! No enemies anymore, and he had saved their ship. It was a true act of friendship.

"Why did you take so long?!" he asked with a big smile. "Long time no see! Were you all thinking about me?!"

They said goodbye to the ducks, who would go back to Alubarna. Bon Clay continued to call them friends and give a tearful goodbye, even if they were very recently enemies. Baroque Works was disbanded, they had zero reasons to be enemies anymore. Sanji and Zoro started carrying the luggage back onto the ship.

Bon Clay pointed out that he'd saved their ship from being seized by marines. "Then you did this to keep them from the marines, right?" Usopp asked.

"That's right! We're friends, right?!" The three youngest danced with him like only a couple days ago. It felt so much longer, to be honest. Zoro wondered if he really did this out of choice. "Of course! This is the time when enemies should band together to bust out of this situation!"

"WOOO!"

"We thank you all for the offer!" Bon Clay's crew said. Luffy hoped they would meet again someday. Bon Clay cried, and agreed vehemently.

But once they made it to the wider river and out into the ocean, there were many marine ships waiting for them. And unfortunately, they weren't shooting cannons, but long spears that pierced the ship easily. Bon Clay's ship came and was in the same position. They were being pummeled from all sides, unable to do anything but have Usopp get in a lucky shot. But they couldn't go the direction of the former bounty hunter because they needed to wait for Vivi.

They explained why they had to go the way they did, and then added they were doing it for their friend, which touched Bon Clay even more. So, he chose to be a decoy to let the Straw Hats pick up their friend. He had a heart of gold, really. He transformed into Luffy, and pretended to be him, leading them away from the actual crew. As they sailed away, Luffy listened to them. They had no ulterior motive, and were all prepared for the consequences of taking the blame for them and their escape. Luffy cried as he told everyone, Chopper and Usopp joining, "What a wonderful guy!"

"A heart of gold!"

"The best okama alive!"

Once they seemed safe, marine ships out of view, Luffy was unashamedly pressed against the wall of the cabin and kissed passionately by Zoro, who was just fine kissing back. Nobody told them to get a room, just made disgusted noises. Luffy smiled when the older man pulled back. "Missed you."

"I missed you, too. A long couple a' days," Luffy replied happily. They sailed to the corner, and Luffy finally smelled something. He opened the storage room, and found Robin there, hiding. "Hey, you're here!" She looked startled, but sighed and nodded her head. "Why?" Zoro came in, and demanded to know why she was there.

"I have nowhere else to go. I want you to let me join your crew," she said simply, confidently. Luffy cocked his head, and the rest came to see. Usopp and Zoro were the most skeptical, even though she'd saved Luffy twice.

Luffy said, "Well, you can only stay if Vivi doesn't. If she does, you gotta go." Chopper asked if it was really a good idea, hiding behind Usopp's legs, who was hiding behind Zoro. Luffy turned to them and smiled, saying she wasn't a bad person. But she should stay in there for now. Robin smiled and nodded.

Luffy turned to Zoro. "Well, we can have some fun in our room! We still have half an hour until the time, right?" Zoro grinned and they went to the boy's room, making everyone keep out. Luffy straddled Zoro on the couch and kissed and licked up his neck. Zoro pulled him down and licked up his own neck, leaving a hickey or two.

Luffy sucked on the skin a bit before he bit down. It was easier to bite with his longer canines, even if it wasn't that much longer. Zoro didn't even bother to hide his reaction, louder than usual. He gripped Luffy's back tightly. When Luffy pulled away, Zoro's face was pink and he was panting.

"That was more intense than normal," Luffy said lighty, wiping his mouth. Zoro said he wasn't sure why. Luffy leaned forwards against his chest, taking in the smell of Zoro. "I'm proud of you. You got so much stronger after your fight. Everyone did," Luffy said softly.

"Including you," Zoro said, playing with his hair, his hat hanging on his back from a sting Nami made to hold it securely on his back. Luffy didn't reply. He didn't feel he'd grown. He'd just completely depended on others and revealed a big weakness. He needed blood more than he thought. Hopefully he never got that hurt again.

Luffy said he didn't want to talk about it. "Tough. We're talking about it. You won. Even if you lost twice, you got back up. You weren't discouraged, you continued to fight. No matter what happened, you continued to go after Crocodile, even exhausted and in pain. Even when you were bleeding out of your face, you continued to fight. Even if the fight didn't end up how you wanted, it didn't dampen the work and determination you had to win," he said firmly.

He understood what Zoro meant, and nodded, looking up at him with a smile. Zoro kissed his forehead, and Nami banged on the hatch to tell them it was time. They climbed out, and could hear Vivi's voice talking to her subjects, but Luffy smelled her closer. Robin was inside. Sanji said she wasn't coming, and Nami's face fell hard.

But then she came into view, calling for them. "Everyone!" she called over the speaker on Carue's back.

"Vivi! Carue! Look, she's coming! Let's turn back quickly!"

"The marines are coming, we gotta hurry!" Chopper said. Sanji just cried out Vivi's name happily.

"I'm here… to say goodbye!" Vivi called. Nami's face crumpled, and Luffy took her hand without a word or look. "I… can't go with you all. Thank you all for what you've done for me! Even though I still want to go with you… Right now, I really love this country! So, I can't come. I… Even though I want to stay here," she called, tears in her eyes and down her cheeks. "But if there was one day where we meet each other once again, will you all take me as a friend?!"

The marines heard and saw her there, so they couldn't reply. Even though Nami looked like she had things to say. But she firmly said they couldn't answer, they had to leave without troubling her. But they responded in their own silent way, but thrusting their arms with the X marks on them in the air.

Nami was sobbing, and once they finally set sail, she hurried to her now lonely room. Luffy heard her crying into her pillow. It made him so sad. He hugged Zoro tightly, who hugged him back. "I won't leave," he said firmly. Luffy nodded.

Usopp was still. Sanji went inside. "Did Nami… and Vivi…?" the long nosed teen said. Luffy and Zoro didn't answer, just looked away. "Poor Nami…" Usopp said sadly, sincerely. "I won't tell Sanji or anyone."

"Thanks," Luffy said with a smile. "We should leave her alone for now, I think. She likes looking strong, crying will not make her feel good." Usopp then asked what they would do about Robin, their stowaway. "I said we were keeping her if Vivi didn't come. Well, we finally have a girl crew mate. Hopefully she and Nami can get along."

He worried Robin would clash with everyone.

She came out looking a bit bittersweet, and sat down on a chair. Sanji and Nami were inside. Chopper and Usopp were afraid of her, and Luffy and Zoro weren't bothered. Well, Luffy wasn't. Zoro touched his sword. "If you are here to use Luffy as some cool research tool, then you can get off now," he said darkly.

Robin leaned back in the chair. "Well, I am an archaeologist, and Luffy is very interesting." Zoro scowled angrily. "But I'm not here to study him. I'm here because I have nowhere else to go. And traveling like this should bring interesting things to learn, correct?"

"Yeah, we're starting out on a new adventure now! Neh, you have to tell me stuff, okay?" She smiled, and asked how he knew she was good. "You did bad things and were an enemy, but I just didn't think you were a bad person. I can't explain it." Robin's cool facade wavered, but he pretended not to notice.

Luffy said he'd be back, and decided to go talk to Nami, who wasn't crying anymore. He knocked on the hatch, and opened it. Nami was on the couch, face in the pillow. That's where Vivi had been sleeping. "I'm okay. We had talked about it, but I just… got my hopes up in the end I guess," she said, no longer crying. "I won't cry anymore. I'm glad she came with us, even if it wasn't forever."

She gave a true smile, though her eyes were still pink. "And since you saw the good in Miss Wednesday, I'll be open about Robin. If she's not a total bitch." Luffy beamed and nodded. He asked for Nami to show her the tricks of her new staff. And laughed about her fight. Though it sounded more fun than his was.

They walked out, and Nami suggested something. "We should have you do endurance training." Luffy tilted his head. "Try and increase how long you can go while fighting between drinks of blood. It would be dangerous if you needed it so often and you couldn't get it."

"Well, I won't let myself die like I did," he said with conviction. "Hey, what are you doing?" Luffy wondered when he saw Usopp with Robin at one of the deck tables, writing things down.

"An interview," Usopp said simply. He looked up and told Robin to explain herself. She complied, not looking bothered by the demand. She seemed surprised, though, that nobody was yelling at her to get lost. She had saved Luffy twice, and they'd all seen the state he was in after he got sick and beat Crocodile.

She began, "I started being an archeologist at 8 years old, then I had a bounty put on my head." Usopp was surprised she said she was an archaeologist and not an assassin. "Family tradition. So for the next 20 years, I ran from the World Government. Being just a child, I couldn't survive in the world on my own. That's why I've been various villains to protect myself. That's why I'm quite good at stealthy things."

"Hmm, you are pretty confident. What kind of operations?"

"Assassination," Robin said politely, though she looked a bit amused. Usopp freaked.

"According to my investigation, Luffy, I've concluded she's too dangerous to stay here! Get rid of her!" he cried. Luffy pretty much ignored this.

He said, "Hey, tell me a lie." Those on deck looked surprised by the command. She did, and said she was a purple bear with yellow spots. Luffy couldn't tell she was lying by either her voice or heart beat. He couldn't tell her lies, or what she was feeling. "Thought so."

The captain said nothing else until Chopper, who was hiding behind the corner of the cabin, asked what happened. "She's a really good liar." Usopp insisted that they couldn't trust her if that was the case. "No, we have to trust her. If I can't tell she's lying, then all we have is her word. Right?" Nami sighed and looked at Robin coldly.

"You better not be deceiving us and Luffy's good intentions," she said coldly. Robin smiled pleasantly and said she had no reason to lie to them. She wouldn't be giving her entire life history, but she had no reason to lie. Nothing to hide. "Still, I don't like that you can lie without anybody knowing."

"Well, then what's the point of me lying then? As I said, I have nowhere to go. Why would I make myself look bad if this is the only place I can stay? I'm not a fool, Navigator-san," Robin said lightly. Zoro wasn't happy either. Luffy said it was fine and sat with Chopper. Sanji looked happy to have another lady, so maybe Nami would get a break for a bit.

While Robin was talking with Sanji, Zoro and Usopp not looking very happy, Nami standing at the railing, a hand popped up out of the ground. Luffy and Chopper looked at it. Luffy grabbed it only for another arm to show up behind him and pull him down. He and Chopper started laughing.

Two hands popped out of Luffy's hat, and he did a Chopper impression. He started laughing, as did Usopp. "Luffy did impressions of Nami and Sanji when we were in jail. He was so good at it!" He laughed some more. Sanji walked over and demanded to know what he'd said. "Sorry Sanji, you'd have to be there to witness it."

"Why you-!"

"Shishishi!" Luffy laughed, the arms forgotten until they started tickling the two youngest, laughing loudly. Robin went to talk to Zoro, who was standing at the railing, glaring at her suspiciously. Luffy wondered if he was upset she was there for him, but Luffy hadn't been. He didn't eavesdrop on their conversation.

The log pose was pointing to an autumn island, which disappointed Luffy. "I was sick and didn't even get to play in the snow!" he whined. Usopp said they'd come across a winter island sometime. "But I want it now."

"You're not going to get it now, deal with it," Nami said, checking the pose again before going to read. Robin was sitting on the steps. She seemed to be both uncomfortable and relaxed at the same time. Luffy smelled a bunch of wood, and looked around before he looked up and screamed.

And Robin has joined!

Chapter Text

Wishfull-star: Cliffhangers are the best.

Crazy long chapter this time! 10,000 words! Enjoy~

He pointed up and everyone started screaming as bits of wood and debris fell before they saw a whole galleon. "Falling from the sky!" Luffy said.

"A huge galleon!" several others shouted. They had no way to sail out of it, just had to hope they'd be okay. But it just barely missed them, slamming into the water with a huge splash. Bits of ship floated in the water while the rest sunk while the waves threw the Merry around violently. All they could do was hang on as more bits of debris fell.

Fighting broke out on what to do, how to get to safety, when there was no real way. Then a skeleton fell and landed in front of Usopp, him, Chopper and Luffy screaming about a dead guy being on their deck! "Ahh! Get it away!" Usopp screamed, crawling away. Luffy kicked it off and into the water.

Maybe not the most respectful way to get rid of it, but he didn't want to touch it with his hands. Once the waves calmed, they all took deep breaths, and wondered how the hell a ship had just fallen out of the sky! "Heh, that was weird!" Luffy said, not hearing or smelling anything more. Sanji said it was more than weird.

"Terrifying!" Usopp offered.

"Man up, it's not here anymore," Zoro said.

"You didn't have a skeleton dropped on you!"

"He's dead, what's so scary about it?"

"You! Shut up!"

"Yeah, shut up!" Chopper agreed. Then Nami screamed, and they jerked around, but saw nothing of danger.

"The log pose is broken! It's stuck pointing up!" Nami shouted. "It's not even wobbling!" Robin calmly reasoned that it was pointing up at another magnetic force.

"It must have locked up on an island in the sky," she said, looking up in wonder.

"Sky Island…" Sanji said, taking a drag of his smoke. The three youngest were the excited ones. But Luffy couldn't smell or hear anything. "Then it must be really high up there, huh?" Zoro said it was all nonsense.

"No, there's an island in the sky! I know it!" Luffy said with conviction. Nami was uncertain. She trusted the log pose, and a ship had fallen from there. Was it so weird to think it had come from somewhere else?

Robin said it probably wasn't an island. "More like a floating sea." That was more confusing.

"Do you think there are sky fish? Oooh, I bet they taste really good," Luffy said, mouth watering at the imagined taste of sky fish. "Sanji, cook them!"

"They might not even exist, idiot," Sanji said lightly.

"Let's go! Let's go to Sky Island! Our next adventure! Nami, Nami, full speed ahead!" Luffy screamed. Usopp agreed loudly.

"We don't have any way to get up, though, even if it doesn't exist," Nami pointed out, though she looked at the log pose with a serious expression. "We need more information about it. Maybe the next island knows about it, how to get up or at least make the log pose point somewhere else."

Luffy shouted, "No way, we're going to Sky Island, not some other island!" Nami demanded if he had any idea of how to get their ship up in the sky. "Well, you're the navigator."

"And you're the captain!" Nami shouted back in irritation. Luffy pouted, and looked directly upwards. He wanted to go into the sky. Who else could have an adventure like that? Well, those on the galleon, probably. But the Straw Hats wouldn't die, so it would be fine. He was so curious and amazed.

Nami asked Robin if she knew anything about it. That's right, Robin brought it up first, she had to know. "To tell you the truth, I've never seen Sky Island. I don't know much about them." Nami was still in denial. The log pose was just broken. "No Navigator-san, what we need to think about is how to get up, not how to fix it."

"See! Robin is cool, too!" Luffy announced. "We're definitely going to Sky Island." Zoro told Robin she would take the blame for Luffy's disappointment if there was no Sky Island. She just chuckled. Luffy liked her a lot, even if her amount of information on him was a bit disappointing.

"So, you know about what I am?" Luffy asked, sitting in the galley at midnight. He didn't want anybody else to hear in case it was bad. Not even Zoro. Robin said she knew a bit. But I wanted to learn more. "What do you mean?"

"Have you ever heard of a poneglyph? There was one in the tomb."

"Ah, the one with weird markings on it?"

"That's right. True history is written on those. There are many in the world. I'm the only one alive who can read them. That's why the World Government is after me, why they were at the start, and why they want me dead so badly. They want to hide whatever is on those stones." Luffy asked if he was on them. "No, but I discovered one of the poneglyphs that briefly spoke of 'the accidental blood drinking humans from beyond, red eyes and spotted hair'. It had no other descriptions, but sometimes poneglyphs come in sets with their information.

"If we're to find anything more out, it'll be on a poneglyph. I only knew about you needing blood because of that. It was enough information for me to figure out easily if you were one of them. It's just lucky I believed in it and brought you blood on a strong hunch. I'm sorry it's not much. If it weren't so mysterious, it could just be a medical disorder of a sort. A rare occurrence. That's the more uninteresting hunch."

Luffy was a bit disappointed, but now he knew something: look for a poneglyph! "Will you read the poneglyphs to me when we find them?" She agreed, and Luffy beamed at the new goal. He wasn't just fishing in the dark anymore! He went to bed with Zoro and fell asleep in a good mood. What he got was better than getting nothing at all.

Luffy and Usopp jumped to the other ship to look for things. Zoro was uneasy about him being near open water like that, but Luffy didn't fall in and they got a lot of stuff from what remained of the ship on the surface and hadn't sunk. Robin was more sure than anyone but Luffy that there was an island in the sky, completely depending on the log pose. Was it really that magical?

Nami wasn't happy, but the log pose continued to point up, no matter what she did with it.

Robin asked for Luffy to get a big, long trunk. He found one, and when they got it back, Luffy wasn't happy that he'd unknowingly brought over a coffin. Nami wondered if that's what she wanted from the start. The oldest nodded, and Nami grinned. "Remember, Nami, Luffy can tell when you are lying. Robin, don't you lie to Luffy or I'll make sure you're kicked off.

"I wasn't lying," Robin pointed out as she pulled out the skull from the coffin. It was gross, but at least it didn't smell bad. Luffy watched, grossed out but interested in what Robin was doing. She found a hole in the skull as she put the pieces of it head back together like a round puzzle. "This hole isn't natural," she said simply.

"Someone bash his head in or something?" Sanji wondered.

"No, it's from a surgery method called trepanation. Isn't that right doctor?"

"Yes, it was used to cure some head diseases in the past, though it's a very old method." Robin then told them all about the dead guy's death. He was 200 years old, in his thirties, and died of a sickness while voyaging. His teeth were intact due to being covered with rubber oil. It was a custom from the South Blue. His ship was for voyaging, probably not pirating based on the time period.

They learned so much just from a head. "Hey, you're pretty smart, aren't you?" Luffy asked, picking his nose.

"Thank you," she said pleasantly. "If that ship was used for exploring, then it must have a router somewhere." Luffy jumped over again to search, but Zoro shouted at him to come back. The ship was nearly sunken. Luffy grabbed what he could before he started to sink, and Zoro jumped in to get him.

He threw him back on the deck. "Look! I got something cool!" Luffy said, showing a map.

"A map of Sky Island! Skypiea…" Nami said.

"Hey, hey, that means there is a Sky Island!" Luffy and Usopp cheered. "Alright, Chopper and Usopp! There is a Sky Island, a dream island! Let's go for it!" Luffy screamed triumphantly. What an adventure they'd go through.

"Hey, this might not be real. It's just a possibility," Nami said cooly.

"No, it is real!"

Nami sighed. Zoro told Luffy to not get his hopes up. The captain swung his hands around Zoro's waist. "But imagine being on the clouds! We could just lay on the clouds!" Zoro smiled, said it sounded nice.

"Clouds are just made of water, you can't lay on them, stupid." Luffy said that a Sky Island shouldn't exist. Maybe it had special clouds. "Luffy's right. We shouldn't rule anything out."

"Robin's awesome."

"Just cause she goes along with you."

"And she's smart, too. And maybe there's a pony up there! And she can learn more." Zoro asked what he meant by a pony. Robin corrected him, it was a poneglyph. "Then I can learn some more about me," Luffy said cheerfully. The ship was quiet now, all waiting for this, too. They knew it bothered and confused him.

Nami sighed, "We'll find out information on it at the next island we find. This map isn't at all helpful right now." Luffy beamed. "Even if it's not a fake map, that is." Luffy pouted, saying the map wasn't fake. "You don't know that! And how do I even know how to get us there?"

"You're the navigator!"

"And again, you're the captain. Ah, I give up. We'll find out what we know, and until then, stop arguing about it!" Zoro smirked.

"Why are you making that decision? You just said Luffy's the captain- oof!" Zoro said when he got punched in the head. "Witch!"

"Watch what you say!" Sanji yelled. Luffy laughed at his lively crew. Robin seemed sort of content while also being uncomfortable. The next step was to get the router of the ship, but it had sunk by then. "Then we'll go salvaging!" Nami said.

"Yay!" Luffy and Usopp cheered. Sounded fun. But how? After all, the ship was sunk. Zoro was leaning against the railing, looking at the bubbles still forming from the sinking ship. It had to be deep by now. At least at the bottom. It had been fifteen minutes since the ship landed in the water, nearly capsizing them.

It only took half an hour for Usopp to throw together diving gear in the shape of barrels with windows in them. "Are you sure this is going to work?" Luffy wondered. This kind of sucked. It was stiff and he couldn't really move much. Nami brushed it off and Usopp claimed it was perfect quality. "Well, if you say so," Luffy said. They had air hoses attached to the top. He did wonder how they had all of these things just laying around. But it didn't matter, they were helpful.

The three dropped into the water, and immediately a sea king that was stalking their ship fled. It had been deep underwater so he hadn't noticed.

The deeper they went the darker it got. When they got to the bottom, they found the ship wasn't that deep. When they got to the bottom, they started to explore the ship.

But as they searched the ship, all they found were sea critters having already taken up residence and damaged or destroyed goods. But they got deep enough and into a secure area of the ship that had air, and they could take off the diving barrel suits. They were really clunky and Luffy was impressed they worked. Usopp sure was good at making things.

They noticed the ship was being moved with them inside, though. "Hear anything from above?" Sanji asked calmly.

"It's hard to hear through water, so not really," Luffy replied. "Shishishi, Zoro has a friend," Luffy laughed, pointing at the octopus clinging to his shoulder. Why had it come out in the air? Weird. Then he looked out the porthole still intact, and squinted his eyes. "Hey, isn't that a whale?" Zoro said it wouldn't be that strange to see one at the bottom of the ocean. "But look at it! Looks so weird!"

Then there was a loud noise as a monkey broke into the room. Luffy looked up before returning back to the porthole. "Zoro, look!" He sighed and came over. "That's a whale, right?"

"Looks like a sea king, not a whale."

"No, the whale is behind it! See, it's eating the sea king!" Sanji and a monkey both ran over now, too. They didn't know him or who he was or what he was doing but he was curious, too. Luffy squinted, and the monkey handed him a flashlight. He pointed it out, and they saw the cloud of blood around the dead sea king.

It swam past them, and Luffy saw it hd black and white spots, red eyes and it was white with black swirls. But it was definitely some type of whale. They all were shocked. It swam away before they could look too closely. "Hey, that was like me!" Luffy exclaimed.

Sanji bit on his cigarette. "Well, now everything is very confusing again," he said with a sigh. "Anyways what do you want?" the cook said, all of them finally addressing the monkey. But then another creature came and chomped down on the ship. The insides crushed in a sickening sound, but it was the ship, not them. But water flooded the area, and Luffy was helpless.

Zoro cut through the damaged wood and dragged Luffy out. Sanji picked up the junk that was treasure to others. After seeing what he saw, Luffy'd much rather have some answers instead some treasure they didn't need. They also hadn't found a map or anything useful.

He was tossed onto deck, the other two climbing on afterwards. "You're alive!?" Luffy hacked up water on the deck. He rushed back to the side of the ship and looked down only to then see the giant turtle that tried swallowing them. He saw the monkey guy having trouble getting out, and Luffy shot his hand out where his crew wouldn't reach their ropes.

Luffy grabbed onto his neck and pulled, his hand snapping back and slamming him into him. "Luffy, why did you help him?" Sanji asked.

"Cause he looks interesting. And he let us use his flashlight. The monkey man coughed up water, and Luffy patted his back. "Hey, are you okay, monkey?" Luffy asked, crouched with his head upside down. Then he looked up. "Is it night already?" he wondered until they all looked up and saw huge shadows in the sky, and all of them screamed.

"MONSTERS!"

They got the paddles and hurried the hell out of there. Once their arms were beat and the oars creaked, they stopped and the ship slowed. They all sat down and breathed deeply. Luffy looked back the way they came, but the monsters were gone. They hadn't chased them or anything. Where the hell did they go?

"That's impossible. Nothing is that big. Today's been a really weird day…" Sanji sighed.

"A galleon fell from the sky," Zoro sighed.

"The log pose keeps pointing up," Nami mumbled.

"There was me as a whale!" Luffy said, wrecking the flow. The others looked at him, and then they realized the monkey was there. They'd lost his ship behind when the monsters showed up.

"It sure looked weird!" Luffy said, unbothered that the monkey guy was there. "Oh, yeah, why're you here?" he wondered.

"Ah! My ship got left behind!" he shouted in worry. Luffy cocked his head. "What do I do?!" Zoro and Sanji said he could swim. Luffy didn't think that would be fair since they were the ones that rowed away. So, he said they would take him back to his ship.

"Luffy! The monsters!" Chopper said frantically. Luffy frowned, saying they were the ones to run off from his ship with him on board. "But…"

"Well, we have nowhere to go, right? The log pose is pointing up, where would we go?" Luffy wondered, standing up. "It's not that far," he said lightly. The monkey cried at his kindness, and Luffy grinned. "Cause you look like a monkey and that's my last name! Shishishi! Hey, do you know any nearby island we can get information at?" Luffy asked in a cheerful and friendly voice.

"How does he make friends with everyone?" Nami sighed.

"Or enemies," Usopp added.

"Oh yeah, Jaya's nearby! We have an eternal pose there, we'll lead you!" the monkey said. Luffy beamed, and they talked jovially about diving, wondering about that whale without the monkey knowing it relating to Luffy, and they returned him to their ship, and then followed them on their way to Jaya, the closest island. If they left it in time, the log pose shouldn't be set there, and would still lead them to Sky Island.

Robin asked, "So, what did you see down there?" The salvage monkey was gone on his ship they were trailing after. Making friends really got you far in life, didn't it? Zoro said they saw a spotted whale with black markings and red eyes. Not to mention it was eating a sea king. "Wait, what? Why would a whale have Luffy's characteristics?" Robin asked, truly stumped.

"Well, you said it could be like a disorder-"

"You said what?" Zoro seethed.

"-so maybe other things have it, too!" Luffy finished, unbothered by Zoro's angry interruption. Robin was smiling widely, thinking. She had no idea. So, it was even more of a mystery. "I wish I could have gotten a picture, or interacted with it!"

"So… this just kind of confuses everything, doesn't it?" Usopp mumbled. "Now we don't know if Luffy's some other creature, or a human with some condition!"

Chopper said his blood had been human. He'd needed a transfusion of human blood. Only he had different properties. Like when it burned anyone Luffy thought was an enemy. "Due to the appearance, that could be possible, with some sort of condition that could change appearances, such as albinism. Not having pigment on your skin or hair. It changes your eyes, too. And albinism happens to many species."

"That's not as cool as thinking he came from some other world," Sanji mumbled.

""M not an alien, jerk."

"But it does make the mention in a poneglyph very strange. Why would it be mentioned in something like that, if it's a mutation of some sort?" Robin wondered, looking openly excited, and not so cool and composed. They all gave a collective shrug. Luffy said hopefully they would find out, or maybe find other things like that!

Nami replied, "If none of us has heard or seen anything with your features or traits, then I doubt we'll easily run into another one. This was probably just incredibly lucky to find one."

"Or they all live in the ocean," Sanji mused. "Either way, I doubt finding an answer about it is gonna be quick and easy." They agreed on that, and went to finally inspect the bag of treasure they'd taken from the ship before it was destroyed. Did that turtle eat wood? It couldn't be a good diet.

Nami then yelled at them all they'd brought was trash, and promptly had them throw it over back into the ocean. Luffy thought this weirdly shaped puzzle piece of information was better than any treasure they could have found down there. He stood at the railing, looking down at the water as they sailed through it, coming nearer to the island as they heard just how damn loud the monkey crew was.

Then three seagulls slammed down onto the deck, starling him. They'd been shot down. Luffy could just barely smell the scent of a large amount of people. "There's nobody around, who shot them?!"

"We're near the island. I can smell a lot of people," Luffy said, drinking from a blood bag with a straw. "This island stinks." It did. It smelled like trash and vomit and booze and sweat. Like dirty men. He sat on the Merry's sheep head as they got sight of it, the monkey crew leaving them at the port and going to another part of the island.

"It looks like a resort!" Nami said with sparkling eyes.

"Smells like a dump," Luffy said, finishing his drink and tossing it into the water. Most sanitary thing to do and then washing his hands. "Besides, we can't stay, we gotta go to Sky Island!"

"Don't…. these all look like pirate ships?" Usopp asked, voice shaky as they did indeed pass many pirate ships.

"Idiot, pirates wouldn't dock all in a public place like this," Nami said. Luffy calmly mentioned that he heard and smelled pirates everywhere. Chopper, Nami and Usopp weren't happy with so many pirates. "Why didn't you tell us there were pirates?!" she asked Luffy.

"Not all pirates smell bad," he replied simply. When they docked, Luffy told them he heard all sorts of sounds of people fighting and arguing. "Seems interesting!"

"Yeah, looks fun. Too bad it reeks, though." They barely walked away before Nami deemed them inept to go alone, and insisted she go too. "We've gone places alone before," Zoro snapped.

"Yeah, in Logue Town. And how did that go?! You got apprehended by a bunch of freaks and then marines!"

"And a pervert woman who gets high off of being hit," Zoro grumbled. Luffy laughed obnoxiously.

"Wait! Don't go in just like that!" Zoro asked what she came there for then, if they weren't even entering the place. "I mean, we have to have a plan, right?" She was just scared. "Damn right I am! All of those ships are pirate ships and they're not even trying to hide it. There aren't any authorities here!" She was whisper shouting.

Luffy said, "But we're pirates."

"I mean the bad kind!" Nami said flippantly.

"So what do you want us to do, then?" Zoro snapped. She made them promise not to fight anyone in the city. At all. They couldn't get a lot of attention. She wanted them in and out quickly so they didn't miss the log pose. "And you're just scared."

"Of course I am!" she said. "If you cause any trouble, we have to leave without information on Sky Island. Don't fight."

"We already said we wouldn't!" Zoro shot back in irritation.

The first weird thing they encountered and didn't hear was some guy who'd fallen off his horse. He asked them to help him up. "Why don't you do it yourself?" Luffy asked blankly. This guy smelled bad in a different way. He lied when he said he'd always been weak, but they were told not to cause a scene. He and Zoro tossed him back on his horse.

"Thank you. Here, have an apple," he said, holding up a basket of apples. Luffy stared at them and then declined. They smelled like explosives. "Are you sure? It's for free." But then they heard shouting about somebody eating an explosive apple. They were dead.

"I'm sure," Luffy replied. The guy gave him an annoying smile, calling him lucky. "I only just didn't take it. Hehe, weird." They heard more explosions, and Luffy was glad he smelled it easily. Zoro asked how he knew. "It smelled wrong."

"You weren't going to take it even if it smelled normal, right?"

"It was free food."

"Don't take free food from shady looking strangers!"

"But you like free things."

"Ugh, it's impossible to talk to you sometimes," Nami sighed. Zoro grinned. They walked in further, Luffy hearing all sorts of noises and people. You didn't usually hear death threats coming from every direction. What a weird place. He heard the sounds of fighting from everywhere. If Nami wasn't there and if they hadn't promised to behave, fighting the winners would be fun.

He needed practice against bad guys. They hadn't had time for him to test the blood endurance fighting… thing. Try and make him able to fight longer without blood. Well, they were going to Sky Island, there wouldn't be bad people like Crocodile. Or marines, too, probably. He had drunk a whole bag of blood before docking, so he wasn't worried about the immediate future. Wasn't worried in general.

When it seemed going right would lead to more ruckus and fights, Nami had them go left to the part that was more of a resort. She was much happier there. The water was clear, no trash or cigarette buds littering the ground, not the smell of filth and shit. At least for Luffy. They couldn't smell as well as he could. All they smelled was the smell of tons of booze.

"This place is nice! The rest of the city is so chaotic. I wonder how you build houses on water, this is literally an overseas vacation home."

"I don't want to stay. It's still really noisy here. And smelly, though it's better a bit further away," Luffy said. He crouched over the water.

"What are you doing?" Zoro wondered when he saw Luffy looking intently at nothing. Luffy replied he was looking for fish like him. "Luffy, if it is some sort of disorder, it's not going to be so common. Crocus and Robin, as well as your family, have never seen anything similar, right?"

Luffy stood and pouted. Nami was listening and gave a sad smile. "We'll always be on the lookout, but actively trying to search, I think, will not yield results." He nodded, a soft frown on his face. Luffy took Zoro's hand, and they were approached by a freaked out looking man, begging them to leave. Somebody had already bought the place out.

"Bellamy." He's been hearing that name said by a lot of people, and all not in a happy voice. Best not to get involved when they were looking for answers to questions.

"Please, leave at once!"

"Jeesh, it's just a hotel," Nami said sourly. "It's not like we're snooping in the rooms. We just have questions." She didn't like being denied things dismissively.

"What's going on?" a voice asked behind them. "You, the dirty kids, where'd you come from?" a guy with light blue, long hair and snow goggles asked dismissively. Get outta here. We bought this place out for ourselves. Go home kid!"

Luffy stared at him, annoyed. He didn't seem too strong. He didn't give off a terrile icky scent either. Not like some of the people there. The horse guy with the apples smelled pretty bad, too. "Nami, can I send this guy flying?"

"No!"

Sarquisse, as the hotel guy fearfully named him, looked entertained and skeptical. "Heh, you send me flying? You look like such a poor, pitiful kid. Take this, use it to buy some nice clothing." He dumped some money down.

"Hey, free money! Thanks!" Luffy said, but Zoro pulled him back from picking it up, glaring at the man. "Don't worry so much, Zoro." But he and Nami pulled him out of there, both angrier than he was even though he was the one being insulted.

"Don't act like that with people who treat you that way!" Nami snapped. Luffy pointed that she had said not to get in fights or confrontations. She had no response. Instead of the hotel, they went to a place public and seemingly more secure. So a bar was the best place to get information.

"Mister, your bar stinks," Luffy said casually. Nami bopped his head, telling him to let her do the talking.

"Well, everyone inside is a pirate. Not much I can do about that," the bar man said politely. He asked why there were so many in one place. "Well, Mocktown was pretty much built by and for pirates. The way they spend money is like spilling water. Even though they see killing and fighting as an 'everyday thing', they rarely attack the citizens," he said calmly. After all, what's good for money if you have no place to spend it."

They ordered drinks, and Luffy bought a cherry pie, only to freeze when somebody large, fat and hairy sat next to him. He smelled deeply, and his face went cold. The scent of Ace was on this man. But not directly. The scent was old, but Luffy was so attuned to it that it stunk out as strong as rotten eggs would for somebody else.

This guy had met Ace before, but not in awhile. He watched quietly, returning back to his disgusting cherry pie. Zoro asked what was wrong, both he and Nami noticing the change in him. Luffy had a feeling he knew who this guy was. He was the one Ace was looking for. Blackbeard.

But it was Ace's hunt to avenge his crewmate and friend. Luffy wouldn't interfere. Ace's pride would be hurt. The guy ate the cherry pie enthusiastically. Luffy smiled at Zoro. "I'll tell you guys later. Now we have to ask about the log pose."

"I did, Luffy. Didn't you hear?" Nami asked. "He said it took four days. We should be gone in two days, so we should be fine about the log pose setting." Zoro looked concerned, but Luffy smiled. It was nothing, really. The information would do nothing to change their goal there: information on Sky Island. Not defeating someone Ace had volunteered to take down for his own reasons.

But he sure was a noisy guy. He eventually left and Luffy didn't need to talk to him. Once he was gone, Luffy told them. "Ace told me he was after someone who betrayed his crew, Blackbeard. I'm positive that was him."

"How?"

"That guy was both gross and had Ace's scent. Not so strong that it was recent. More like he was around Ace a lot. I lived with him side by side for seven years, so it's really easy to pick up." When Nami asked why they hadn't done anything, Zoro was the one to answer.

"It's Ace's journey. It's not like it was an order he didn't want to fulfil, he chose this, right? Whitebeard hadn't told him?" Luffy nodded. It had been Ace's choice. "Did the guy feel strong? He was big."

Luffy shrugged. He didn't really get much of an idea of how strong he was. They both turned around when a nasty voice said, "Hey, is there a pirate with a Straw Hat in here?" It was a blonde guy with a small nose and a scar on his forehead. He kind of looked… crazy. Luffy and Zoro knew instantly that this would probably end up in a fight.

He looked to Luffy, as it was quite clear it was him, he had the Straw Hat. "So, you're Straw Hat Luffy. The 30 million bounty boy," Bellamy said. Even Zoro and Nami could tell who it was just based on the mutterings of the people inside. Luffy wasn't offended much by everyone in the room doubting him.

"I don't look very tough, I know," Luffy said honestly. He knew he was skinny and short, he wasn't going to deny or get defensive about it. He sat next to Luffy, and ordered the best wine, and anything for Luffy. He already had a juice in front of him. He commented on Luffy's red eyes. He didn't know what to say back.

Bellamy's group came in. It was the guy that had mocked Luffy by offering him some free money. Honestly, free money was welcome. Bellamy brought up his glass to toast Luffy, and he didn't even need to have good hearing to dodge. The hand slammed onto the table, breaking the bar counter. Luffy couldn't help the disapproving expression.

The guy glared at him sourly. Maybe angry he missed. "We're not here for fights," Luffy said blankly.

"So, you're supposed to have a high bounty, but won't fight back?"

"Why would I fight back, nothing happened?" Luffy said. Luffy kept his eyes right on the guy. "Nami, ask your questions." Zoro was watching the others. Nami nodded, and asked the bartender if he knew how to get to Sky Island. The entire room started laughing obnoxiously.

"W-why are you laughing? The log pose is pointing to the sky!" People continued to laugh, and Nami's face turned bright red in humiliation. Luffy turned and asked the bartender the question again. When he shook his head, Luffy grabbed Nami's elbow. Zoro was tense too.

"C'mon, there's no point in sticking around here if there's no information," he said with a smile. Nami was near tears but also really angry.

"Runnin' away, are you?" Bellamy asked with a sneer. Maybe that was his smile, but it wasn't a good one. Zoro responded they were only there for information, not a fight. "So, you're not actually 30 million, huh?"

At the door, Luffy said, "Believe what you want. We're going to Sky Island." He wasn't going to set himself or Nami up to be humiliated. "Even if he attacked, I wouldn't fight back."

"What- why?" Nami asked.

"That's what he wants. Dodging was probably the most humiliating thing Luffy could have done to him. Both not being hurt and refusing to take part in it. We should move the ship. We can look for more information about Sky Island in the morning. After all, we have four days at the most," Zoro explained.

Luffy said, "I wanted to beat that guy up bad, but I just don't want to waste anything right now. I'm not as reckless as I used to be." Zoro put his arm around his shoulder. He knew especially the shame he felt for running out of blood during a fight and having to have somebody else interfere.

"Made the right choice," he said. Luffy knew he did. He also knew that he could have beat that guy. But… he just wasn't in the mood. Meeting Ace's enemy kind of shook him up. Part of him wanted to try and take care of it. Ace said he missed his family and wanted to go home. But he also knew that it was Ace's duty. Not his.

"Any news on Sky Island?" Chopper asked.

"No! Just that the people here are assholes!" Nami shouted and stormed inside in fury. Robin came to the ship, looking like she didn't have a problem. Luffy called her up, asking what she had been doing.

She had multiple bags in her arms. "I went to buy new clothes so I don't wear Navigator-san's anymore. And also some information about Sky Island." Nami came out and angrily told Robin she would pay if Sky Island didn't exist.

"Shishishi, Nami, it does! We'll get there!" Luffy said happily. "It'll be amazing!" Robin smiled and put her clothes away. She handed Luffy the map. A treasure map. "It's a treasure map!"

"It's to this island. At the X is a very special man. Montblanc Cricket. He was exiled for speaking out about his dreams. Figured we'd have something in common," Robin explained smoothly. They left the port and headed to follow the map Robin had. The sailing was smooth until Luffy started hearing an obnoxious buzzing noise.

The closer to their destination they got, the louder it was until it was painful. He was trying to hide the pain and then the source came to sight. It was a salvaging crew like Masira had been. And this was in the direction their ship had left once they were at the port. Luffy's ear drums started to painfully vibrate. And he put his hands over his ears.

"Get them to stop making that noise!" he shouted, for him the noise being very loud, but to them, he just screamed for no reason. He heard shouts from the other ship, and things were getting hostile until they mentioned they'd helped Masira and he helped them. Apparently this monkey (who looked like a different kind of monkey) was his brother.

He stopped the noise, and Luffy had his ears treated by Chopper and then drank a mouthful of blood. When he came out, he found there were small damages to the ship. He'd had his eyes shut from the vibrations that he didn't notice the damage. Usopp was grumbling about it, and Zoro complained about the rapidly declining state of the Merry. "Should we get a new one soon? She keeps getting more and more beat up."

"We're not getting a new one!"

"Usopp, don't worry! The Going Merry is our friend. We'll just take care of her. Until we get a super awesome shipwright," Luffy said cheerily, making Usopp look surprised but satisfied. When they made it to the coast, the house was immediately visible. It was huge! And it looked like a castle. Maybe not a castle, but a mansion!

"Is this guy rich or something?" Usopp asked.

Zoro said, "Stupid, look closer."

"Seems less like a man who dreams than one who wants attention," Sanji added.

"What are you talking about?" Chopper asked in bafflement. They landed, and saw that the fancy, impressive house was just a wooden board painted like one. It was just a small stone house. Nobody was home.

Nami asked what kind of dreams he was exiled about. "I'm not sure. Just something about there being tons of gold on Jaya."

"Gold?!" Nami screamed, eyes sparkling. "Where do you think?" she asked, getting off of the ship.

"I don't smell any treasure nearby," Luffy said, disappointed by the actual house. Nami deflated completely. He went to the house and opened it without even knocking. It was boring and bare. He lived alone. But Luffy didn't know where he was. Did he die? How old was that map, and the information Robin got? "There's nobody here," he complained, arms crossed. "Robin did you trick us?!"

Usopp said, "Just because he isn't here right now doesn't mean he isn't here. Look! There's fresh food and everything. He'd probably just out doing… something."

"I want to look in the forest. There's a lot of weird noises coming from it!" Sanji grabbed the back of his shirt. He was reminded that they had limited time to get to Sky Island. He couldn't wander off and get lost. "I'm not Zoro, I'll find my way back!"

"No. We'll stay and wait."

"Stupid Sanji," Luffy grumbled, stickign his tongue out. Nami looked at a stump that might be used as a table and saw a picture book. A really old one.

"'King of Liars: Noland'," Nami read. Usopp said it sounded interesting.

"I hate liars. Except you Usopp. You're a good one," Luffy said, walking over to see the book. Usopp sighed and thanked him in a flat voice. "What's the book about?" Luffy asked, sitting down on the mossy ground to listen. There was nothing else to do if he couldn't go into the forest.

Sanji said he read that book a lot. "When you lived in the North Blue? With the mean people?" He was surprised Luffy remembered it. "Yeah! I mean, that was important right? Why wouldn't I remember it." Sanji looked a bit bothered and Zoro laughed at him. They got into a fight.

"Read it," Luffy said happily.

"A story over four hundred years ago… In a certain country in the northern seas, there was a man named Montblanc Noland. Noland the Explorer's stories were always grand adventures that sounded like lies.

"But the people of the village could never tell if they were true or not. One time, Noland went on an expedition, and came back to report to the king.

"I saw a mountain of gold on an island across the great seas."

"To see for himself, the brave king took two thousand warriors and crossed the great seas in his ship. He fought powerful storms and huge sea monsters. Finally, the king, Noland, and one hundred soldiers landed on the island. But what they found there was nothing but jungle. Noland was sentenced to death for his lies.

"These were his last words."That's it! The mountain of gold sank into the ocean!" The king and the others were shocked. Nobody believed Noland anymore, but he never stopped lying until he was dead."

She closed the book. "Well, that was not a happy book," Usopp said. Zoro said that could happen to him. "I'd never make up a lie that would get me sentenced to death!"

Chopper said he'd done it in their battle in Alabasta. Luffy didn't like the end of the story, and was sitting at the shore. "He died… that's stupid," he mumlbed to himself. He heard a bubbling noise and was unable to do anything before he was grabbed by a hand out of the water and yanked into it. He immediately went immobile as he heard fighting out of the water. Muddled, of course.

Usopp was the one to save him this time, and he took in a deep breath. "What the hell were you doing?!" Usopp demanded.

"It's not my fault! There were bubbles, and then an arm came and pulled me in!" Luffy said, and Usopp swam the few feet to the shore, helping pull Luffy up and out of the water. Zoro was furious, and hurried to Luffy asking if he was okay.

"I'm okay. But that surprised me!" Luffy said, and then they all saw the attacker collapse with a heavy thud. Chopper, of course, went inside to treat him for decompression sickness. Going up or down deep water too fast can be bad for you, make you very ill with air bubbles in your blood or something. Luffy wasn't paying attention anymore. Stuff like that wasn't as interesting.

He was more focused on the sounds of the forest. Interesting animals awaited him in there. He heard people talking, very definable voices. The monkeys. They were on relatively good terms with them due to Luffy's act of kindness, but the crew was still angry Luffy's eardrums were burst by the sonic waves by Shoujou.

"What do you want?" Sanji asked.

"We're treating him, go away." They were really mad at him for that. They were overprotective sometimes, but they could say the same for him. But the two monkeys believed them, and thanked them immediately. Luffy wondered if they both lived out there, calling the guy boss and all.

"Actually, our boss' home is actually the base of operations of the 'United Primate Armed Forces'!" Though they lived on their ships since the house was too small for both of them, who were larger than an average person. Bigger than Cricket. He was still resting while everyone else but Chopper were outside.

Then he came out and said the guy woke up. Luffy hurried inside. The man thanked them for the help, but apologized for attacking them, sounding gruff but sincere. "I thought you were after the gold."

"Luffy said there was no gold around here," Nami said in an accusatory voice. But Cricket moved on, and asked what they wanted.

"We want information on how to go to Sky Island! Please tell us how to get there!" Luffy said excitedly, beaming with wide eyes. Zoro looked at him fondly from the corner. He couldn't help but walk up behind him and wrap his arms around Luffy's waist. Luffy wasn't bothered by PDA, so he wasn't upset with this at all. He liked when Zoro touched him in public.

Cricket looked unimpressed. Then he laughed at them, pissing Nami off, who wanted to punch him even though he was injured, Usopp holding her back. "Sky Island does exist!" Luffy insisted irritably. Why was everyone laughing?!

The diver said, "I don't know either. But I knew a man who said it does. He was known as a great liar, though." Luffy looked at Usopp accusingly, but he snapped he wasn't talking about him. "Noland, king of the liars. It's an old story, though," Cricket said, voice sounding more like he was musing to himself. Apparently that story happened at Jaya, and Cricket was a descendant of him.

His family name was still mocked and exiled, even though Noland was actually a very honest man. "So why did he lie? Or why did he get accused of lying? Noland was telling the truth, the evidence just left before he could show it off. He knew the gold sunk into the sea, but still nobody believed him, and he was executed, even telling the truth.

"The story book showed him smiling, but at his death he was crying. Nobody believed him up until the end, and the crowd that watched his execution laughed until he was no more."

Usopp assumed what Luffy had. That Cricket was looking for the gold to clear his ancestor's name, but that definitely wasn't it, as he pulled a gun on Usopp angrily. "Hey!" Luffy shouted angrily. Cricket was extremely hateful towards Noland. He hated him for what his name had done to him even as a child, even this long afterwards.

"You're right. Through my family, countless members have attempted to clear his name, but nothing ever comes of it! They waste their lives trying to clear the name of a man that they never met and who ruined their lives. They all die. That's why I ran away from home. I didn't want to join them in that pointless journey."

He had become a pirate after running away from home. But when he got to Jaya, his crew left since he just wanted to find the gold himself. So, he was left alone for his task that he shrugged off for so long. He wasn't doing it for Noland, he wanted to find it when he couldn't, a sort of duel.

"Before I die, I will settle this, and tell everyone the truth." Luffy wondered about the monkeys outside. How they fit into this. "They're just fans of the story. Five year after I started this, they came to see the city of gold." But they saved him from loneliness. Usopp was emotional from it, and Luffy was touched too. The monkeys were kind of annoying in their own ways, but nice guys!

"Yeah, enough about the monkeys. Mister! I want to go to Sky Island!" Luffy said, getting back to the whole point of coming here.

"You sure are impatient. There's only one person who's gone there. Noland the liar. There's no proof but the log book." Nami read it aloud, talking about objects they'd never heard or or imagined. Sky fish, a sea of clouds. It sounded amazing! Luffy and Usopp cheered about seeing it themselves. They had to go, now! There was no other option, no other choice! They would go there, no matter what. Nami was excited, too, about a sea in the sky.

Cricket left to talk to the monkeys, and they all decided to help them up. Without their help, the bunch of them would die on the only way to get there. It sounded so exciting!

Soon they all sat outside, Zoro sleeping. "Listen, I'll tell you what I know about Sky Island. However, not everything I say can be proven. You decide to believe me or not."

"Yes, I believe you!" Luffy said. The others looked at him in annoyance. He ignored this and explained about the cloud that had turned the day into night. A strange type of cloud that could not be explained. It was so dense that it blocked out the sun completely when it was overhead. It never dissipated, and just floated around leisurely.

Nami didn't believe him because it wasn't scientifically possible. "Magic, huh?" Luffy asked.

"Really, it's magic?!" Chopper asked.

"Shut up and listen!" Cricket shouted in irritation. "It's called millennium cumulonimbus. Some say the cloud has been in existence for millions of years. It won't change form, and is like a cloud fossil. If Sky Island does exist, it has to be inside that cloud!" he finished.

Luffy jumped up. "Yay! Time to go to the magic cloud! Sky Island here we come! Zoro wake up! An adventure is ready for us! Everyone get your things! Time to send the ship into the clouds!" Usopp and Chopper cheered as well. The others just listened quietly.

"We don't know how to get there!" Nami said.

Cricket said, "The real deal starts here. I'll warn you first. You'll need to risk your lives." Luffy told him they were pirates and did that every day. He kept speaking. "The current that shoots upwards. If you can get on that current, you can get to Sky Island." Nami was amazed at hearing a current that would shoot them upwards. It was the Grand Line after all.

"We just gotta get on a current that blows up upwards? Hahaha!" Luffy said jovially, extremely excited for what was to come next. But Nami pointed out they'd heard it in Sky Island, that the current would shoot them up only to drop them back down. They'd heard a lot in passing.

"Normally that's the case. The key here is timing. It's not easy to get blown up into the sky. 'Knock-up-stream' is a disaster. It's something people normally avoid. The reason behind the current is just a theory because nobody is dumb enough to investigate further." Luffy didn't really understand the science of caves underwater and air and stuff, but the thing would last one full minute.

That should be enough! He was sure. Because that was what he wanted to happen, so it would! Definitely. But the current only happened 5 times a month. And the conditions needed to be perfect. "Don't worry! It'll work!" Luffy said.

"We still need more information about how to do it," Nami said, for once not snapping as she was fascinated with this whole thing. Usopp was looking hesitant to ride the knock-up-stream, now. It didn't help when Cricket said there was a good chance they'd not make it and fall back down to be fish food.

And he was now against it. Well, Luffy wasn't, and he was the captain! Hahaha! "We're definitely going, don't worry! It'll all work out." Usopp sighed. He pointed out the condition to the Merry, and Cricket agreed that the ship would be blown to pieces if experiencing the current. Unless they helped the ship get prepared to take the force of it all. They were offering help for free!

"Oooh, you can count on us!" the monkey brothers said.

"Yay, thank you!" Luffy cheered. Usopp and Nami weren't so into it anymore. And they were upset when it wouldn't take over four days to get there, for the disaster to occur and take them to their next adventure. It would happen noon the next day. So they didn't need to worry about the log pose setting before then.

Everything would work out, Luffy was sure of it. Usopp didn't believe the convenience of it all, and called Cricket a liar. "Usopp!" Luffy scolded.

"Be quiet! What kind of plan is this? We met you today and now you're offering to help us when the thing we need to do will conveniently happen tomorrow? Everything is too perfect! Nothing is ever this perfect for us!"

Cricket was unbothered, and just enforced the fact that they did indeed know when the stream would happen based on an accurate and detailed calendar. He finally smiled, saying he liked reckless idiots like them. "Just take some hospitality from my home for just one day, compadre." They then went to have dinner cooked by Sanji. So that's where he went! Zoro had fallen back to sleep.

The meal was rambunctious and enjoyable. They were excited for what was to come. Even Usopp and Nami now accepted this would happen. At least, for the time being. As they ate, they were told about golden bells, and of a lost civilization on the island. Something Robin was very interested in, no doubt.

"Hey, hey! Were there any weird things here? Like, spotted and with markings on them and red eyes?" Luffy asked, derailing the topic. Cricket calmly said he hadn't ever heard of anything like that. "Oh, okay."

Then they went back to the topic. Luffy hadn't really expected anything, but why not ask? Cricket found the golden bell during one of his dives, as well as a gold object shaped as some weird animal. It was also holding a bell. The talk was leisurely about the strange south birds before Cricket shouted at them to go find that bird to be able to lead them south. After all, normal compasses didn't work, so finding south would be impossible.

They had a weird call, so that would be easy enough to find, but catch? Hopefully that would be easy. They were ordered to get one or they couldn't get to Sky Island, even though it was midnight. The three would start working on equipping the Going Merry to be ready for the rough journey.

They ran into the black forest, aiming to get the bird before day break. "Actually, Luffy, why don't you stay here?" Nami said nicely.

"What, why?!" Luffy asked angrily.

"You'll just scare it away," Sanji said, and they left without him. He pouted and kicked a tree with the toe of his sandals. What was he supposed to do now? He went back to watch them work on the ship, interested but rather be searching for a bird with everyone. It sounded so exciting, he could hear them all screaming and running around.

He looked up when he smelled and heard the stinky scent of Mocktown. He stood up and watched as Bellamy walked over with two others, looking haughty. Luffy didn't like him at all. "Oh, Straw Hat is here, huh? You here for the gold, too?"

"No, I'm here to go to Sky Island," Luffy replied in a flat voice. He moved in front of the ship and the three working on it. "Why are you here?"

"For the gold, of course." Cricket turned around angrily, but Luffy told them to keep working, he'd take care of this. "You? You wouldn't even fight in town! What can you do?!" Bellamy mocked. Luffy didn't get angry easily, so he just stood there. He didn't take the bait. Bellamy seemed to take his silence as him not knowing what to say.

He grinned, and crouched. Luffy smelled metal and could tell he had some sort of devil fruit easily. But shot at him at a fast speed, shouting, "Spring hopper!" Luffy could sense him just fine. He couldn't turn in midair or anything, so he was in a straight line. Luffy didn't want to deal with this, he wanted to watch the ship be modified. Or just enjoy the nighttime breeze and maybe get on the ship for a bite of blood cake Sanji had made.

Luffy slammed his fist down in the direction he knew Bellamy was heading, and hit him in the face, forcing him to the ground in one punch. He was out like a light. The other two with them, the guy with the snow goggles on before and a woman looked shocked and horrified. "You should take him back to town. My friends won't be happy when they see him here."

The other two were shaking, so Luffy left them to go back to watch the ship being made. "Who was that?"

"An annoying guy from town. Neh, why a chicken?" he asked curiously.

When they came back with the south bird, Bellamy had been dragged away. "Anything fun happen while we were gone?" Zoro wondered, looking at him in slight pity. He'd really wanted to go with them and have fun but had been denied.

Luffy nodded. "That Bellamy guy came for the gold so I beat him up," he said simply. They were surprised, and Zoro snorted.

"That Bellamy really was trash," Nami spat. "I'm glad we left the bar before he could start spewing garbage." Luffy nodded. He'd taken him out in one punch. He had a devil fruit that made his legs into springs so he could jump around a lot. "Sounds pretty useless. Could he move in midair?" Luffy shook his head. "Useless," she repeated.

The ship was ready to go, and hadn't taken too long at all. Only a few hours. His crew looked a little roughed up by the forest, but they had been screaming about it after all. They got onto the ship, thanking Cricket and the scavenging monkeys for all they'd done for them. They had the south bird contained, an annoying sounding creature, but the one he'd been hearing from the forest for a while.

Cricket shouted, "United Primate Armed Forces! Don't screw this up, give it your all to get them there!" Luffy beamed, and they set sail in a hurry to make it on time. Better early than late. They had some time, but not much since the southbird had taken a bit of time. And the party they had was a time waster as well.

At least it was fun, though!

"Kid! We will part here! But there is one thing that is absolutely certain! It is that for gold city and Sky Island, there has never been anyone, that can prove it exists! Others may laugh at us, but that doesn't matter. This is adventure!"

The Straw Hats cheered, and happily said goodbye to the guy helping them on their next journey, one in the sky! One their way, Luffy had fun messing with the south bird. Its head only pointed south. That seemed inconvenient, but interesting! Even when he turned its head, it kept being forced back to point south.

It didn't like this, but there wasn't much it could do. "Luffy, you should get a refill before we go. Don't know what'll happen," Robin said from her lawn chair.

"Oh, good idea!" he said, and darted inside to get a full blood bag, and slurp it down in preparation for anything crazy. He put it in the biohazard box in case any of the other helper crews saw it. They might think it was weird or suspect something. He wondered if there would be things like him in the sky. People or animals.

It was an hour early that the millennium cumulonimbus appeared! It was like there was a patch of night time under only that cloud. The monkeys were worried they hadn't found the knock-up-stream's next location until the waves got violent and choppy, throwing all three ships around. They could barely hear one another but Luffy, even though the waves were noisy, too.

He slammed his hands over his ears when Shoujou used his sonar, and found that they were right in the perfect place! Lucky! Luffy knew everything would work out after all! They were led to the whirlpool, a huge one! Spinning rapidly! Only the scared three were the most worried and wanting to go back, while Luffy screamed, "Sky Island, here I come! Woooo!"

Sea king got caught in the whirlpool and was spinning around in there with them. It wouldn't attack them, but Luffy couldn't help pity the thing thrashing around and unable to move, victim to the powerful swirling water. Then it got even bigger! The Going Merry was tiny in it! They were getting closer to the center, faster and faster, tilting downwards.

"Be careful and have fun, everyone!" Masira said. He and Shoujou's ships were safely outside of the whirlpool of adventure. Or death, either one.

"Wait, you never told us the whirlpool would be this huge!" Nami screeched.

"Let us go back! Help us!" Usopp cried.

"No going back now! Neehee!" Luffy said happily, holding onto the railing hard as the ship spinned. His navigator and sniper were begging him to go back. They wouldn't be able to anyways, as they insisted Sky Island didn't exist. There was no point in killing themselves over it! It was just a fantasy! "Yeah! But it's an adventure we'll regret not doing for the rest of our lives!" he shouted over the roaring of the storm and water. It had turned into nighttime by now. At least under the cloud.

"Hey, while you were freaking out, you missed that we're entering the middle of the whirlpool," Zoro said simply.

"AHHH! No, we're gonna die!"

"Nami-san, come lay on my chest, I'll protect you!" But suddenly the whirlpool disappeared. Luffy whined, demanding to know if it didn't work. Nami's eyes widened, and explained that the whirlpool went to the bottom of the sea, not the surface. Knock-up-stream was beginning! Not much longer now.

Luffy was bouncing on his toes before he noticed the ship outside of the area they were in. He smelled it was Blackbeard. Just barely able to with all of the other sensory overloads. "Zehahahaha! I finally caught you, Straw Hat kiddo!"

Nami said, "He's the guy we saw at Mocktown. The one Ace is after." They all glared at him. He wasn't there for anything good, obviously.

"We're here to take that 100 million berries head of yours!" Luffy cocked his head in confusion.

"Me?" he wondered.

"Surrender to us now!"

"No way, we're going on an adventure!" Luffy shouted back. "And what are you talking about, 100 million?!"

"So you didn't know after all! There's a bounty on your head with 100 million! Pirate Hunter Zoro also has 60 million!" he shouted, holding up two pages that Luffy assumed were bounty posters. Usopp confirmed this. Luffy laughed proudly, he and Zoro grinning. He was worth that much?!

"It's probably from what happened in Alabasta," Nami said, while Sanji complained about not having his own wanted poster. "Don't get so full of yourselves!" she shouted at the celebrating couple. They were brought back to the present when Masira told them the knock-up-stream was starting. "Everyone grab onto something or go inside!" Luffy grabbed onto the mast, and his eyes widened along with his smile as they were shot into the sky by the current forced out of the ocean violently.

The ship sailed vertically along the water, when Luffy thought they'd be on the top of it. But the ship would fall off at this rate. Sea kings and sharks fell from the sky, other victims of the knock-up-stream. They were going to fall at this rate and join them in death, though.

"Wait, pull down the sails now! It's an updraft! We'll ride the current!" They clumsily lowered the sails and the Merry was flying, despite being dressed like a chicken. Luffy cheered, pressed up against the wall of the cabin. The others were as well, or wrapped around the railing, screaming for dear life.

But everyone, scared as they were, were excited and amazed about their ship flying up into the sky, into the clouds that were always too far to reach. It was an experience none of them would ever forget. "If we keep ascending with the wind, we'll go anywhere! After this cloud, we should be on top of it!" Nami called.

Don't expect Skypeia to be the same as it is in canon! I changed that up drastically. But some very important things in the story happen in Sky Island!

Chapter Text

DotNotFound: I agree. My least favorite canon arc. I am writing another story that kinda-sorta follows the plot and I said fuck it to the sky island arc and so now it resembles nothing of the original lol. Though it did inspire me to say "fuck it" to canon and just do what I want, so I guess that's good. 

To be honest, Sky Island was a chore to write. Probably the arc I had the least fun writing besides the Baratie. But this arc does matter to the rest of the story, unlike canon where it just fades away and is not mentioned much. But it's different than canon in a few ways. Anyways, enjoy~

They were entering the black, thick cloud, finally. When they got out of it, the ship was floating on a sea of fluffy white. A sea of clouds. But everyone was having trouble breathing so high up so suddenly. But they were fine, if not uncomfortable. But that was in the past when everyone realized they were truly on top of a cloud.

"But the log pose is still pointing up!" Nami said in worry. Robin suggested this could be the middle of the cloud. Maybe there was further to go. "But how?" she asked. Everyone gave a collective shrug, before Usopp took off his overalls, and went for a swim, jumping into the clouds.

Luffy looked over the side, pouting that he couldn't swim. But he wasn't coming out after a while, too long, so they got worried before Robin mentioned there might be no bottom. It was a cloud sea after all!

"Did that idiot fall off the cloud?! I told him not to mess around!" Sanji raged. Robin shouted at Luffy to shoot his arm down as far as he could, and she'd do the rest. So he did, and Robin bloomed eyes on his arm before she saw Usopp, and extended many arms like a chain or rope to catch the sniper.

But it was hard to move his arm at all. It was still in water, it was still a sea. He struggled to pull him up, but it didn't take too long for his arm and Usopp to return to them. But… "Ahh! Something followed him out!" It was a huge octopus... thing! They screamed, the thing being huge.

Luffy counted on it to run away from them, but instead, seeing him, it stilled, no longer looking hostile. It nodded its head. "What's it doing?" Sanji wondered.

Robin said, "It looks like it's showing us respect. Interesting." And she did sound very interested. It left, though, peacefully. "That was odd." Usopp then screamed about a weird fish having been in his pants. "What a tough day for him."

Chopper then alerted them to another issue, which Luffy heard and smelled, too. Somebody skating on the clouds with a mask hurrying towards them. They couldn't really go anywhere at the moment, and weren't in the best shape to fight, still having a bit trouble getting in deep breaths. The man, clearly a human, used weird weapons and beat up the three strongest easily.

"Sky Island is so scary!" Usopp and Nami cried. Luffy stood up furiously, but could tell something flying was coming towards them.

"There's someone else!" Luffy shouted, pointing.

"Now what?!" Nami cried. The man on the flying thing hit the clear enemy with a jousting lance, and the guy left. Their savior landed on the ship and introduced himself as the knight of the sky. "Who are you? Who was he? And you three are pathetic! Three on one and you still lost!" Nami shouted.

Luffy said he had trouble moving his body. So did Zoro and Sanji. "That's because oxygen here is scarce. That's why we all feel out of breath."

Luffy was laying on his back still. "It can't be helped. Most Blue Sea people can't stand being up so high. The White Sea, where you most likely want to be, is 10,000 meters up," the mystery man said. The fighters sat up, insisting they were fine now. Chopper wondered who the guy walking on the sea had been before.

"They sounded so weird! Like a 'zoom' sound. But he smelled like dirt. We're in the sky! What the heck?" Luffy asked, and then the knight of the sky looked down at him in shock. "What?" Then he suddenly got on one knee in front of the still sitting Luffy, his lips in a tight line. "What are you doing?"

"I was about to tell you I charge helping you, but I assumed wrong." He didn't answer why he was acting like this.

"Perhaps there are others like Luffy here, and they're respected or worshipped in a way," Robin said with a smile. The others were surprised at this. Nami asked if that was true. The old man nodded. Luffy beamed. Not because he was treated like this, but there were others like him! "Well, for now, can you help us get higher? This isn't a place we want to be trapped in."

They nodded, and Zoro sat next to Luffy, taking his hand, rubbing his knuckle with his thumb affectionately. Luffy was still smiling, so excited to meet others like him! How many? Why were they here? Were there more animals with it?

The guy just told them to call the whistle any time for free, due to Luffy's "status" there. He also called them brave for using the knock-up-stream instead of going the other ways, though they probably wouldn't have all made it this way. Then he added, as he got on his weird pegasus, that Luffy showing his marks would be the easiest way to get onto the island safely.

"Thanks mister!"

"Though he didn't give us much helpful information about getting up higher." Luffy was so happy. He wondered if there were answers here. They looked around, not really knowing what to do now, before Robin spotted what looked like a waterfall made of clouds. That being the only thing around, they paddled there. When they were in front of it, none really knew what it was. A cloud or mist? But Luffy punched it to see, only for his fist to bounce off. He and the other two youngest jumped on it, bouncing around before melting like butter on the warm, squishy and soft surface.

Zoro told him to be careful, but he didn't really listen. But with it being solid, they couldn't pass through. So what should they do next? Was there a purpose to this bouncy thing? "Hey, try to find a path for the ship to go through!" Nami called up the them. It wasn't hard to spot a large door past this thing. They were in a sort of path tunnel that they sailed through carefully, making sure not to bump into the walls.

If ships had emotions, the Merry must be really tired. They found the huge door, titled "Heaven's Gate".

"Remember what the guy said? Luffy showing his marks should get us through if they really do worship those like you." Zoro said it sounded reckless. What if it was the opposite? "Well, we'll see once it happens," Nami reasoned. They sailed forward and came across a shriveled old lady taking a photo of each of them.

They were to pay to enter. A lot. A million somethings each. Nobody knew what that equated to berries, but Luffy took off his hat and lifted his shirt. "Free, safe entry. Bless you," she said. Something came out of the water and took them up a spiral ramp.

"This is really convenient!" Nami cheered. "We got in for free!"

"No fair, why does Luffy get to be treated like a god? Women better not be into you!" Sanji complained childishly. Usopp looked at him like he was crazy.

"You know he's gay, right? It's not like he'll take anyone you want," Usopp said. Luffy walked to Zoro and took his hand.

"Zoro's all I want, and need," Luffy said with an adoring look. Nami cooed and Zoro blushed red. They were all standing surprisingly steady despite how fast they were going and how windy the cloud road was. It didn't look natural at all, but man made. How would you make a cloud ramp? Luffy couldn't wait to see, and they were coming upon the exit, a hole in the cloud at the end of the road they were speeding along. A bright light was coming out of it.

A title, like the one about the other door had been, said "Godland Skypiea". "It's not an exit, it's an entrance!" Nami said, no fear in her voice. Everyone was in awe and wonder by now. Well, besides Zoro, who looked cranky. Maybe worried about what was awaiting them or Luffy in particular.

When they were thrown through the entrance, they saw the island. The island in the sky that Luffy knew was real! "I knew it! We made it to Sky Island!" Luffy cheered, the others cheering as well. Sanji said it sure was a tourist spot so far.

"What about the bad guy? The one who attacked us? The sky night just said they were dangerous, nothing else! And now we have a whistle to blow? How would he even find us?" Chopper suggested it could be something special here. Noland's log talked of strange objects he'd never seen before. "Good point…"

They docked near the beach of the white cloud sea, and the ground was made of the thick and spongy clouds. They ran around barefoot. "Hey, what about the anchor?! There is probably no bottom to this sea, right?" he called.

"That doesn't matter, come play!" Luffy shouted, doing cartwheels on the spongy floor, only to fall on his face. But it felt nice, and the rest of his body flopped down onto the wonderful surface. Like a cool marshmallow. Zoro lowered the anchor regardless. "Hey, Usopp. Do you think you can eat the ground?"

"Why would you do that?" Chopper wondered.

"Well, it feels like a marshmallow!" and he took a big bite of the cloud. Only to hack it up. It tasted horrible! "Gross! But this place stinks of adventure!" Usopp said maybe "smell". "Stink" makes it seem bad. "It smells of adventure!"

They all played in the cloud water and bouncy shore like children. Well, not Zoro and Robin, who stayed on the ship and watched. Luffy found a tree with fruits on the end, and climbed it. "Ooh! Mystery fruits!" he tried biting into one, but it was so hard that it made a cracking noise. But his jaw was strong, and he bit through it to drink the juice inside. "YUMMM!"

"Luffy, don't eat strange things!" Usopp said, Luffy telling him to try and throw the heavy fruit onto his head, laughing as his face was slammed into the cloudy ground. "You asshole!"

"Sorry, sorry!" He looked up when Zoro and Robin finally came onto the shore. He jumped Zoro's back. "Look, it's so soft! Like jelly between the toes." Zoro smiled, though said he'd say more like foam, not jelly. It didn't stick to their feet. "Mmm, yeah! This is gonna be so fun. And I wonder how many more like me there are. I wonder if I'll finally find out."

Robin looked excited, too. Happier than she had seemed so far. The face she showed clearly wasn't one of regret joining them. Luffy dropped off and ran to be on the cloud chairs with Chopper. He flopped down and Chopper bounced up from it. So they started taking turns bouncing, Chopper going into his heavy point to make Luffy jump higher.

Luffy heard people and music, and looked to the source. A woman with wings was playing a harp on a cloud hill. Luffy wondered what she said, when she stopped playing and simply said, "Heso." A greeting? A secret codename? Ooh..

"Are you guys from the Blue Seas?" she asked. She called back a little white fox that had approached Zoro.

Nami said, "We flew up here from the bottom. Where do you live?" She sounded curious, but the look on her face had died down a bit. Now it was back to just looking pleasant.

The angel pleasantly said her name was Conis. "If there is any problem, I am willing to help you." Sanji started flirting, of course. Nobody was surprised.

"Hey! What's the people like me here for?" Luffy asked, hurrying over. She knelt. "You don't gotta do that," he said simply, and she raised. "But why are you bowing to me? Or to people like me?"

She said it's just what's always been done. She wasn't sure. "Perhaps my father knows. It's just customary by now, showing respect, giving and not taking." Nami demanded to know if people like Luffy got things for free?! "That is correct. Though many pay regardless." She looked at Luffy with sparkling eyes, and Zoro pulled him away. "He's not a get-stuff-for-free card," he snapped. Luffy laughed.

Her father came into view then, riding something on the waves that made the buzzing noise like the enemy had, only it was shaped a lot differently. Less skates and more like a bike, maybe. But he lost control, and crashed awkwardly on the shore, hitting a tree. "Neh, he seems kind of d-" Zoro put his hand over his mouth. "Zoro!"

"Don't be rude, he might tell you things you want to know," Zoro said patiently. Luffy huffed, but knew that made sense. So he didn't say anything else about it. When Nami asked what it was, they were told it was a waver. Didn't really explain much, or how it worked. But they were intrigued.

Nami turned to Luffy and asked if they'd recovered something like that from the galleon. "Yeah, but you said it was junk."

"Not the armor! The thing that looked like that waver. And then it was mentioned in Noland's journal."

"Oh, that!"

"Then did you recover it?"

"Yeah."

Conis's dad got up and asked if they were friends. "We just met. They came from the Blue Sea."

"Really? They must be really anxious about things here then? This is the White Sea, pardon me. I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Pagaya, pardon me." Then he looked at Luffy, and Nami quickly told him he didn't need to bow. But he did anyway, though it was short.

Luffy bluntly said that was gonna get annoying soon. Nami said she'd love to have people bow down to her. "Still." Nami asked what the waver was, how it worked, while Luffy talked over her, questioning why people bowed to him and those that looked like him. But his answer was the same as hers: It was customary.

"We haven't had a blessed from the Blue Sea in over 20 years. That friendly old man, Roger was his name, if I recall correctly, pardon me." Luffy's eyes widened and everyone was silent. Sanji asked if it was Gold Roger. "That was his name. He landed here much like you, looking for a certain stone."

Luffy was silent in shock. Crocus… had said his captain had been like him. Was he Roger's doctor? Was that why he laughed over Luffy wanting to be the next Pirate King? He was still surprised. Ace's dad was like him? Or he was like Roger. Well, nobody knew. Crocus said he wore contacts and dyed his hair, so nobody knew.

"Luffy?" Sanji asked. He jerked back to attention. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I was just surprised." Robin asked Pagaya about the stone Roger was looking for, voice insistent. What kind of stone he was looking for.

"A large cube that had writing that had been impossible for anyone on this island to read." Nami said it was a poneglyph. They asked if he knew what was on it. "No, I don't, pardon me."

"Onwards, to the poneglyph!" Luffy exclaimed. "If the Pirate King was here and looking for that, we have to, too! Maybe it has real answers!" He was so excited he came here! But he did wonder why Shanks never said anything about Roger. He was his captain after all. He'd ask him when he returned his Straw Hat. Definitely.

"Wait, Luffy, we don't even know where it would be! We can't just rush off or anything," Sanji said. Luffy pouted. "Let's ask Nami's question now." Luffy nodded, and leaned back against Zoro's chest. Pagaya explained about the waver, and it being used with dials. Nami tried it out, shouting in amazement.

She was able to use it out on the waves pretty well, and Luffy wanted to try, too! When it was his turn, he was not as graceful, and fell in, flipping off. The clouds were still a sea, and he didn't float. So, he was dragged out by Usopp, and the waver was recollected from Nami swimming out to get it.

Pagaya and Conis were shocked at how well Nami had used it when it was supposed to take years of practice to get the hang of. Luffy was distracted by then by the sounds he heard on this island. Not many animals, and not much wind. The waves were soft and slushy. Not raging or noisy. He couldn't hear any of the sounds from where they came from.

He sat down, and looked out at the White Sea. Zoro sat next to him, both barefoot. "It sure is a weird coincidence, huh?" Zoro asked as the others had dials explained to them. Usually Luffy would want to know, but he was really distracted. He nodded. "Are you upset?"

"No. I'm just really shocked! But it's so cool! I'm like him, at least in one way. I can't wait to find the poneglyph, though." Zoro chuckled, saying he never expected Luffy to be interested in archeology. "Shishishi, I'm not. All the other stones sound kinda boring! I don't like reading anyways. Boring."

"I don't think anyone expected you to like to read." Luffy laughed. "But we sure learned something useful already. And by accident, too. Though we still don't know the relationships between the people like you. I felt maybe you were some special being, you know, like something weird? I don't know how to explain it without it sounding bad. But then we saw an animal with the same looking traits. It threw everything I thought out the window."

Luffy nodded. "I thought that, too. I'm so curious! It's such a mystery. Shishishi, but we'll figure it out!"

"Damn straight."

"Oi, we're leaving you behind if you don't come, too!" Usopp called as they started to walk up the beach. Luffy got his flip flops and Zoro shoved his boots back on, hurrying after the group following the two winged residents. Luffy made sure to put his hat on so the brim covered his eyes. He didn't feel like being bowed to everyone they passed. But he kept his eyes out for anyone like him. He found nobody, and no one being bowed down to. Hmph.

While they walked up the long white staircase, they passed a cloud cutting factory, what the road they went on was made of. They got to Conis and Pagaya's home. It was nice and had a great view. They could see the ship from there. Luffy and Zoro were holding hands the whole way.

He was distracted completely when they were actually explaining what the dials were. They looked like sea shells with buttons on the top. They did all sorts of cool things. One recorded Luffy calling Usopp stupid, a tone dial. Luffy was interested, and started making love confessions on it just to embarrass Zoro, whose face was red and Sanji was laughing at him. Nami and Robin were talking about perhaps going shopping to see what sky people clothes were like.

The dial for the waver was called a wind dial. Putting it in front of wind for a long amount of time stored it and you could push it back out to power the craft. Nami and Robin were now listening, paying more attention now that the boys weren't just joking around anymore. Chopper was happily eating cloud cotton candy that Pagaya had.

Conis explained that the sky people lived wirth dials in their daily lives. Used to heat things up, take images, record people talking and music. There were lamp dials that stored light. Also smell dials. "Hey, can you store farts in the smell dial?" Luffy asked innocently. Nami hit his head, telling him not to be disgusting, Luffy just laughing.

Sanji made them a meal for them with all Sky Island ingredients. They looked weird but Luffy ate them regardless. During the meal, Nami went off to play with the waver again. Luffy could hear her whooping and screaming out there since the window was wide open. He bit into his fish, and noticed Conis look momentarily worried.

Nobody else noticed. "Neh, Conis? Ace people scared of the ones like me?" he asked, walking over the other noises. She looked confused and said they were just worried about being a donor. "What, they don't have blood bags?"

"They drink from random people?"

"Well, sometimes loved ones. But there are those that force it on people. Not all, but it's still a bit worrying." Luffy said he thought that they were gods or something! "Oh, so you don't? That's good to know."

"Well… I mean, I have, but only in emergencies. And… usually it's blood bags or Zoro cause he's fine with it." But now he felt bad.

Sanji said it was only two people. Two enemies. "Not others, right?"

"Well… I've done it a couple times…" Luffy mumbled. He looked up, but none of his crew were bothered. They were unafraid.

"Luffy's purposely gone out of his way to not drink from people he cares about and has gotten sick from it," Usopp said firmly. The two sky people insisted they hadn't meant to make him feel bad or like he was wrong or anything. "He didn't say he was wrong."

"Oh, dear. This conversation is not going as I think Conis and I meant to explain, pardon me." Luffy then heard Nami's screams and whoops were gone, and looked out the window to see she wasn't there anymore.

He felt bad. Just because he didn't do it to people he thought was good he thought it was fine. And he really had only done it a handful of times, before he ever had Zoro. But he'd done it to Coby, and he had been a friend. He wouldn't tell anybody that. "Hey, where'd Nami go?" he said, glad to change the subject.

"Oh no. I hope she didn't go too far!" Sanji asked what was wrong. "There's a place in Skypiea where nobody should enter. That place is very close to the island, and easy to find on a waver. Where God lives. Upper Yard, part of the holy land."

"What?! God lives there? Nobody should go?! Hey, Zoro. Did you hear?" Luffy asked.

"Yes, no one should go there! It's ruled by the mighty god, Enel!" Conis insisted.

"Heh…? A place no one should enter… hmm. Well, we gotta go anyway to get Nami!" he said with a grin. "And Robin, the poneglyph, we should go too, right?"

"There's no guarantee a poneglyph is there. We don't know anything about it," Robin said calmly, taking a sip of her tea.

Luffy took another bite. "Well, if we do go, won't god forgive us if we say sorry? Isn't he super understanding? Even though it's forbidden, saying sorry is good for him, right?" Luffy wondered. Usopp said saying sorry wasn't a cure to everything, but did think that god was supposedly forgiving, too.

"Well, breaking a rule of god is disrespectful to god."

"That's why you say sorry, right?" Luffy insisted. "Well, it doesn't matter much, right?" He really wanted to go to a place nobody has ever been to! "Alright, let's go get Nami!" Conis insisted that they not go there, they didn't even know if Nami had gone to Upper Yard. They shouldn't act recklessly. Luffy giggled. "But that's fun, right? At least sometimes?"

"Sometimes, but not when god will be angry!" Chopper said loudly.

"Angering Enel is very problematic." Luffy asked if he was scared of him. Maybe he could scare him off! Sanji said he got over being scared really fast. Zoro hissed at him to shut up, and Sanji seemed to know he crossed the line, Luffy looking out the window.

"...Well, if people are scared of me here, why not use it?" he asked in a flat voice. "I bit a logia before. And my blood, too!"

"Luffy, it's god! You can't attack him! You shouldn't even try to make him an enemy." Luffy crossed his arms with a huff. Pagaya offered fixing the waver for them, so one could go look for her.

"Well, with god Enel, he and your kind don't mix well. They leave one another alone. God Enel is unable to attack them, so they don't sin and things are fine that way. I don't know what would happen if you went up against him," Conis said. "We should stop speaking of this," she insisted.

"Wait. What… What can people like me do here?" Luffy wondered. Would god be afraid of Luffy for his abilities? "Are they strong?"

Pagaya said they were the strongest there. "In brute strength alone, nothing on Sky Island is stronger. Also speed is a factor." Luffy asked if he could talk to any. "Well, there are some in Upper Yard, but they're completely hostile. And plus, you shouldn't go there anyways."

Usopp made a grunt in irritation. "Why'd you tell him that?"

"NOW WE'RE DEFINITELY GOING THERE!" Luffy declared.

They went to fix up the waver and find Nami (then go to Upper Yard and have her lead them there) and Luffy was sitting at the shore, feet in the waves. He was sitting alone. He was a wanted pirate. He wanted people to respect him. But not be terrified. Well, he didn't live here anyways. They clearly weren't common in the Blue Sea.

To be honest, Luffy also wanted to go someplace the sky people weren't at so nobody would be afraid of him. And that there were others like him in Upper Yard. He wanted to be strong and fast like they were. While the others were working on the waver, Luffy went back to the ship. He managed to shoot himself out with a gomu gomu rocket.

When he landed on deck, he headed inside, and saw everything was a mess, but the chest wasn't destroyed. He got out a blood bag and drank it. He didn't need it or anything, but he wanted it to make him feel even a bit better.

He sat on the deck, looking at the blue sky above. They were in the sky, but there was still so much more! He was like Gold Roger was. And people didn't call him a monster because of what he was - he kept that a secret. It was just that he was a strong pirate. Crocus said he'd grown stronger on his own. Maybe it didn't have anything to do with what he was, still with no name.

This place was confusing. They respected Luffy's kind, but were also afraid of him? Why did the sky night bow instead of bail when he could? And the one who let them in free? Was she scared of him, too? It was so weird. Well, he wasn't staying here indefinitely. He would go back home to the Blue Sea and continue to be unknown. Whatever they were called here, it wasn't him. He didn't use fear to quell people.

No… he did. He scared off Kuro's men that way. Was he just as bad as the ones here, who scared everyone? He was a pirate, they were citizens. But that didn't make him taking from random people okay. While he was sitting, Nami came back, voice tight. "Luffy? What are you doing over here alone?" She looked freaked out, maybe having gone to Upper Yard?

"Thinking."

"You, thinking?" she joked. "What's wrong, really?"

"The people here only respected me because they're scared," he said honestly. "And I thought about when I drank from people without permission. Isn't that bad?" he wondered. "I mean, I will do it if there's no other choice, but still."

Nami got on the ship and said, "Well, you're surviving, right? Lots of people have done lots of bad things to survive. When you were looking for Crocodile the third time, you were out of blood, right? Then Tashigi was there, but you didn't drink from her even as you were really sick."

"I don't know why. I woulda' done it to another marine. Another enemy."

"I don't know what to say other than live. Even if it upsets others, live. We're pirates, we scare people all the time. Besides, I don't remember you drinking from an innocent person a single time."

"I did it to Coby. My first friend who brought me to Zoro. Only a little, but I still betrayed him. He didn't even know because I did it when he was asleep. I was out of blood completely. Before I told Zoro and he offered to be a donor." Nami didn't know this, but wasn't afraid.

She said, "Well, you can't really take those things back, right? I would say don't drink from good people. Don't give a shit about scaring enemies or bad guys. You shouldn't either. Besides, it's not like you'll ever see them again or anything."

Luffy knew she was right. He wasn't going to let himself die or be vulnerable because he cared more about an enemy's feelings. He didn't attack Tashigi for an unknown reason. But that didn't really matter anymore. He wished he could apologize to Coby someday, but would probably never see him again, and wasn't going to tell him. The truth would be too hard to handle for him, he thought.

"Why don't we go back?" Luffy nodded, and they went onto the waver and returned to the shore. Nami said she had been to Upper Yard. It was just a huge forest, with scary people inside.

"But that's where we're going! That could be where the poneglyph is and the strong people I want to learn from!" Luffy insisted. "Besides, it's a place we're not supposed to go, right?" Zoro was ready to get back to the ship, with Usopp and Chopper being the ones that didn't want to go to Upper Yard.

Conis and pagaya were vehemently against it. "Don't worry, we always end up okay," Luffy said, patting Conis on the shoulder roughly. To her credit she didn't flinch. They got back on the ship, thanking them for their hospitality. Nami started to lead them to Upper Yard before something grabbed the ship below, and dragged them through the sea and into where they were going, only to be tossed onto a big stone block in water teeming with big scary sharks.

"Huh?" they collectively asked.

"We can't get down from the ship like this! And look how damaged she is!" Usopp freaked, looking at the damages from the rough handling of the thing that took them there. Planks were torn up, there were holes in the hull. The keel was pretty bad. Luffy said Usopp could just fix her. "I mean, I can try. But we don't have the supplies to heal her completely."

Sanji said they needed a shipwright soon. "How are you all so calm?! We're on a sacrificial altar!" Chopper shouted. Nami fearfully pointed out there were sharks below. Luffy, Sanji and Zoro already had exploring gear on. Luffy thought Zoro's goggles were nice. Robin had her own bag.

"We're going looking for people and the poneglyph!" Luffy said simply. Sanji gave them each a premade lunch box. Nami said she was going with them. "You sure?"

"Y-yeah. Usopp, Chopper, keep watch of the ship," Nami said. Usopp nodded, and Chopper promised to help fix the ship, too. "Be careful," Nami said to them, and they returned the sentiment. He put his hat on a string to show his hair in case someone like him saw them.

"I wanna meet this god. He lives here, it's his yard isn't it? I wonder how strong he was," Zoro said with a grin. Nami asked why he'd want to meet someone that scary. "Cause it's fun. Besides, I don't believe in god. Never have," he threw back. Luffy had his backpack on, and looked for a way down.

"Hey, sharks! Give us a ride!" Sanji told him he could just swing with his fruit to the other side. "Shishishi, where's the fun with that?" he walked down the stairs, but a shark tried to eat him. "Oh. I guess they aren't scared of me. But the villagers are. Humph."

Sanji said, "It had been a bad plan anyways." Luffy thought this way was boring, but shot out a hand and grabbed onto a far tree branch. He swung across the water, making a calling noise. Robin used a rope of her arms to get past the water. Luffy pulled down a vine for the other three to come next.

"Now, let's find the poneglyph! And other people!" Luffy said, picking up a stick and thrusting it into the air. "Hey, this is a nice stick," he commented. "C'mon, Robin!" Luffy cheered, and wandered off. "Be careful everyone!"

"WAIT! I wanna go with Robin, not these idiots!"

Zoro asked why she thought he and Sanji would be going anywhere together. "This is my mission. I'm gonna find tough people to fight. I'm not interested in looking for small timers or a big rock." Luffy simply told him to not get lost. "Right! You, too."

Nami ended up going with them, Sanji coming along, too. He didn't want to go anywhere without one or both of the girls. They walked through the huge trees, larger than the trees at his own home. "Hey, these are bigger than the trees at my home island!" Luffy said. "There are people deeper in the forest. Let's go there," Luffy said. "We can find the poneglyph on our way." Robin commented it might not be so easy to find the poneglyph. They're not always made in the same types of metal or rock.

"For all we know, it could be carved in different smelling stones, even a jewel or metal," she mused. Luffy said they'd figure it out. She just smiled. Nami told Luffy to tell her if anything was coming near. "'Kay."

"So, what was all the talk about god? I missed a lot, didn't I?" Sanji explained the god that was unforgiving and scary. "And we're still here?"

Robin said, "I thought you wanted to explore this place, too."

"Voluntarily! Not brought to some sacrificial altar surrounded by sharks!" Luffy exclaimed that was the fun part. Now they were in a forest with unknown creatures and people. He could hear animals all around. And they weren't avoiding them or Luffy.

They explored, not talking much as Luffy found the first person smell that he could trace. They went on one of the treebranhces to use the binoculars. Nami looked around and saw the coast while Luffy smelled the air deeply, listening close. The zooming noise of the feet wavers were around, to the east. So, those guys were here.

Best to keep away from those ones. They were hostile before, though he was curious about them and that cool mask the guy had when he attacked them. "Hey, we need to go that way! I can't believe what I just saw…" Robin took the binoculars, too.

"My, my," she said simply. Sanji took a look, wondering what it was.

"Wait, that looks like the one from Jaya! Half of Cricket's house!" Luffy didn't want to look, he wanted to go see it in person. He told them not to spoil it, he wanted to see in person. He jumped down from the tall tree branch, only to hear and smell something huge come at him, and swallow him whole.

Chapter Text

Riju_grim: <3 <3 <3 <3

DotNotFound: Oh man, I changed some big things after the two year time skip! Uber big that changes the plot in a significant way. Gotta add some angst to that shit lol. I don't think regular readers will be surprised with the changes I made in hindsight!  

Noa_5: (ﾉ´ з `)ノ

Artemispolarbear: Lol I am in the process of writing another fic that follows the plot, and screw Sky island arc, I hate it. I hate writing it! My version doesn't even the same characters. Mostly all dragons since that version of the world has a lot of dragons (of course. How unpredictable). It's actually super sad and I legit made myself cry while writing it. I'm currently debating whether to even include the Wano arc and just end before there since I feel the juice is dying on that story. I'm not sure, I'm not doing very well with any of my stories being written right now. :(

Jeez, so since I ended up catching up to the manga a long time ago, my story line has completely been derailed by the canon story! I honestly don't know how to realign back with the story! I will, I'm not giving up or anything, but I just don't know how to get back to it. But there's still a ton of story left before we get to Wano, so don't worry about catching up and having me stop posting! Enjoy~

He slid down a long, long throat and it was full of animal skeletons and a lot of animal blood. He made sure to pull his shirt off and wrap it around his mouth. Ingesting animal blood had been a terrible experience. He couldn't really hear or smell anything other than inside this long creature. The blood all around him gushed around, soaking him in it. Gross.

He walked to the front, and climbed through the throat and up the tongue. It really was huge. He probably wouldn't be able to punch its mouth open without killing it, and for some reason, he didn't want to kill it. So he pulled the tongue backwards, making it gag and open its mouth, tossing him out into a tree.

He turned around, dripping in animal blood, and saw the creature really was a long serpent. Only it was white with black markings and red eyes. Another animal that was like him! It hissed at him, and he glared back, letting out a growl. It hissed back, and both were in a standoff. Luffy had no idea where he was now.

To find anyone else, he needed to wash off. The stench of all types of old blood was blocking his sense of smell completely. He shouted at it to go away, and threw a rock at it, hitting it in the eye. "Shoo! Go away!" he shouted, making a lot of loud noises. It hissed and then left. Now he had to find water. Or maybe some cloud roads to wipe off on.

He listened for running water. It would be cloud water, but that was still wet. He found some by following the sound and rinsed off. He squeezed the blood out of his shirt and shorts, and gingerly rinsed his poor hat off. Once he was clean of blood, he had to leave behind his backpack because it was soaked with blood, too. The smell was too strong, and all the food and his lunchbox that had been inside were ruined and bloody as well.

At least he still had his stick. Time to go looking for people or the poneglyph. Well… he wouldn't be able to read it, though.

Instead of either of those things, he found a bag with dirt in it, just thrown over a tree root. He inspected the bag, and pulled out a little stone. It was red with black markings. It smelled weird. But he then could smell the same smell in another direction. It looked awesome! He took the stone and shoved it in his pocket and ran after the heavy scent.

After a good ten minutes of running, he found the source. A huge, red stone with black markings on it. What's weird was that it kind of smelled like some sugary, grainy blood. But not normal blood. Sort of like it was fake blood flavoring. The scent.

He inspected it, and sniffed closer. The captain found a jagged piece, and was able to pull it out. It was really pretty. He stuffed it into his pocket, and decided he definitely was hungry and needed to find his crew. Sanji had to be making dinner, whether Luffy was there or not. He'd never let anyone starve.

He followed the source of food to the coast of the Upper Yard, and heard the sounds of his crew. Worrying and quiet. "Guys! I found you!" he cheered.

"Luffy!" they screamed back. Zoro grabbed him in a hug. "Are you okay? You got eaten by a snake! So much happened."

Luffy said he was okay. He couldn't follow them back because he was covered in animal blood, and that smell was too obstructing, so he had to wash off first. "Hey, I found a really cool, really big stone!" Food was cooking now and everyone looked so much more comfortable and happy. Ingredients had already been gathered.

"Luffy?" Chopper and Usopp asked shyly, full of shame. The others looked bothered, too. He asked what was wrong. "The Merry is really damaged. Giant animals attacked and the mast broke off. It caught on fire, too. We can't set sail with her like this," Usopp said, face crumpled.

"Oh. Well, we'll just fix it, right?" Chopper asked if he was angry. "How can I be angry at that when I got eaten by a snake and lost for hours? Besides, the Merry is strong. She'll be okay." Chopper hugged him, and Luffy hugged him back.

They ate while Nami explained that there was supposed to be a ton of gold there, based on Noland's story. The map of Jaya and Upper Yard complete the skull. "We're going gold hunting tomorrow," Nami decided with a grin. Luffy beamed, too, excited. They had a party all night, and then went to bed, looking forward to a day of hunting for gold and treasure. Nobody else found all of it, there had to be a ton for them!

He was sleeping on top of Zoro, a blanket thrown over them, when Luffy felt his leg burning. He jerked up and looked down to see his pocket glowing. Zoro was still sleeping soundly as Luffy got off and pulled the stone out of his pocket. It had blood on it. Well no, it was dripping blood. But not his own.

He got off of Zoro to go to the fire and look at the stone closer. He wiped it on his shorts, and saw there had been a burn on his leg. An imprint of the rock. He was lucky his short pocket wasn't stuck in the burn. He walked to Zoro and shook him awake. "I got a burn, will you go to the ship with me to get some blood?"

"I'm right here, just do it now." Luffy asked if he was sure. "Go ahead, easier than walking all the way back." Luffy nodded and bit down on his arm and only took about a mouthful before he felt his leg heal. Then Zoro went back to sleep. Luffy put the rock away, not in his pocket anymore. He went back to sleep as well.

Luffy was shaken awake by his doctor and looked around in surprise, not expecting to be woken up like this. "Luffy, what's with your arm?" He frowned and looked down. He saw the rock had somehow made it to his arm, and now a huge portion of it was inside the skin of his arm. He grew very uneasy and fearful. He grabbed it and Chopper told him to do it gently.

He pulled it out, everyone around him. Blood came out with it, and soon the sliver of rock was no longer in his arm, but he had an open wound. Zoro gave him his arm. "C'mon, just drink. You know it doesn't bother me even when you aren't hurt, Luffy," Zoro said. He stayed stoic as Luffy took some more blood.

Instead of healing over, black marks splintered up and around Luffy's forearm. The wound did heal over, but left a black mark. They were speechless, and Luffy was worried. "How do you feel?" Chopper asked. Robin was inspecting the rock, poking at it with a stick and not touching it herself. She got a large vial from her bag. It originally had some sort of liquid, but she got the rock inside.

"I feel okay." He flexed his arm and clenched his hand a few times. It felt fine. Chopper looked confused and concerned.

"Can you tell me where you got this fragment?" Robin asked. "It's not a natural rock at all. It seems to be melting slowly. And it looks like blood." Luffy nodded and stood, stable on his feet. Sanji was making breakfast, going back to it, though looking very bothered and worried. Luffy was kind of wary to move his arm, but did so slowly.

Chopper kept telling him to keep it moving, keep the blood flowing. "Can you feel all of your fingers?" Luffy nodded. He felt fine. "You now have this wound, Zoro said you had a burn last night?" Luffy nodded and lifted his shorts up. Robin asked what happened then.

"I felt a burn, and removed it. Then stuff was dripping off of or out of the stone. I don't think it's a rock either." After a quick meal, Robin, Chopper and Luffy went to check out the stone. Zoro insisted he come as well. Luffy was glad he didn't seem paranoid. Concerned but not terrified. Luffy easily followed the scent of fake blood.

They found the clearing with the large stone inside, and saw multiple creatures at it. Some were likcing, others chewing on it like a bone. All of them were black with white markings or the reverse, with the same red eyes. They were all sort of what Luffy was. They stayed in the shadows, all of the creatures so distracted with the stone that they didn't notice four humans watching them.

Once it cleared out, as if it had been breakfast for them, the four approached it closely and carefully. "Don't touch it. Not only did it harm Luffy, but animals have been putting bacteria all over it," Chopper said. "Zoro, can you cut off a piece with your sword. Just a very thin sliver?" Zoro did so, getting the tiniest sliver that Chopper maneuvered into a tiny petri dish. "That's enough. I'm going to try and see what it is."

They left, with Robin very interested. Luffy could hear and smell other humans. "There are other people near." Luffy was holding his arm. It didn't hurt, and didn't feel different, but it was freaky. Then some of the people of the forest appeared, smelling of that camp he passed up.

"What are you doing in our homeland?" a woman demanded.

"Our ship was brought here by some sort of shrimp. Now, we're going back to our ship to try and find out what this rock has done to our crew member," Robin said smoothly. The people's eyes moved to Luffy, and his arm.

"He's not going to die. Are you Blue Sea people?"

"Yes. We have to be getting back now," Robin replied.

"Don't come back here, the animals will be upset with your smell."

"How do I become strong like you?" Luffy asked suddenly. "You're like me. But the people living here said that you're all strong and fast."

"That stone. Don't touch or approach it again." It wasn't much of an explanation, but they were glad to safely go back to the ship without running into the hostile guy from before. They swung back to the Going Merry, which Usopp was staring at in shock. She had been repaired, but the damage done was staggering.

Nami and Sanji were there, and asked what happened, if they found the stone. Chopper held up the petri dish. "Some animals were licking it. Those with Luffy's traits. Then some of the people who live here came over. Told us Luffy will be fine but not to go back. Luffy asked how to get strong like them, and they said it was the rock."

They went inside, Luffy looking at the Merry. It was sad. She was so broken and in pain. Luffy hoped she could make it back down safely or they were all screwed. Well, she was tough, she'd be fine. Chopper called him inside and to the infirmary. It was just a storage room with a bed and some supplies and a desk. Some books, as well. Chopper did well with very little.

"I want you to stay in here. Zoro, keep watch of him." Luffy didn't protest that he was feeling fine for once, even if he felt okay. Chopper looked at the stone under the microscope with gloves on. Robin was in there, looking at the rock in the vial she'd had.

"This is fascinating. I can't wait to know what it is," she said in an upbeat voice. Luffy didn't like everyone was worried. He hoped they could go searching for treasure again. "I do wonder, though. Is that stone related to your kind? It attracted many more, and had initially been attracted to you. Well, you went to it, correct?" Luffy nodded. Chopper gasped. They all asked what was wrong.

"This isn't just a stone. It's a crystallized mass of a mix of blood. I'll test what type it is in a bit. It makes sense it's not a real rock if it melted. But it wasn't frozen, either. It seems to be very old, though. So it probably only melted when it was removed from the main stone… I think." Luffy said it smelled like sweet blood. As if an artificial flavor. "This is confusing."

Robin agreed. She'd never heard or seen anything of the sort. Luffy wondered if he should be worried. "There's no point when we don't know what will happen. Now, they said they were strong from the stone, right?" Luffy nodded. "Maybe try to test any strength," the oldest suggested.

Luffy went out on deck and found Zoro's ridiculous weight, and lifted it with one arm with ease. But he usually could lift that up, so it wasn't something that could give much information. Zoro came out and knew that wasn't a good example. "Try to pin me down. Usually I can break free."

"You just want him to be on top," Nami teased. Zoro scowled. Luffy pinned Zoro down, hands holding his wrists. Zoro struggled to get out of the grip before Luffy licked up his neck, smelling the blood strongly. Zoro shuddered. Nami told them to get a room. Luffy let go of Zoro's wrists and moved them to his chest, sliding them under his haramaki and into his shirt, feeling his strong abs and the textured scar always there.

"I said get a room!" Nami said, throwing a shoe at them. "How do you feel?" Zoro asked, both ignoring Nami.

"You smell good," Luffy said. "And I feel okay, I don't hurt anywhere." Chopper came out after a while, Luffy resting on Zoro's chest, still sprawled out on the deck. They were at the altar while this was figured out. He called Luffy over.

They both got up and walked to the reindeer doctor. "The stone is not any blood type that humans have. It didn't register at all. But it is blood." Luffy wondered what type of blood it was, then. "I wish we could ask the people who know about it, but they seem hostile and we were lucky they didn't attack us, it seems. We'll just have to observe and wait to see if anything happens." Luffy nodded, and Nami asked if they could go gold hunting yet. Zoro scowled at her. "Hey, don't look at me like that, I'm worried, too!" Luffy finally said he didn't want anybody to worry. They should go gold hunting now.

Luffy looked up when he heard somebody coming towards them. It was a guy with long black hair and tattoos, holding a bazooka with the zoomies on his feet. "Get out of here, now."

"We're going gold hunting. Hey, do you know where it is?" Luffy asked.

"That doesn't matter. Leave or I'll shoot." The three weakest members hid behind the mast. This guy had a scary face on. Luffy said they were looking for the gold. They weren't leaving yet. They weren't going to bother them. "I don't know how none of you have been done in by the priests," he said flippantly. "Just because you're like some of us doesn't mean I won't kill you."

He aimed his weapon on the ship, and Luffy shot an arm out, grabbing the bazooka, surprising the guy with his devil fruit. He pulled it to him and crunched it. The man grew furious and Luffy threw it into the cloudy road. "Don't point weapons at us!"

The guy jumped and slammed his hand into Luffy's face, letting out something that made blood come from Luffy's face, shooting him into the railing, unconscious. They fought on the deck, and Nami blew the whistle from the Sky Knight. He didn't take long to appear, and deter the man, Wyper.

He chased him off with a fight. "Help, Luffy is hurt!" Nami shouted. "What did he do to him!?" Zoro was checking Luffy's face. It was damaged before Zoro dribbled blood into his mouth. He needed a lot to heal the damage. It was concerning. But his face healed, leaving only blood. Robin came over with a washcloth and wiped the blood off of his face under his nose and mouth.

"Wyper used an impact dial on him. It absorbs the damage of a blow, and then releases it at whoever it's pointed at. If he weren't what he is, he would most likely be in a coma with it right against his face. He's lucky."

Usopp demanded to know why they were targeting them when they'd done nothing wrong! "They don't like strangers being here. It's been a mess." He then explained the history. People lived in Upper Yard before they came here, and the people of Sky Island tried to drive them out to get to the Vearth, their word for earth/dirt. It was wrong.

Luffy was held in Zoro's arms before he woke up. "Hey, how do you feel?" Zoro asked. Everyone gathered. He said he felt okay, and asked what had happened. He was in pain and then everything went black. "An asshole attacked you for no reason other than not wanting us here, even though we're not doing anything to them," Zoro said sourly.

The captain wondered when they were going gold hunting. The Sky Knight told them it was best if they left instead. They all said a resounding no. They were getting that gold no matter what. The ship was already heading south in that direction. They would find them. Looking for things on their own had caused problems, so they were going all together, which gave Usopp, Chopper and Nami relief.

They didn't like those impact dials, though. How they hurt Luffy and he was made of rubber. And for them, they couldn't heal from it like he could. "Hey, are there bad guys here, Sky Knight?" Luffy asked. "That Wyper was surprised we haven't been attacked yet. But they took us to the altar regardless. Even when we were given free passage."

The Sky Knight was sitting down, seeming to need a break, or maybe staying to help them. Luffy was glad he wasn't bowing to him anymore. "It's because of the truce between your kind and Enel that you haven't been targeted. The Shandorians are the ones fighting with Enel and his priests."

"So it's Luffy protecting us?" The knight nodded. Sanji glared at him. "Well, then we'll all stay in the same spot!" Nami said happily. "But we have to watch out for the Shandorians, right?" The knight nodded. "Were you afraid of Luffy, before?"

"Cautiously respectful, more like it," he said honestly. Well, better than him being scared. "I see you've encountered the blood stone. At least, that's what we call it."

Chopper said, "Well, that's a pretty accurate description." Zoro asked what it did to Luffy.

"The people like you here are stronger than you were due to the influence of that stone. It is embedded in your arm, right? I can see the markings." They nodded. "That should boost your strength. If you aren't different from the people of Sky Island."

It was a big if. Besides, Luffy didn't want a cheat power-up from some stone that impaled him anyways.

They went on their way, going south easily. The knight ended up leaving eventually. Luffy wondered where he went.

When they reached the end of the cloud road to the south, they disembarked onto land. The ship weighed anchor, and nobody wanted to be separated from Luffy. Well, the other two stronger teens were fine going by themselves, but they would all go together to find the gold.

They found a place with a huge beanstalk first, and Luffy immediately wanted to climb it before Sanji told him not to. But then they heard fighting, and not just Luffy. The pirates peeked around or over a large broken building sticking out of the cloud ground.

It was Wyper versus some other people, with another guy outside of a barbed wire domelike net. Then there was a guy outside of them. He had weird things coming out of his back. They watched as a woman came out, and called for Wyper to stop fighting. Only the guy with things sticking out of his back, addressed as Enel, the god, electrocuted her, frying her and making her crumple, unconscious or maybe dead.

Nami put her hands over her mouth. "What the hell?" she asked.

"Hey, he's a logia," Luffy stated. "Smells like one. Cause Crocodile, Ace and Smoker all had a little scent similar." Enel looked over at the group, locking eyes with Luffy. He looked away, ignoring them. They really were ignored as long as they were with Luffy. Was Enel not good against them? Hmm…

Luffy wondered what actually happened here. The Shandorians were fighting Enel? For the Upper Yard, right? It was weird. Luffy thought Enel looked fun to fight, but he didn't want to put his crew in danger.

"You may want to get out here before I put divine punishment on you," he called, not looking at them. Robin had wandered away to the ruins a bit away from the beanstalk. Well, not a bit, it was far from it.

"L-Let's go, Luffy," Usopp said, pulling on Luffy's arm. The captain nodded, and they walked away, following after Robin. Luffy kept watching the guys inside the cage fight angrily. Wyper really was crazy.

He knew something was really wrong here. But it wasn't their job to solve the problems for them. There was no Vivi here, no incentive to save the island. Their goal was the poneglyph, treasure, and to find that Noland was right, there was a city of gold in the sky. Once they were out of sight, but not earshot, they found Robin looking at a simple shrine of some sort sticking out of the cloud.

Luffy was distracted, paying attention to their surroundings and if Enel came close. But he stayed away. "You might want to try to run, now. As soon as the game is over, in eight minutes, your search will be fruitless," he said, suddenly there. "It's unfortunate you came at this time, isn't it?" Enel asked cockily.

They all looked confused, Nami, Usopp and Chopper hiding behind the others. Robin came back, looking surprised. "What do you mean?"

"Judgement will fall upon this island soon." Zoro told him to stop being vague. "I'm not, you should realize what I mean. I hope you find what you're looking for before judgement is passed. Having regret is something nobody wants to perish with." Then he was gone.

"What? What's that mean?"

"I saw it! When I came to Upper Yard on the waver, somebody was shot down with a huge blast of lightning from above! He cried out about the 'judgement'! He died!" Usopp screamed that the island would suffer that way, too, then! "I would assume so."

Luffy frowned deeply. They didn't have even nearly enough time to get back to the ship, let alone get out in time. "So, we're gonna all die here?!" Luffy demanded. Sanji took a drag of his cigarette and Robin calmly confirmed that. Luffy heard something making a tearing sound, and looked down.

They all fell through the clouds, screaming, with Luffy cushioning their fall with a gomu gomu balloon. They bounced around and then landed hard. They looked around and found they were in a city, one overtaken with vines and roots, but made of gold! The golden city! Only now they would die for it.

"Amazing," Robin said.

"Now's not the time to be in awe! We have to do something!"

"If we beat up Enel, he won't destroy the island, right?" Luffy asked, pointing up. Nami said he was god! "So?"

Zoro and Sanji agreed that they needed to fight. Then Wyper fell through the cloud, as did the Sky Knight, which was strange. But they saw what had made their holes: they were burnt open. Lightning holes? Enel was there, suddenly. "So, you're all those left that want to defeat me?"

"If you're gonna kill us all, then yeah," Sanji said, lighting a new cigarette. Nami, Usopp and Chopper hid, while the other four stood their grounds. Wyper told them it wasn't their battle, and they needed to stay the hell out of it. "If he's gonna kill all of us, it is our problem, right?" Sanji asked in an annoyed voice. "Besides, how long have you been trying to off this guy and failing?"

Wyper turned around in anger and pointed another bazooka at him, since Luffy destroyed the first. Good thing he had two, then. "You're fighting amongst yourselves? Pitiful weaklings. You, boy. You're lucky. You won't die like they will. I'll avoid you, you're welcome." Luffy glared at him darkly. Wyper turned away. The fight began, the three fighters and Wyper going after Enel.

To Luffy's absolute annoyance, Enel paid little attention to him, dodging him every time while going against Zoro, Sanji and Wyper. "Fight me, bastard!"

"I'm not stupid! You'll be avoided no matter what you try! Yahahaha!" Zoro nearly got a slice in before Robin bloomed arms on Enel when he was distracted, and as Wyper was speaking about his drive to do this, to get revenge for his people for the last 800 years, she grabbed his head and jerked it back, trying to break his neck.

But instead, he pointed a finger at Robin, and nobody was fast enough to keep him from electrocuting her. "ROBIN!" Luffy screamed. "Damn you!" Luffy roared. Wyper was fried as well, in terrible, terrible condition but still fighting on. Reminding him of Zoro slightly. Only crazier. Maybe.

Nami and Chopper were fretting over Robin, the doctor trying to treat her. But then Chopper was attacked. "Nami, Usopp, run!" Luffy shouted. They did so, reluctantly, but ran into the ruins, out of sight for Enel.

"Good choice," Enel said conversationally. Nobody could get a hit in until Wyper rushed at him, not stopping when he was electrocuted a second time, maybe third, and pressing his bazooka at Enel's chest.

It said it had seastone in it, and Sanji yelled at him to stop monologuing and just shoot him. "Don't interrupt people when they're speaking," Enel said in entertainment, getting Sanji next. Luffy and Zoro were both panicking. They couldn't protect them and fight at the same time. "Zoro!" Luffy said desperately.

But then Wyper shot the bazooka at Enel point blank. It seemed like he'd died, and Luffy got to picking up Sanji and getting him away. It was so bad, and there was no Chopper to fix them! He brought him to the place Nami and Usopp were staying at, and then got Robin and Chopper. "Zoro!" he called before he heard another zap, loud like all of the other attacks, and Enel stood back up, completely fine. Wyper was shocked another time, finally falling. Luffy watched almost in slow motion as Zoro was the only fighter left. He started to attack, only to get the same treatment as the four others. "ZORO!" Luffy screamed.

Then the snake fell in through the hole, landing right on Luffy, stopping him from doing anything. The snake wasn't moving, as if it was dead or unconscious. Luffy struggled under the weight, fear and grief seeming to keep him from using all his strength, or that new amount of speed and strength that he hadn't tested out.

When he finally got out by crawling, unable to breathe by being squished, he found his crew were all unconscious. And Nami was gone. Wyper was still there, but Enel and Nami were gone. Usopp had been shocked, too. "Guys! Oh, no! Wake up!" Robin opened her eyes, skin charred and looking to be in pain.

"He took Nami," she said, coughing. Luffy held her up. "Go after her. Nothing… you can do about us." Luffy was reluctant to leave, but she was right. He was freaking out and furious as he ran off. He was covered in blood from various wounds, small though they may be. Hopefully he might have enough to burn the guy.

He followed Nami's scent easily, climbing up the beanstalk and then running after her through the forest until he got closer to their scent. It was hard to find. He didn't teleport, he just moved as fast as lightning. He thought, at least. When he got there, he found it in a large cave. Well, it had no roof.

The whole thing smelled of metal, Nami and something burnt. He was panting when he got there. Nami was on the ship, and Enel was there, too. It looked very strange. Made out of gold with paddles and some sort of propellers? "How could you do that to everybody?!"

"And here I didn't want to fight you. I guess any truce is over."

"The truce was over the moment you told us we were going to die! And then you attacked my friends! You're no god, you're just some logia playing god!" Luffy shouted. Enel looked at him in disinterest and indifference.

He said, "What can you do? You don't even have mantra. You'd be no match for me." Luffy demanded to know why he avoided him then. "Did you honestly think it was out of fear? You're weak compared to others like you. I just had fun toying with you, boy." Luffy seethed.

Nami shouted at him to be careful, earning a cold look from Enel. Luffy shot his arm up and pulled himself up. "Hm, looks like you're not the usual freak."

"You're calling me a freak?! You have a stupid decoration sticking outta your back!" Enel was unbothered.

"I won't engage in pointless arguments with a weak child. I'm no longer going to treat you any differently than all the other mortals I've shot down before you." His calm immediately left when he happily shot a huge blast of lightning at him. What he thought was the "judgement" some spoke about before.

All they wanted to do was find answers and gold!

But the lightning only made him feel confused before it passed, and he was perfectly fine. He just stood there. He was sure the attack hit him. It even burnt his clothes a bit, but he was fine, it seemed. Enel and Nami thought he dodged, and Luffy stood there, mouth pressed in a line. "You're better than I thought!" Enel admitted, but still looked confident. "60 million volts, thunder dragon!" A lightning blast shaped as a dragon hit him hard, and then another follow up attack was made.

Luffy kicked him away. "Stop it, you're annoying!" he shouted, perfectly fine again. Enel's face went to one of absolute shock and disbelief. Also fear. It was priceless, and usually Luffy would think it was funny. But he was too angry about what the so-called "god" had done to the people he cared about.

Luffy kicked him in the stomach, and it hit! Even though he was a logia. "Since Enel's powers are lightning based, his attacks have no effect! The one man who can fight against lighting. Enel's probably never thought that existed!" Nami said. Luffy stood in front of the wounded Enel as he continued to lay on the floor of the deck.

"How dare you do that to my friends? To Zoro?!" Luffy roared, making Enel flinch. He stood up, though, and demanded to know what Luffy was. "I ate the gum gum fruit. I'm a rubber man."

"There's no point in getting upset. There's nothing you can do to help them here, can you?" Enel asked, sounding angry, too. Luffy felt his heartbeat speed up, and things around him were going red. His hands twitched, wanting to strangle him, kill him. He heard Nami run to the other side of the ship, and Enel looked at him with narrowed eyes.

Luffy saw the burnt bodies of his friends and lover. The screams they made. He launched at Enel, but he dodged, saying, "Mantra." Luffy did a roundhouse kick and caught him in the gut. He sped after him, but he was too fast as lightning. He was looking at Luffy in confusion. Maybe he was acting differently than the others like him. Enel and them never clashed.

He tried again, but he wasn't fast enough. He had to figure something out, how to get faster to keep up with him. Faster, he needed to be faster. He was strong enough, but he couldn't catch him. He wouldn't lose himself here. He couldn't be harmed by him, right? Nami could, he wished she could get off, but there was no way down for her without possible injuries.

Enel was behind him, and he barely dodged as a scalding trident was thrust at him. He'd changed his weapon. He fell to the deck with a bounce before dodging again. Luffy swallowed down his rage so he could try and think.

Faster! He was behind him. Go faster! Anything! Again, he missed. He had an idea, knowing it was dangerous but it might work. He tried using his fast heart beating to his advantage, speeding it up. He was clumsy with it, but his skin turned red and started to steam. But it didn't last, and he was nearly stabbed again.

He tried again, and this one lasted twenty seconds, enough for him to keep up and pummel him before he could escape. "What is that technique?" the logia demanded. It made Luffy out of breath, and he was suddenly very hungry. He couldn't use that again, it burnt up a lot of the blood in his system, not to mention it seemed to burn off any food he ate as well.

He could use that. It had damaged Crocodile's hook, maybe he could damage the weapon that kept Enel at arms length. He bit his hands like he bit Zoro, but dragged it, bloodying his hands. "Have you lost your mind?" Enel asked, and attacked again with his hot trident. Despite how heated it was, Luffy still grabbed it and started rubbing his hands along the burning surface as he hurried towards Enel.

His staff rusted and started to flake away. The trident part was gone. His hands burned badly, and Nami called his name, watching from around the corner. He launched at him and grabbed his face, burning his cheeks with his blood, not the heat. Luffy was thrown off, but the damage was done.

"What did you do?!" Enel demanded as he winced at the handprint shaped burns all across his cheeks and forehead.

"Everything I can!" Luffy said. Enel smashed him into the deck of his ship, and Luffy climbed out before Enel invited them to watch him destroy the country before he started to lift the ship up with his lightning. Somehow it was starting to lift. "Luffy, what do we do?!" Nami called as the ship rose. Luffy told her to be quiet. "But-!"

"You are the future Pirate King's friend, so stop being such a worrier!" he said. Enel had never heard this before, of course, and thought he would rule over a country. "He is the king of the sea!" Luffy replied.

Enel just smiled. They were to finish this in the sky, not the sea.

He was fast, but Luffy was able to dodge if he kept his eyes closed and only reacted to his scent and sound. He dodged, but with his eyes closed, he couldn't exactly attack. And when he tried doing it directly, no matter how fast or how many punches he threw, Enel dodged all of them. It was annoying, this mantra. How did it work, anyways?

But with his predicting Luffy's moves, he had to make a way to attack without planning. He looked at the gold wall of the ship, and hurried there, starting to punch it. The rebounds were random and hard to track, and pummeled Enel with them. It worked, he shed blood and grunted at the powerful, randomized hits.

But the Death Peia ship, as he explained, was already working to destroy the island, forming a massive thunder cloud. Luffy didn't feel attachment to this island, but if that happened, his crew would die. He would, too, most likely. They'd plummet to their deaths, and Luffy thought even he couldn't survive the impact on the water. If he did, he'd go down, and Nami would be dead, too.

He had to stop Enel before he pulled it off.

With him distracted by the shocking rebound hits, Luffy unleashed a bazooka and a rifle into his gut, blood coughed out as Luffy didn't let up and didn't show any mercy. Luffy's attacks finally threw the enemy into unconsciousness, laying on the deck, helpless and very wounded. But who knew how long that would last?

But even with the false god out of action, the ship continued its work. Unfortunately, annoyingly, Enel woke again, but was severely injured. His plans were not foiled, just not pulled off perfectly. The cloud was still forming over the island, preparing to murder everyone there for fun.

Luffy could hear distant screaming. But he still couldn't hear his friends. He could only hope they were okay. He was about to get a punch in when the gold of his trident and some of the wall formed into a huge, super heated gold ball around his arm, and was thrown over the side of the ship. He tried holding on, but he fell over the side, barely holding on, leaving Nami there and screaming.

"Without you, I will rule the Blue Sea!"

"There are tons of guys down there, who can defeat you!" Luffy shouted as he barely hung on with a few fingers, the ball stretching him painfully. Enel kicked his hand away, and Luffy fell.

Chapter Text

Artemispolarbear: With the way things are going in the manga recently, I think I'll be able to realign the story back to more cannon plot soon. Though Wano ended up very different in some ways. But it's still fun to write! And I know how I'm going to end it, I just need to get back to how I can lol. I truly hope Wano ends soon. 

DotNotFound: Thank you! Blood stone is a big deal further out in the story. Just wait until Thriller Bark, hehehe. 

Noa_5: ヽ(*・ω・)ﾉ

Mugiwara_Theo: Thank you! There's one other surprise couple that comes up far, far from where we are in the story from now. Don't worry about me dropping the story, we still have over 70 chapters until we get to Wano. Here for the long haul, mwahaha! 

When he landed, it was in a ruin, and he was tangled around it. He managed to free himself and headed to where he knew his friends were. But he couldn't smell them, and carried the gold ball over his head more easily than he thought. He fell to his knees suddenly as his vision blurred. He needed blood.

His friends weren't there, so he followed their scent, assuming somebody took them. Robin was hit first, right? Maybe she recovered and took them all to safety. He hoped so, he hoped they were alive. He couldn't hear them speaking, but managed to get out and onto the upper level they'd fallen through into the golden city.

"R-Robin!" Luffy called, barely dragging the golden ball behind him, unable to hold it up anymore. Nami was there, safely. He got on his hands and knees, breathing hard before standing up and wobbling.

"Luffy! What's wrong?" Nami asked in worry. Usopp was awake. He'd recovered surprisingly quickly, too. The captain said he needed blood. Robin had a dagger and cut her arm.

"You need the strength, I'll just dribble it into your mouth, okay?" Luffy looked up and saw the black cloud. It would kill them all soon. He couldn't be picky, and Zoro was still asleep. Luffy nodded, and Robin dribbled a stream of blood into his mouth. Zoro's was a lot better, but that thought was in the back of his mind.

Once he had enough for one final confrontation, as this would be the last, he left, climbing up the beanstalk to get high enough to reach that damn flying ship. It was hard, and he didn't have enough time to have an extended fight. He had to end it soon, quickly. There was no time for him, and no time for the island or any of its people.

The lightning bolts started to rain down on the island, destroying multiple areas, seemingly random in their locations. He hoped most of the people were lucky and weren't unfortunate enough to be under one of the bolts.

Just dragging the ball was difficult, but he managed, pouring determination into it instead of blood. He had lasted a long time without being thirsty before, and hoped that would happen again. He made it to another level of the beanstalk. "Is this the top?" he asked. He smelled deeply and looked up, seeing the false god up there, looking at him in indifference again. The whole island stunk of burnt everything. Fire from burning trees in the forest, burnt clouds, burnt dirt, maybe even burnt people.

"Stop running and fight me!" Luffy called furiously. They needed to end it soon. For multiple reasons. But the asshole burnt the beanstalk with a lightning strike, knocking part of it over, almost making Luffy fall all the way back down. Could he even make it back up if he fell? But he didn't fall, and got back to safety.

He breathed deeply, and was distracted from Enel with a huge ball. A black ball that was dense but looked sort of like the clouds. It was falling out of the sky, a big hole in the main blanket of thunder clouds. He watched as it crashed down onto angel island… and eradicated it in a huge blast, a lightning explosion. So many people could have just died.

"Damn it!" he shouted. At least it was quick.

He latched his hand back on the edge of the ship, but the lightning logia kicked it off again, making him fall back on the highest tier of clouds on the massive beanstalk. "I'll be getting that golden bell, now! Don't worry, you'll die a quick death soon enough! Yahahaha!" His ship got higher away. Luffy growled under his breath, trying to figure out how to do something!

But now that he knew Enel was heading for the bell he wanted to ring for Cricket and the monkeys, it pissed him off. He would find it and ring it, not let Enel lay a finger on it, no matter what! He looked around, and looked up at what was left of the beanstalk as another huge ball of thunder was sighted lowering again. This time, over Upper Yard, bigger than the previous one.

Even if he did try to run, it was too late to do anything. The only thing he could do to not die was to stop it somehow. Enel no doubt found the bell by now, which was why he was done with this place, and ready to destroy it all in one blast. Be even more of a mass murderer than he already was.

Luffy took his other arm, looking at the beanstalk. If he could link it to Enel's ship, or at least close enough, maybe he could catch up to him. He used his new strength and slammed his right leg into it, knocking it down in three kicks. Luffy grabbed the ball and held it up as he dashed upwards, along it. But Enel was out of reach. All he could do was get the next nearest thing, better for another reason. Enel's trident had used electricity in it, right? He wasn't good with science or anything, but it was worth trying it! A last ditch effort.

Even if he couldn't reach Enel and ran out of strength, the least he could do was buy the island a little time. He used all his strength in mid air to fling the golden ball on his arm forward, slamming into the bottom of the ball of death. It shocked him, and made him grind his teeth, but he was able to deplete the whole thunderball. It destroyed it, and he latched onto the ship once again.

He couldn't afford to fall again. The lightning burned off the two mouthfuls of blood. He really was running on nothing now. "You damn brat!" Enel shouted, losing his cool. The golden bell was on his ship, and seeing it be stolen like this pissed him off. It didn't belong to this guy, it belonged to the original people here, the Shandorians.

The teen wasn't deeply concerned about their culture or people, but they could at least not have this treasure stolen! And he would ring that for his own reason. His ears were ringing, now, so he couldn't even hear what Enel was saying before he turned into some new form made of lightning.

Luffy twisted his arm trapped in the ball, feeling like it would rip it off. If it did, would blood grow it back for him? He wasn't sure, and definitely didn't want to find out. Zoro, everyone. Please be safe!

"Gomu gomu… rifle!" Luffy screamed, voice hoarse from all of the shouting he'd been doing. He slammed the golden ball into the logia man, melting the ball again in the sharp lightning. It slammed into him, knocking out teeth, breaking bones, and destroying the damn ship to bits. The ship fell to its doom, while the golden bell fell down, passing Luffy and ringing loudly, deafeningly loud.

He grinned, panting. "Did you hear that old man, monkeys?!" he shouted happily. "The gold city does exist!"

Luffy then let himself rest, and plummeted down from the top of the beanstalk. He wasn't even awake when he landed on the clouds below. Nami was there, the one in the best shape besides Usopp. "Luffy!"

"Let's get him back to the ship!" Chopper said.

When he woke up, he was all better, if not very tired. His arm felt sore, but didn't burn. He got some blood, then. How long was he out? He sat up, and rubbed his face. He was still covered in dirt, but the blood and burns on him were gone. He looked around and saw everyone being treated by Chopper for their burns. Since Luffy was on the mattress, they were all on blankets.

"Oh, you're awake," Chopper said gladly. Zoro looked over and gave him a tired smile. He'd done it. Defeated Enel, saved the island and rang the golden bell. Luffy noticed Robin wasn't here. "She went to look for the poneglyph."

He nodded. "What about all the gold?"

"We don't know where it is. We might have to leave empty handed," Sanji said sadly. Luffy tried to think of something, somewhere he saw any gold. "We're not taking anything from the golden city. We'd have to get some from somewhere else. You could find it for us, of course, if there is any. But after you're better. Just go to sleep."

Luffy nodded, and did go to sleep. When he woke up, it was night time and he wasn't at the ship anymore, but in Zoro's lap, surrounded by people singing, dancing, and eating a ton. "Figured you'd rather wake up here than in the galley," Zoro said. Luffy jumped up and didn't say a thing before tearing into the food viciously. He saw others like himself, but they were eating normal food.

He walked up to one, a girl, and asked if he could ask some questions. "Sure."

He spoke to her about all kinds of stuff. But she didn't know the answers to a lot of it, but Luffy did find he was different from the sky people with his markings. They had no name other than the "blessed", which he would not be calling himself personally. But none of them ever felt they were losing control. They also didn't react so intensely to not having blood. They got lethargic and sick, but didn't need nearly as much blood. "Maybe you're a different version, coming from the Blue Sea," she offered. Luffy nodded, standing up and thanking her before walking back to Zoro and humphing, sitting back in his lap.

Though he was careful not to disturb the bandages. Not that Zoro would ever admit they hurt. "What is it?"

"I'm different from the people up here, apparently," he sighed, leaning back against his chest. "Did Robin find the poneglyph?"

"Not yet. The Shandorians told her of one, but she was going to wait for you to get better so you can go with her. She said she gave you some of her blood. I'm not upset in the least, so don't feel guilty, okay?" Luffy smiled and nodded, commenting that Zoro tasted a lot better. Nami snickered at them.

Luffy ate some more, and then remembered something, but didn't say it. He'd seen some shiny metal things in the stomach of the big snake, but there was no way any of them were venturing into the blood cavern to get anything out. Unsanitary and repulsive to everyone. Even to Luffy.

The party lasted long into the night, though Luffy slept for a good chunk of it, still tired, even if most of his body was healed. Blood couldn't cure exhaustion. What a long couple of days. They'd only been there, what, three days? It felt like so much longer, so much had happened.

The next morning, Luffy and Robin went to the golden bell, Robin thinking that the poneglyph could actually be the bell. It was a long shot, but an idea she had, so they went. He was feeling fully better now. He was also keeping an eye out for the smell of metal and other riches. They went to the bell, which luckily handed upright, covered in moss and vines. It had been there so long, after all.

Robin looked at it for a bit, with Luffy unable to read any of it. He couldn't tell what Robin was thinking based on her expression. People were around there, and Luffy smelled some jems and more gold. They both had a different smell. He went to the other side of the bell, where nobody could see him, and smelled deeply. He found there was some inside. He dug up under the ground quickly and quietly, moving his hand under it and touched a huge amount of coins, jems and other riches. They were hidden inside this the whole time. He dug deeper and stuck his head in, able to see just barely, and find the just overwhelming amount of riches.

"Luffy?" Robin asked, and Luffy hurried out of it and put the dirt back in place. "Were you in the dirt?" she asked, seeing him with some on his hands and face.

"Eh…. no," he lied.

"Oh, ok then," Robin said. "The poneglyph talks about another weapon, just as the Alabasta one. Apparently the red blood stone, actually called that, made those around it more powerful. It can't be used by anyone that isn't connected to it, like you are. Meaning that its presence is probably why there are multiple of your kind here.

"I don't think it applies to you. You're different from the others here, right? I think that you came about for another reason. You were born nowhere near here," she said. Luffy pouted, disappointed. Robin was amazed, but she also did sound slightly disappointed. People weren't around anymore, so Luffy told her to bloom an eye inside the bell. "There's a compartment there."

She closed her eyes, and smiled. "My, that's quite a bit."

"Neehee, we're coming back for it," Luffy said with a grin. He ran back the way they came to tell the others about the discoveries made. They were still wounded, with burns but not so much that they were in agony putting pressure on them.

Nami asked if they'd found the poneglyph. "Yeah. It didn't really help, though." She asked what it said. "It only talked about how the people here ended up like that. It's also some weapon that only people like me and them can use."

"What weapon? All it did was make you sick."

Usopp commented, "Well, those like Luffy here were stronger, right? By being near it, it could be a weapon for them. It helped Luffy out, too. Maybe that's the way it's a weapon? But it doesn't apply to Luffy, he wasn't born anywhere near this place," he finished. Luffy nodded. Then he grinned.

"I found a ton of gold and treasure. It'll be hard to get it all back to the ship," Luffy said. Nami jumped up, demanding to know where it was. "Inside the bell. There's a large compartment underneath it. Tons of stuff! We have to get it all. That's why we ventured into the forest. Answers and riches, neehee! We gotta go tonight, and then ditch in secret."

Chopper looked excited, and Sanji looked forward to this as well. "But hopefully we end up at an island soon after this so we can get more blood bags. You're completely out," Sanji said. "And I doubt there are any here. The island that would have had any was destroyed, right?" Luffy nodded.

"Well, I'm here and in a much better state," Zoro said. "After all, I taste the best, right?" he asked with a smirk.

"Gross," Usopp said casually. But Luffy beamed and nodded.

That evening, they went hunting on the island and got plenty of food and meat. Tons of ingredients were there. Sanji said that they got enough for two weeks if they were careful with their resources.

When night fell, they had large blankets, and headed to the belfry, Luffy able to tell nobody was there. The ship was moved so it could be a quick getaway. When they got there, Luffy dug a big hole under the belfry, opening the compartment. He crawled under, and started shoving the goodies out of the hole, filling all of the blankets.

"Oh my god!" Nami said with sparkling eyes. "You're so useful, Luffy!" Zoro got mad, but Luffy just laughed. They ran back to the ship, but were being followed by people who noticed them there.

"Ahahaha! Run!" Luffy cheered. They were laughing, and ditched, hearing them all call for them to come back. "No way! Shishishi!" Luffy cheered, and they made it back to the ship. Robin even had some treasure, running with them. When they got back, they jumped onboard and left, laughing. They looked at all of the treasure there, and Nami hugged Luffy for finding it all. "At least we got some stuff from that hell of a visit. Though not as much as we hoped for."

Luffy shrugged. "The answer is out there, we just gotta find it on our way. And I'm happy I learned that the Pirate King was like me! But we'll be even better. Crocus said they never found the answer. We will, for sure." The others all agreed, glad he wasn't so sad. Though he never really stayed sad too long.

"I want to buy a bronze statue of myself," Luffy declared.

"That's stupid, we should buy cannons! We already have all the dials I traded, so cannons are needed next!" Usopp insisted.

"Nami-san, may I buy a refrigerator with a lock?"

"No! That's stupid, don't do that!" Luffy protested. Sanji snapped at him that it would be for the benefit of the crew. Chopper wanted books and Zoro just wanted rum.

"We'll talk about what we're spending the money on when we're back in the Blue Sea. Besides, I won't have anyone wasting my money!" Usopp pointed out that Luffy was the one to find the treasure. It should be his. "He'll just spend it on something stupid. Besides, can he do advanced math?"

"Haha, nope!" Luffy said.

"There," Nami said.

When they got to the lower level of clouds, with Conis and Pagaya leading them on their own craft, the waver with them now to keep, they called them out; it was as far as they could take them. They were nearly at the exit. They could see it.

"The cloud's end, huh? That's the way out?" Sanji asked. Pagaya nodded. They were feeling a bit sad they were leaving already, but over all were ready to resume their journey and remember this amazing adventure forever. They were all glad they risked their lives to make it to someplace they didn't even know existed. "Do we go straight through that tunnel? Then follow the milky way road down?" he wondered around a cigarette.

Conis and Pagaya said goodbye to them happily, their home no longer under tyranny, but a lot to rebuild. Relations with the Shandorians were also being repaired. So their visit there had done a lot of good, even if most of it was for their own interest and not the islanders. When they got to the door, they were instructed to put the sails immediately.

They did so and put the gold in containers in the storage room so it didn't fly all over the place during the road going 7,000 meters back down to their home world. This really was a completely different world. Then the south bird's weird call was sounded, and the one they had taken with them angrily returned to go with them down.

Nami looked at the log pose. "Alright captain, the log pose is locked on the next island!"

"Alright! The start of a brand new adventure!" Luffy cheered. "Alright crew, let's go back to the Blue Sea!"

"YEAH!"

Conis then yelled, "Everyone be careful! You're about to start falling!" They blinked twice at the wording, and before they could say a thing, the Merry was plummeting down to their home sea. Nobody was hanging onto anything, and the screaming started very quickly. Luffy wrapped himself around the mast, screaming as they fell. But then a huge octopus attacked them!

"Ah! A monster!" Chopper screamed. But the creature surrounded the ship and held onto it with his suckers, and it's head inflated to act like a balloon! They were shocked but relieved and interested. They weren't falling anymore, more like drifting down slowly. Thank god they didn't fall the entire way, the Merry could not have survived.

Then they heard the golden bell ringing over and over, as if a goodbye salute. They were all beaming. That was a good signal that their Sky Island adventure was over. All that was left was landing safely.

Luffy had to stay inside the whole time down, only able to look out the porthole. The octopus was scared of him, and its trembling shook the entire ship. It sucked! Zoro was in there with him, and napped while Luffy played with the stuff they got from Sky Island. He dressed up in the treasure that was wearable. Put the king's crown, jewelry, and other gilted wearable goods.

"Bow to me, Roronoa Zoro!" Luffy said, waking him up to it.

"The hell are you doing?" he asked.

"Nami will get mad about it, so why not try while she's not here? I'm very wealthy, after all." Zoro just shook his head, simply saying his boyfriend was weird. "Unique or original."

"No, weird and rubbery," Zoro replied, and settled back against the wall. Then suddenly they were in the air as the ship fell. Luffy was screaming, and then when the ship landed, he bounced around the room and then flopped on the floor. He heard Nami coming over and pulled off everything before she saw.

Zoro rubbed the back of his head, having been thrown, too. They went on deck, and asked what happened. "The octopus suddenly deflated!" Usopp said. His legs were shaking, and Chopper was, too.

"We're back in our world! Goodbye Sky Island!" Luffy cheered. Nami grabbed his earlobe. "What is this?" she asked, looking at a gold band around his wrist. Zoro said he was playing dress up. "Traitor!" the captain accused.

Chopper wondered if they'd ever go back, and it turned into a conversation between Zoro and Usopp about if people went to heaven after they died. For somebody who didn't believe in god, Zoro did believe in the after life.

"Mosshead would never go to heaven."

"You wanna fight?!"

"Bring it!"

"Stop it you two! God, the moment we get back you're at each others' throats!" Robin said they'd gone too long without doing so. Luffy walked to Robin and asked if she knew where any other poneglyphs were.

"Captain, you know we might not have to find out through a poneglyph, right? Next island we're at with a book store, we can look for anything having to do with history. If our navigator is okay with spending the money that way." Nami said it was fine.

Chopper said, "When I said I wanted books you told me 'maybe'!"

"Nami plays favorites with everyone," Usopp said. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean she didn't like you, please don't cry!"

Zoro commented, "We all know Luffy is Nami's favorite." Luffy pointed out she hit him all the time. "Tough love, then."

"There's no way she likes Luffy more than anyone else!" Nami sighed and shook her head. Zoro amended his statement. She had a soft spot for him. Whenever Luffy was in trouble, she was one of the first to help him out. Mostly emotional trouble, of course. Otherwise, she used him as a shield.

Luffy laughed. "Don't worry, I love all of you!" Robin giggled and the others smiled besides Sanji. He only wanted a woman's love. Chopper hugged Luffy's legs.

"I'm so happy we went there! Thank you!" Luffy beamed, and said it was fortunate they hadn't died. Onward to the next adventure!

Chapter Text

Noa_5: (´｡• ω •｡`)

Good news! It's always seemed like my baby Luffy fics get the most views and positive feedback, and I finished one! It's baby Luffy and Katakuri as his papa. I don't know when it will be ready, though. Anyways, enjoy~

"C'mon, give us a break for awhile, Luffy!" Usopp protested. Nami wondered if he honestly thought they could relax there. It wasn't leisurely anymore. To prove her point, a huge wave with sea monkeys came up behind them. Getting back to normal was not hard at all. They maneuvered the ship to ride the wave, and the sea monkeys ran away when Luffy showed up. "Hey, the animals are afraid of Luffy again."

They hadn't been in Upper Yard. It had been odd but also kind of nice, even if they attacked him. After things calmed down, no more monsters after them and the sea relatively calm, Nami went on the waver. After Luffy failed at it and needed to be rescued. He frowned on the railing as Nami used it perfectly.

After that, Usopp went through all of the dials. All of them worked but the cloud creating one. Robin was sitting and looking at the glass tube that now held the rock fragment. She was still amazed with it, but nobody touched it with their bare hands. Luffy sat next to her, wondering what would happen if he ate it. "I think it would be a very bad idea."

"Shishishi, me too! But maybe I'll try it one-"

"You will not!" Zoro said sternly, as if talking to a child. Luffy pulled his stretched out cheek away and promised he wouldn't.

"Hey, Luffy. What was that move you made when fighting Enel? Where you went super fast?" Nami wondered while Usopp was coming up with good uses for their stash of dials. Luffy remembered that time, and said he'd tried pumping his blood faster. It made him faster for a bit, but also took up a lot of energy. "It looked really promising."

He nodded. "I was thinking that, too," he agreed. "And other moves, too. But those are a secret for now! Shishishi…" Zoro smiled and sat next to him, pulling him into his lap and then falling asleep almost immediately. Even though Luffy kept talking, Zoro slept. Chopper came out of the infirmary and said he wanted to do a blood draw from Luffy. "Oh, ok. Why?"

"I want to draw directly from the new marks." Luffy let Chopper do it, even if he hated being poked and stabbed, and the reindeer hurried back inside.

Since they were out of blood bags, they would need to dock at an island with a hospital they could buy or steal blood from. Either was acceptable for them. They were pirates, after all. Nami sat over where most were gathered on the deck. Zoro was still asleep.

"So, we will now officially sort the money! Our treasure has to be worth a lot. Each one of us will get an equal amount. Don't look so shocked! We all deserve it after that. Being struck by lightning and burnt and stabbed and all."

"You went through the least pain, you know?" Usopp said sourly. "You weren't electrocuted!"

Luffy said, "Well, we all went through a lot there. It should be equal," he decided. Nami said they would divide it equally, but it wouldn't end up that much to spend actually. "Why?"

Sanji said, "The Merry is barely holding together. We need to have her repaired. In this shape, she won't last much longer." Usopp grew angry. "Which is why we need to pay for repairs," he said before he could get yelled at by an offended sniper. The others agreed. And they should get her lots of upgrades. "Maybe a remodeled kitchen," Sanji mused.

"We'll have to find shipwrights to do that, so we need to try and be gentle with her for now. We don't know when or where we can find someone that can repair her," Nami said calmly. Then they divided the treasure. They'd cash it in on an island for paper money. Luffy couldn't wait to get to another island. "Why?"

"I wanna go on a date with Zoro. We never got to ever go to a food place together. Cause a bunch of stuff happened at the Baratie." Nami said they went out at Louge Town. "Mostly shopping for Zoro's swords. We got some food and stuff, but I wanna go to dinner." Zoro was still sleeping, so he didn't hear any of this.

Nami smiled sadly, no doubt thinking of her time with Vivi. But then she smiled at Robin. It wasn't the same, of course, but they got along very well and had common interests. Not in navigation and archaeologist stuff. "Hey, Robin, do you study dinosaur stuff, too?"

"That's called paleontology. But, no, I don't do that. Though you did end up going to see real dinosaurs, right?" Luffy nodded. But he wished he could find a dinosaur foot bone. That would be cool. "Maybe you can find something like that at an island. I've seen shark teeth being sold before."

"Oooh, cool," Luffy said, leaning against Zoro's chest.

Luffy looked up at the mast of the Merry, his smile relaxing a bit into one of sadness. She was so hurt. A shipwright was definitely the next member. Well, planned member. They hadn't planned to have Robin for anything.

But then they needed a musician. He was tired of waiting as it was. Pirates should sing! The ship jostled, and they saw the sea monkeys were back. Everytime Luffy went behind to shoo them away, they moved to the side or front. Totally toying with them. "Luffy, tell them to go away! Be scary!" Usopp shouted in exasperation.

"Leave now!" he exclaimed angrily, firmly. They squawked and swam away. Chopper looked at him in fear. "What? Usopp told me to!"

"I know!" Chopper said quickly. "It's just weird for you to be angry and use it in your voice. Act scary." Luffy asked if he'd done a good job. "Yeah. Hey… act as scary as you can. I wanna see!" Luffy was unsure, not wanting to freak him out. Chopper hugged his legs. "You're Luffy! I won't be scared."

A group had gathered, hearing the conversation and wanting to see it, too. He felt under a lot of pressure. Well, might as well try! Maybe he could scare enemies. Neehee! Probably not. So he turned to them, and summoned the anger and rage he'd felt when he and Ace learned Sabo died. When someone murdered him for no reason.

His pupils dilated and he let out a vicious snarl, his body hunching. "Okay! Enough of that, let's have something nice to eat," Sanji said. Luffy immediately went back to normal.

"Did I do good?" he asked.

"Um, yeah," Usopp said. Nami said he was really scary, but grinned.

"Think of the people you could intimidate for deals. How much we could get by you just scaring them!" Nami exclaimed. Zoro frowned deeply, not liking them doing that. "C'mon, don't scowl just because Luffy can be scarier than you," Nami teased. She walked away, and Chopper had his hooves on his hat.

Luffy asked if he was okay. "Yeah. I'm just surprised you can be so scary. You've never scared me after I got to know you."

"Hmm, I'm a secret scary person," Luffy said with a laugh. Zoro said it could actually be quite useful some day. "Maybe. I'd rather be happy, though."

"Then be happy," Nami said with a fond smile. "Besides, if someone knows you, it's pretty obvious you're not evil. Even if you have red eyes and weird tattoos." Luffy stuck his tongue out at her and looked at his arm. It didn't really look like a tattoo. More like his skin had crackled like ice around a single entry point.

Usopp mentioned he could always cover that. "Not the whole arm, but you could wear an arm sleeve. You hide your other marks, right?" Luffy nodded, feeling his stomach and chest where the original ones had been before spreading after he was sick. "I'll make you one," the sniper said with a smile. "You can count on me!" He gave a thumbs up, and Luffy smiled with a nod.

Not long later, a black, tight and breathable sash went over the black marks on his arm. The one from the burn on his leg was healed with no remaining trace. He liked it, though it didn't stretch when he stretched his own arm. Actually, that was inconvenient, because when it sprung back to its normal length, the thing bunched up.

"Well, not everything can be perfect," Usopp said with a shrug. Luffy thanked him and liked it anyway. They approached the island a couple hours later, an island chain it seemed, with nothing on it. No towns, no people at all. But they had to stay and wait for the log pose to set, though Luffy said there was nobody anywhere near. They could see everything on the flat plane of the island.

When they got off, Luffy was bummed. They needed the Merry fixed as soon as possible! Looking at her current state was upsetting, and it was hard for him not to only look at all of the repairs that made her look completely different than she had originally. "Wanna go on a walk?" Zoro asked.

"Yeah!"

"Mind if I come along?" Robin wondered.

"Oh, okay," Luffy said in surprise. They walked along the coast, Luffy and Zoro holding hands. Luffy wondered why she wanted to come with them, but she spoke before either teen could ask.

"Luffy, do you trust me?"

"Of course. We all do. Why do you ask?" Luffy wondered. Robin looked down, and didn't answer. They stopped walking, and Luffy stayed quiet for her to talk.

"I just want to thank you. About Sky Island. Usually I'm all alone when it comes to any interest in exploration or archeology. And I just want to make sure you know I'm not studying you or anything of the sort." Luffy said he knew that. "I just had fun there, that's all."

Zoro said, "You sound like you've never had fun before." She just smiled, and they continued on their walk. After a bit, Luffy heard snoring from someone else. He said he could hear somebody sleeping. Might as well avoid that person. It would suck to be asleep and then wake up to pirates. So they walked around the noise, and the land was relatively small, so they made a whole loop.

When they got back, the others were on the ship. There really wasn't anything interesting here. "When will the pose be set?" Usopp asked.

"You've asked me three times! The answer is the same: I DON'T KNOW," Nami said in frustration and annoyance. He pulled on Usopp's nose until he gave up. Luffy wondered when the next place with a hospital would be. He was uncomfortable being without any blood bags.

"Hopefully soon. I don't think any of us like it, to be honest," Nami said. Robin got back on the ship and to the crowsnest to read in the tranquil environment. Only the sounds of sea gulls and soft sloshing noise of waves lapping at the shore. Boring it was, but also relaxing.

Then a ship came up, a very large fox figurehead. "Hmm? Who're these people?" Sanji wondered as he served Nami a chocolate parfait. They were noisy. "And here I was enjoying the peace and quiet," Sanji huffed. The pirates really were noisy. There were hundreds of them, and none smelled too nice.

"Hey, Luffy. Try and scare them away. It can be practice," Usopp snickered.

"They're not animals, though," Luffy pointed out. Nami said he'd been scary to them as well. And they didn't know what kind of guy Luffy actually was. Luffy laughed, but would try it. He jumped down, Zoro staying put but in a ready stance. The Straw Hats watched the other crew come off, and saw a very strange guy come over.

He had a long, pointed nose, a strangely shaped mouth and a split head. And weird eyebrows. What an eccentric looking guy. Luffy looked to his crew a bit away, and Chopper called for him to go all out. Luffy walked to the captain, and donned that terrifying look, eyes almost unnaturally wide, lip curled, and eyebrows sharply turned down.

"Who are you?" he asked with a growl. His crew was silent, watching and listening. The weird captain and his crew looked shocked. "What do you want?" he growled, taking a few steps forward, fingers curled as if in claws. Luffy was using a mix of traits from past enemies and opponents. And when Ace was super cranky.

He was getting a lot of inspiration by Bellamy's crazy sadistic expression. "Answer me!" he shouted sharply, making them jerk.

"Em… uh, we, uh wanted to play… a game."

"What game?!" he snapped. He didn't really like acting like this. But it drove them back onto their ship. He heard Nami telling him to drive them off. "This is my shore! Mine! You hear me?!" he shouted, biting back giggles at their expressions.

"Sorry, sir!" and they left. Luffy cracked up laughing as his crew did, too. He ran over, asked how he'd done. Sanji said they looked like they'd shit their pants. Well, Luffy hadn't smelled any sudden shit.

"Neehee! They wanted to play a game, but I spoke too soon, maybe!"

Robin was smiling pleasantly from the crowsnest. "Well, whatever game they wanted to play was probably nothing good. They looked like a weird bunch, didn't they?" Nami said, looking at the newspaper they'd gotten after leaving Sky Island. "Cowards."

Zoro pointed out she'd been intimidated before, too. "Not truly. Luffy would never harm any of us, no matter how angry he was." Luffy grinned and said he was just mimicking the people mostly from Mocktown. "I can see that being useful. Those guys were disgusting and insane."

For dinner, they were having a picnic at a really nice place. Raised higher, so they could see the ocean on all sides, since there was very little vegetation and no buildings here to obstruct the view. It was a barbeque with sake. Barely any was left, but they had some regardless. Well, Luffy didn't like most types of alcohol, so he had freshly squeezed lemonade. It was a nice time.

"That sure smells nice," a tired voice said coming up behind them, walking up the hill. He hadn't noticed anyone coming up. Damnit. He put his hat back on and asked who he was until Robin took a shaky step back.

"Robin-chan?" Sanji asked. She fell on her butt in front of the very tall man with bushy black hair and tan skin. He had a lazy face.

"Hey! You were the sleeping guy, weren't you!" Luffy demanded.

"Ah, yes, I was sleeping." Usopp demanded to know why he didn't tell them he heard somebody on the island.

"He was just sleeping, I didn't think it was a big deal!" Usopp said he should pay more attention. Zoro told him to be quiet. It wasn't his job to be the guard dog.

"Shut up! Stop arguing, this is clearly an enemy! Don't be idiots!" Nami shouted. The two quieted their arguing. "Robin, what is the problem?" Nami asked. "Luffy, scare him away!"

"You're all over reacting, I'm not going to do anything. But you've grown into a fine young woman, Nico Robin." He knew her personally? It sounded that way. "We met once." Robin was shaking, and Luffy was angry at whoever this was, scaring their friend and nakama. "Don't be so hostile, I wasn't ordered here." He laid on his side, really looking nonthreatening. He looked at Luffy in interest. "I didn't expect this to be your actual appearance. Closing your eyes in your bounty photo was a smart thing."

"It was an accident. I didn't know I was being photographed," Luffy said in a cold voice. He didn't like this man, but could tell he was a marine because he had the smell of one. And of his grandpa, faint though it may be. He had to be someone strong, then, to scare Robin. But he didn't want to reveal his senses to an enemy that was strong.

He hadn't smelled him since he avoided the snoring guy, whoever he was. Maybe that was a mistake. Their meal was ruined completely. Zoro demanded to know who he worked for. He had said he wasn't "ordered" there. Clearly someone working for somebody else. But Luffy didn't need to say he was a marine before Robin finally spoke.

"He's a marine. An admiral."

"Admiral?! That's higher than vice admiral, right?" Luffy asked. This guy was stronger than Garp?! Scary! Robin nodded.

The others were shocked, too. Worried. They were strong, but against an admiral? Only second to the fleet admiral, the strongest person in the marines. He was crazy strong, then. Should they be worried? But he said he wasn't there to cause problems for them. So, what was he doing here, then?

They hadn't seen any ship in the surrounding areas, anyways.

"There are only three people in the marines named admiral. 'Akainu the red dog', 'Aokiji the blue pheasant', and 'Kizaru the yellow monkey'. The only member ranked higher is the fleet admiral, the leader of the marines. Those three are named the ultimate assault force by the World Government, and he's one of them!"

"Ehhh?!" Chopper screamed, hiding behind Zoro's legs. Luffy watched closely. He sounded genuine. But he could be lying. It wouldn't be so odd or surprising if a marine could lie. At least, strong marines. Garp never lied, so he wasn't a good practice example. This guy definitely knew Garp.

Usopp was hiding behind Sanji, demanding to know why he was there. "A lot of pirates have bounties over 100 million, go after them, not us!" His voice and pointing finger were shaking. Sanji didn't shove him away.

"Chill, chill, I'm not even here to cause trouble. I'm only here for a walk and then a nap. No need for so much hostility," Aokiji insisted. Nami looked to Luffy. Asking if he was telling the truth. Luffy put a thumbs up, and they calmed. "Well that was easy." Luffy was paying close attention to him, very close attention. To his voice, heartbeat, his body language. Anything, he was keeping track of.

For once, he wasn't the one shouting about it. Knowing this guy was stronger than grandpa bothered him, and humbled him. Zoro still had his hand on his sword. "Why are you here then? What's the point of coming here in particular?" Aokiji finally gave his reason. He wanted to confirm that Robin was with them, now.

"I thought she would be with you -"

"Because she belongs with us," Luffy said in a sharp voice. Robin was still looking fearful, hands shaking, but she was back to standing. But all of them were in front of her for her own protection and comfort. Aokiji didn't look convinced, and just made direct eye contact with Robin.

Almost looking disappointed. "Do you have a problem with that?!" Sanji snapped.

"I'm not here to cause any confrontations. I told you I was just here to see that Nico Robin was with you to determine the overall bounty of your crew. Don't be so hostile."

"Ah, I think he's telling the truth, now. But can you go away? We're trying to eat, and now it's getting cold out and our food is going to not be good anymore."

Robin said it was probably due to his devil fruit. "Heh? Devil fruit?"

"He's made of ice. The ice ice fruit. A logia."

"Another one?! We keep running into them, and most of them are enemies!" Usopp lamented. Nami said that at least this one didn't think he was a god. Aokiji looked confused. Nami said they went to Sky Island and that was where they'd been.

"I see."

Luffy sat down to eat his food, and steal his friends' while they weren't looking. "Now isn't the time for eating, idiot!" Luffy shot back that he never wanted them to waste food, and that Aokiji was being honest. "Robin still looks scared. Make him go away!" Zoro called him childish. Why didn't he make him go away? "I'm protecting the ladies!" Sanji shot back.

Nami stomped on Luffy's hand when he went for her plate. He laughed some more, shoving food in his mouth. The crew let their guard down, trusting Luffy's instincts. And he was right. Aokiji wasn't hostile one bit. He just watched in slight confusion. "You sure do trust his thumbs up," Aokiji said, laying on his side now.

"Luffy has good instincts. Please, leave now," Usopp said stiffly. Chopper nodded frantically in agreement. Luffy shoved more meat in his mouth, and requested he leave since he was making his crew uncomfortable. And he also requested he make it not cold anymore. Robin was uncomfortable, confused and tense.

"Hellloooo? Go away now, please," Luffy said, though in a flat voice. He looked relaxed, and he was, he didn't sense any hostility from him.

"How should I say this. You and your grandfather are really alike, Luffy. Is it open minded, or absentminded?" Aokiji asked with a sigh, rubbing his head. Luffy tensed at hearing about his grandpa, even though he knew he knew him. Since he smelled like him and all. "Though your grandpa never talks about you."

Usopp said, "How rude!"

Luffy didn't have an answer. "Maybe it's looks, or something else about you. When it was found out who you are, he avoided anything having to do with you or your childhood, not that we pressed. Why is that?"

"Garp doesn't care about me at all. I'm not upset he doesn't talk about me or anything," Luffy said honestly. Aokiji frowned slightly at that, and just said, "I see." His crew was frowning. They knew Luffy's childhood a bit rough, but he never spoke about any parental figures. Maybe this was why.

But then his demeanor completely changed and Luffy sensed it. He stood up sharply, back to glaring. "Even though I only came to see Nico Robin, maybe I should just kill you all here." Usopp raged at Luffy. "He was being honest before, I swear!" Aokiji calmly said he had been telling the truth. But now he'd changed his mind. "Your captain does have good instincts. Besides recruiting her.

"You may be strong pirates, due to experiences, but no matter how strong you are, if she stays on your crew, it will only lead to your ruin. And she'll escape away, like usual. Every group this woman has affiliated herself with, always ends in ruin and death, her the only one making it out alive. You'd be better off without her." Everyone seethed at this, and stepped in front of her. "Are these people your new tools to fulfil your ambitions? You'll see soon enough. Once her curses come about another time, the cycle continues."

She had a pinched face, her lips pursed tightly. He continued to bad mouth her, his voice low and deliberate. She was growing more and more upset, demanding to know what the point of being there was. He didn't respond to her question directly, but stood up.

"But even if you disowned her right now, I still shouldn't let you leave. You're just a handful of rogues at the moment, but based on your rapid succession in strength and number, you'll only become more of a thorn in our side. Even if you've only fought against other pirates and a 'god' so far doesn't mean you'll stay that way. It would be best to take you all out early.

"Besides, now I've met the captain, and I don't think it would be safe for justice if he lives," Aokiji said simply, forming a sword of ice.

Zoro was seething, and drew his own sword. "You won't touch Luffy at all."

Luffy asked why he thought he should die. He was feeling worried. An admiral… he didn't feel he was in the right condition to fight him. If he'd had a good portion of blood that day, he would feel more confident. "There's a reason your grandpa doesn't talk about you, and it's not because he doesn't care. I'll have to ask him later. I just know there's something off about you."

Chopper encouraged him to try and scare him off. "He's an admiral, do you think Luffy's glare is gonna spook him?!" Usopp shouted.

"Everyone go," Luffy hissed. "Get the ship moving!"

Robin said, "It- it won't matter. He can just freeze the ocean and stop us."

"Then what do we do?!" Luffy demanded. Aokiji was behind him, a hand out. He dodged, moving out of the way before he moved to Robin, freezing her instantly. "ROBIN!" but Luffy was targeted again. He backed away, yelling at them to get Robin thawed and safe. "Hurry!"

"For god's sake, don't save a woman like that," Aokiji said dismissively as they hurried Robin's frozen body to the ship.

"We're not letting you fight alone!" Sanji shouted. He moved to kick Aokiji, but his leg was frozen, making him scream. Zoro slashed with his sword, but it was frozen up to his arm.

"Everyone, go! I'll fight him alone!" He turned and gave them a grin. "Don't worry! I'll be okay!" he insisted. Zoro looked terrified, but nodded, and ran, Sanji having trouble running with his leg frozen. He heard Zoro say they'd go back once they were thawed. "Believe in him, he'll be okay!" Zoro had faith in him.

He stood in front of his enemy and unleashed his gomu gomu storm, added strength, but that didn't matter, as he was touched and frozen instantly. "Ice time." He froze to the ground, and the ice was so thick that he couldn't hear or smell anything anymore. He was still alive and conscious. He tried to move, but it was ice covering all of him, thick and tough.

Luffy expected to be shattered at any second. This was scary. He was blind and deaf, all senses useless as he didn't know what was happening around him or would happen to him. He didn't die instantly, but he still didn't know what was happening. Maybe he was being taken away to the marines.

Be executed or tested on, maybe.

He finally fell unconscious, truly disconnected from everything around him.

I skipped the davy back fight because I don't really like the arc and didn't feel like writing it. Sky Island was a chore enough lol.

Chapter Text

Atermispolarbear: The fic I wrote about before, the one that also followed the plot, is done! I butchered so many arcs lol! But I skip the Davy Back fight there (though Foxy is included, just not in the fight). Split Head... ugh, hate you. 

DotNotFound: There aren't any movies. I am impressed with the fics that do do the movies because you'd have to pause and write the lines and keep up, unlike following the manga. I did want to do the fifth movie (I think) where the crew turns into some plant and leave Luffy behind. Ah! The angst! But now that Play station store isn't doing movies anymore, I don't have much access to the one piece ones. :( Omg, so Strong World is coming to my theaters soon! I want to go see it again. Wear my straw hat there like the nerd I am. 

Alright my dudes. I finished five fics in five days, so I have a lot to edit. Now it's 8 to edit. I have three crossovers I want you all to pick from. I have: Jujutsu Kaisen (30,000 words), Bleach (100,000 words) and Demon Slayer (40,000 words). They're all extremely different. So choose and I'll edit that one first. Enjoy~

When he woke up, he was on a mattress next to Robin. Both were looking ill. Chopper came over to Luffy, and gave him a bottle of what smelled like Zoro's blood. "Drink it, you'll feel better. Robin, you'll just have to wait to get better. I'm sorry." Luffy guzzled the familiar liquid, feeling it make all of him warm. The ice burns across his body faded, and he looked just fine.

"It's fine, doctor. Not all of us can heal like the captain can." He was still tired, and asked where they were.

"Still on the same island. Since you're recovered now, we were thinking about leaving tomorrow morning," Chopper explained. Luffy sat up and frowned. He asked what happened after he was frozen. "He was gone when Zoro and Sanji came back for you. You were completely frozen. What happened?"

Luffy looked down. "I didn't stand a chance. I couldn't even land one hit before he froze me. It was actually… scary. I was awake, but all of my senses were gone. I was waiting to get shattered to pieces, or wake up on a marine ship or something. He said he wanted to kill me, but then he let me live?"

Robin calmly said it was hard to tell what he was thinking sometimes. "He had a reason for letting you live. We're just lucky that he had one, and you're not dead," she said in relief. Luffy turned to her and made direct eye contact.

"I trust you. We trust you. Remember that, 'kay?" Luffy asked. She smiled and thanked him.

He walked out, and everyone cheered at him being back in action. "I'm not frozen anymore!" Luffy said proudly. "Ah, that sucked! Ahahaha!" Zoro walked up to him and hugged him tightly. He wrapped his arms around him, too. "I'm sorry to scare everybody. I'm surprised I'm still here. But happy! And I want to set sail now."

Nami didn't protest, perfectly fine leaving the island after the two day log pose set. For such a boring, empty island, a lot of stuff happened there.

-x-

Luffy ran through a long hallway, hearing the cries of his crew at the end of it. All of the hallways were black, like it didn't matter how it looked, it just had to be dark. He heard the shouts of all of his crew, crying for his help.

When he blew open the door, hurrying in, he was suddenly sucked up into a net of seastone, only it didn't bring out the reaction from Alabasta's cage. Instead, it made him weak and limp. He looked around, and saw the screams were only tone dials. Recording his friends. He was alone in the room until Aokiji and two other faceless figures came out.

"Your friends aren't coming for you, monster. They're better off living normal lives. Being affiliated with something like you will never be good."

"Luffy?" He opened his eyes, seeing a concerned Zoro below him on the couch. "Are you okay?" Luffy realized he was crying. He was surprised but nodded. The captain wiped his eyes, just saying he had a bad dream. He didn't want to talk about it. He didn't fall asleep again, though. Zoro did.

In the morning, Luffy was quiet. The room was quiet. Awkward. Luffy finally broke the silence. "Does my stuff ever bother you guys? Do you ever wish I was normal?" he asked. He rarely showed insecurity openly. They were all quiet for a moment before many nodded. It hurt.

"I'd be happy to have you not need blood. Because of how sick going without it makes you," Nami said. "Did you think I didn't want you needing blood because it was freaky?" she asked with a smile. "If that's what you think you'll get, you'll be sorely disappointed."

"I feel the same. Merely out of worry, I wish you didn't require drinking blood," Chopper said. "It doesn't scare me or bother me like that."

The others nodded. He asked Zoro. "As much as it feels good, and I like being your lifeline, I would be just as happy if you didn't need it. You didn't need to worry about going without it." Robin said they were all monsters in their own ways. She looked very understanding to him, as did everyone else. He was surprised by the reactions, but really, he shouldn't be. He was in a much better mood the rest of the day, and took a much needed nap.

Luffy looked at himself in the mirror, lifting his shirt and looking at all the marks. He took his hat off, showing all of the differences. He ran his fingers through the white patches in his hair, saw the large portion of the roots that were white. He worried the hat in his fingers and then put it back on.

He wondered if the Pirate King ever felt these feelings about himself. Had they been in the same boat about this too? He looked at his wide, dark red eyes. The people on the Grand Line that he'd come across didn't seem surprised with his eyes. That was nice. He took the arm sash off, and pressed down on the puncture point, but nothing happened.

Leaving the bathroom, he went to the infirmary, and the vial in the cupboard that carried the blood stone. He didn't take it out of the glass, and heard Robin coming over before she walked in. "Oh, Luffy," she said in surprise. "I came to look at that, too, actually."

"Why?" Luffy wondered.

"Looking at it reminds me that there are all sorts of wonders out there that I wouldn't expect to see," she said simply, sitting on the mattress. He handed it to her. When asked, she told him she'd never opened it before. Never taken it out of the flask. "I'm not going to risk anything happening."

Luffy nodded, and brought both knees onto the bed. "Are you okay?" Robin sounded a bit awkward, maybe not good about emotional stuff with people like Nami was. Luffy nodded, but admitted he just worried what he was would bite them all in the butt someday. "I see. Well, you can't do anything about being what you are, right?"

"Like you can't do anything about your past, right?" he asked suddenly. "I'm not gonna press, but you do belong here." He gave a bright smile and left before she had to respond. Nami was at the door, and looked at him with a smile.

"Who knew you could do emotional comfort like that?"

"Shishishi, Ace needed it a lot, too," Luffy admitted. He walked out and requested something sweet from Sanji, who said he still had some Zoro blood pudding. It was getting old, but it was still good. "Yay!" he said and ran inside to eat the food only he could have. Nobody would ever steal it, even on accident.

When he exited the galley, he was in a great mood, his friends eating a potato dish from Sanji. He walked to Zoro and kissed him out of nowhere. Zoro was surprised but not bothered and kissed him back, threading his fingers into Luffy's soft hair. "What was that for?" Zoro asked curiously afterwards.

"I love you, why else?" Zoro blushed but smiled and returned the sentiment. Luffy heard Nami cooing, Robin watching with a soft smile, and the boys completely ignoring it very well. Luffy heard the noise before smelling or seeing, and turned to see a giant frog swimming freestyle in one direction. "A frog swimming freestyle!" he shouted, pointing. They thought he was being stupid before they saw it too. "Follow it! Get out the paddles now!"

So they did, Luffy planning on catching and barbecuing it. It would serve a lot of food, which they needed. It would be best to get somewhere soon. Both for food and supplies, as well as some blood bags. If something happened to Zoro, one of the others would have to step in and nobody wanted that.

Robin openly offered to help if Zoro is ever out of action again, which Luffy was grateful for. Sanji hated it, but didn't argue when Nami told him it would be to keep Luffy alive! Nami was using the binoculars while Luffy was distracted by the rowing when she saw a light house. "There's a light house over there! But it's in the middle of nowhere!" she called. "There's nothing around it to point to," she added in confusion.

The frog was going in that direction anyways, so they followed as fast as they could while Sanji planned on how to cook it. Luffy never knew Sanji cooked and ate a giant frog. Zoro called him disgusting. "Shut it!"

Luffy heard a loud noise when they got closer to the frog, coming closer fast. The others easily heard it as well, but nobody recognized the sound at all. They caught up to the frog that jumped, but the thing that made the noise was barreling toward them, spewing smoke from the top. They screamed, and barely slammed the paddles down so they moved the few meters away to not get hit by whatever the noisy, big and fast thing was.

"Waaaah!" they screamed as it zoomed past them, the wind whipping their hair around it was going so fast. It would have destroyed the Merry if that thing hit it. Like a bullet or canon but huge. Then the frog jumped in front of the thing, and Luffy and Chopper called for it to be careful. But it was hit, and the thing didn't stop at all, until it passed, the noise fading quickly as it left at a ridiculously fast speed.

While they were still in shock, Luffy couldn't smell people due to the lingering scent of that thick smoke coming out of the thing, and they heard and saw a child calling for somebody about pirates being there. Who came out was an old drunk woman with green hair and a clueless expression.

The crew and the two people, a child named Chimney, the old drunk lady named Kokoro and a bunny thing, ended up eating together. They seemed friendly enough, though Kokoro reeked of alcohol.

She gave a bottle to Zoro, who'd been craving booze for days. He happily drank it all, in a good mood after it. "I'm Luffy, I'm going to be the Pirate King," Luffy said bluntly, Chimney believing him fully. Nami asked curiously about the ship they just barely survived passing.

"It was steam powered, right? Then how is it on the sea? That should be impossible," Nami said, drinking some tea. Robin was on the ship drinking some black coffee. Kokoro then explained the sea train. How it runs on a railroad floating on the water. It stopped in multiple places in the area.

The log pose was pointing in the direction of what they needed badly: Water 7, a shipbuilding island with top notch shipwrights. They could totally save the Merry! And they had to have more than enough money for it! They wound find out later. And finally a place with a city! "They have hospitals there, right?" Luffy asked.

"Of course! What, you hurt?"

"Just for precautions on our journey," Sanji lied easily.

"Well, they definitely have hospitals," Kokoro. For someone completely smashed, she could hold conversations well. Maybe she was like Zoro and didn't get drunk or tipsy easily. Luffy went to him, and he wrapped his arms around Luffy's waist, chest to back, without a word.

They finally were going to find a shipwright to fix the Going Merry and come with them! A new member would be joining soon, for sure.

They were given a map and letter of recommendation from Kokoro to give to the shipwrights. It was near, so it wouldn't take long to get there. "It's pretty big, so don't get lost. It takes a week for the log pose to set, so you have more than enough time to play around. If we meet again there, I'll take you to the best bar!" Luffy hoped to see her again; she was funny! Luffy cheered as they were setting off, and thanked the grandma and granddaughter, setting off towards Water 7. A new adventure awaited. Hopefully ending in a perfectly fixed Going Merry.

While they were on their way, they planned on what to do. Sanji wanted to find a shipwright. But would end up finding a hot lady. Luffy argued about finding a shipwright five meters tall. And an awesome one, even though he wouldn't fit on the ship. Nami and Robin were on the lawn chairs, Nami sunbathing and Robin reading, unsurprisingly.

They just needed a skilled shipwright, appearance and gender aside. One that would join a bunch of pirates. The map Kokoro gave them was useless. She was drunk when she made it, though.

When they came into hearing range of the island, Luffy went inside with Zoro and got a good amount of blood. Just about where Zoro would need him to stop. So, he was set for at most three days with that if he didn't do any strenuous work, much less if there was a lot of fighting or something. He didn't see why he would here, but better to be prepared. Better safe than sorry.

"Hmmm, there's a lot of people!" Luffy said from the crowsnest, smelling deeply. "Lots of smelly stuff, too, though." But when it came into view, it was hard to imagine the pristine and gorgeous island smelled bad. There was a massive fountain in the middle, the biggest thing on the island. There were so many sounds coming from it. He could deal with the bad smell; he'd lived near Gray Terminal after all.

They got closer, all amazed and excited. "That's so awesome!" they all said when it was right in front of them. Luffy was in Zoro's hold. He was nuzzling his smaller boyfriend's shoulder. Robin was smiling at them. She smiled at them a lot, in a different way than Nami. Nami thought they were adorable, while Robin thought they were endearing, maybe.

"We have to search for books about me, right?" Luffy asked the archeologist. She nodded. Chopper wanted to come along, too, to buy books for himself.

"First, we have to trade in all our treasure for paper money. You can't buy a ship using jewels and gold bracelets," she said simply. They sailed to a station that was clearly not for ships. So where were the docks? They didn't see any other ships over there, so it had to be somewhere else. They heard someone calling to them from the side.

"Hey! You there! Pirates can't go in that way! Go from the back!"

"Thank you!" They steered the ship to travel around the circumference of the island until they were at the back. It wasn't an actual dock, though. An outcrop of land after more people explained where they should go after they stated their purpose there: to have their ship repaired. When they got to the place, they dropped the anchor. Zoro leaned against the mast, and it snapped in half.

"Ah! Zoro!" Usopp shouted.

"I barely touched it!" Zoro said defensively, trying to keep it on by pushing it back into place. Nami asked why they were helped to get there while Zoro did his best to keep it up. Luffy wrapped a rope around it and tied it to the railing to prop it up. It was a rare undamaged part of the railing, so it didn't break.

"Probably because we're just here to repair the Merry. Or they have strong guys here to fight pirates off, so they're not concerned about it," Robin hypothesized. Sanji agreed, there were no doubt strong people here. Luffy was excited to have a strong new nakama. Nami said she wanted another girl.

"No offense, Robin."

"None taken," she replied with an easy smile. Usopp and Luffy were going with Nami to get the gold exchanged, and then to see Iceberg in the shipyard to give him Kokoro's letter. Luffy excitedly agreed to do this. But he and Zoro got to go out together later. "Once the money is exchanged, no problem," she said.

They were going straight to exchange it all. Luffy was rolling a large cart behind him with all the bags of gold and jewels and other goods. "Why can't we go to the shipyard first?" Luffy asked, grinning as they headed into the mystery city with all sorts of sounds and smells.

"We can't carry around so much gold for too long," Usopp said. "We could get robbed. Oh, I'm getting nervous already!" he said.

"Well, Luffy will protect us. He's all filled up with blood." Luffy nodded. He was in perfect shape. Felt wonderful. Well rested, fed with normal food and blood. He was in tip top shape for this island. And he was also really happy and excited, so that helped, too. "But, I agree. And once we exchange the money, Usopp and I will carry them while Luffy protects us and doesn't lose the money."

Luffy said, "Shishishi! I'll protect you good!" proudly. "I wonder how much we'll get, and how much repairing the Merry would be?"

Nami commented, "Well, it'll be a major remodel. Replacing a lot of the ship will possibly change her appearance. A new mast, new railings, fixing the sides and bottom of the ship. It'll be like a complex and huge surgery. But she'll still be our Going Merry. We just have to prepare for her to need a lot of work," she explained.

Luffy and Usopp were fine as long as she was fixed and in good shape again. They'd been through so much with her so far.

They came across a problem early on. The way to travel through the city was by a water bull. A yagara that would carry them around the waterways. This was a problem, as the moment they got to the pen with them, they swam to the far corner, away from Luffy in fear. "Is there any other way to get around?" Nami asked, Luffy frowning.

"No, this is the only way. Do you have something that smells bad? They react badly to certain smells." Usopp said Luffy just wasn't good with animals. "Well, if you go in, you could probably find one that would be fine, go ahead inside and look."

"'Kay," Luffy said. He went into the pen area, and crouched by the water. "I'm not gonna hurt you. Be brave and come with us! It'll be fun, and you won't get hurt at all. I'm a devil fruit user, I can't swim. If I hurt you, you can dump me in the water!" Luffy said honestly, a bright grin on and a sincere voice.

One was brave and came forward. "Good boy!" He went out laughing, saying it was a success. Nami and Usopp let out a relieved sigh. It would have been a problem if they all refused them service because of Luffy. Not that he could help it. Not when he wasn't purposely being scary. One other came out, but it wasn't the one Luffy would be on.

The yagaras were creatures that lived in the water and were happy to help people get around. They couldn't go long distances, from island to island, but they were perfect to be there. Water 7 was mostly water ways. It had always been that way as long as the people could remember. He was very proud of his city.

"It's super neat here," Luffy agreed.

"Do you use them to pull the boats?"

"No, the boat is latched onto their backs. Like horses on land with carriages. Now, come in, they're ready for you in here." He put the boats on the two backs, and Luffy got in one with the gold behind him and Nami and Usopp in the other. When Luffy made to pat its head, it reared away.

So, it was putting up with him at the bare minimum, it seemed. He frowned, but didn't try to touch him again. The one that was carrying Nami and usopp was really happy and seemed to be smiling. Luffy crossed his arms and pouted immaturely. "It's the price to pay for being awesome," Nami said simply.

"Still. It's annoying that they're all scared of me. I'm not even scary!"

"At least Chopper isn't afraid." Luffy nodded, knowing it would be terrible if he was scared. He probably wouldn't have come with them if he was, though. He genuinely trusted and cared about Luffy, which was a relief. And Carue had gotten used to him. Maybe this yagara would get used to him, too. Well, they would see. "He can carry the bag, too, right?" Nami wondered, looking and remembering how heavy it had been for them. The man said they were strong, and wondered what was in the bag.

"Gold!" He didn't believe him, and Nami scolded him for saying that. "Shishishi, okay, sorry!" Luffy laughed. They got some helpful information from him about where it was best to trade their large amount of gold. Not anywhere near, but there was one in the city center that had enough cash to exchange.

"Thank you!" Nami said, and she and Usopp got into their yagara's carriage. "Thanks for the map!" Nmi called, and they went on their ways through the many canals that ran through the whole city. It was so awesome, and Luffy wondered if devil fruit users worked here. They were more likely to drown, right?

It was fun riding the yagara, and it was very helpful to go around the city. "These are awesome! I wish we could keep one!" Luffy exclaimed. Nami said they had nowhere to keep them. "Still, it would be awesome!"

"They would also be eaten by sea kings," Usopp added. Luffy told them to not ruin his fun, making both others laugh. They eventually entered the residential areas, with more water roads. Did they walk anywhere? Well, they did, but were the yagaras used more? It was so interesting! But the yagaras they passed swam a good distance around Luffy's yagara, but did not flee in the other direction.

They just quieted when Luffy was taken by. Brave creatures, to be honest. Nami and Usopp's yagara didn't act afraid of Luffy as much as he did in the beginning. And the one he was riding on wasn't so nervous as well. It wasn't like Luffy acted how he felt to animals. They rode uphill, Nami insisted they were going the wrong way, but they went to where they aimed. The yagaras lead them up a shortcut.

"They're so smart!" Nami said in awe. Yagaras were plentiful in the market area, tons of shops and vendors. They all smelled delicious.

"Nami… food? They all smell so good!" Luffy said, breathing deeply. Usopp said even he could smell it. They should definitely get some food later with their money. The navigator was fine with this, planning on eating as well. Luffy then realized something. He could smell everyone, and there were a lot of people here.

Like how it was in Alabasta, the smells made it hard to pick out a certain scent. "What's wrong?" Nami asked, seeing Luffy's face turn blank.

"It's kind of hard to separate smells here," Luffy said. Nami asked if it was because of how many people there were. "Yeah. Tens of thousands of people maybe? I've never been somewhere with this many people in one place. Alabasta was easier because the space was bigger. Well, hopefully I won't need it."

"Can you track our scents?"

Luffy replied, "It's easier to smell those at the ship. They don't have the smell of others on them. All of us have the smells of the yagaras and all the people we've passed." Usopp and Nami didn't like this, but they just weren't going to part. They came across a really big yagara. It didn't really look like the ones they were using, but it was still used for transportation.

"Wow! It looks like it can eat us!" Luffy exclaimed. It wasn't afraid of him, maybe didn't even notice him in the crowd. It had a big carriage on it with people wearing masks. Maybe a parade or something.

"Looking closer, a lot of people are wearing masks," Nami said while Luffy zoomed to a stand that the yagara took him to. Water meat was a favorite by yagaras, but was made for humans. So the yagara wanted some to eat. He bought ten of them to feed to his yagara, who seemed to not dislike him at all anymore. Yay! Progress!

Luffy tried one of them, and it melted in his mouth. "So good!" Luffy called, Usopp told Nami to take them to the shop, he wanted to try some meat, too. Luffy just gave him some of his for once, feeling bad for him for Nami being in control of the yagara, so she didn't take him to get his own meat.

"Luffy! So kind!" Usopp cried, making the captain laugh. "So good, though!" Luffy agreed. Nami didn't have any, following the map to where they needed to be. They had to go up an elevator with water, which was super cool. Going inside, it was poured with water that lifted them up to the next level. All of the yagaras in there with them were pressed to the side while Luffy was in the middle.

"This is so fun!"

"Water 7 is amazing, only powered by water!" Usopp said he would hate to be a devil fruit user here. "Good point. We'll have to warn Chopper and Robin if they haven't already entered town."

"She better not go book shopping without me!"

"Never thought I'd hear Luffy say those words," Usopp muttered. Of course Luffy heard it and called him a jerk. He was plenty smart. "In fighting, I very much agree." Luffy grinned, not catching on that it was still a light insult.

When they got to the top and let out, the other yagaras fled the area. Luffy's yagara raised its head almost in pride. For dealing with Luffy while the rest fled. "You're a really brave yagara!" he praised happily. "Ni!" it said happily. Then he looked up and saw the shipyard level. It was huge! So many buildings, and a lot of them were in dry areas. They could walk around, then!

It was huge, and Luffy could hear the sounds of metal hitting metal, wood being sawed. It sounded like him building his treehouse with his brothers, using wood and metal sheeting to secure it to the tree. He grinned at the memory. When they reached the ground, where waterways weren't, they got off of the yagaras. They were going to stay and wait for the pirates to come back.

Luffy rubbed the head of his in praise, and then picked up the bag of treasure and went to the sounds, Nami and Usopp following. There was a large crowd near the sounds he heard, the sounds of hard work and building stuff. He asked someone what happened.

"Just a group of pirates causing some trouble. But they were taken out by the shipwrights, like usual. They never learn." Luffy wondered if they were strong. "Very! They're the pride of Water 7. The Galley-La Company is the backbone of Water 7, and protects us from pirates. Are you a sailor?" the guy asked in a friendly voice. Luffy nodded. "Better not mess around, they won't hold back."

"Shishishi! We wouldn't ever hurt people who will help fix our broken ship!" he said in a cheerful voice. "But it all sounds so interesting." Nami took him to the nearby exchange shop, and they had the gold and treasure surveyed.

"This is a very good haul! I'd say it's worth about 100 million berriess!" Usopp was amazed, while Nami asked Luffy if he was lying. Usopp accused her of taking him just for this, but she ignored it.

Luffy said, "Yeah, he's lying," in a simple voice. The guy blanched, and looked like he was going to pull their gold towards him. Luffy couldn't see them getting more money than 100 million. That was a lot! Could totally be enough to fix and upgrade the Merry! Get cool additions. Oh, he was so excited.

"I thought so." She slammed her foot on the table, and gave him a terrifying smile. "I have three things to tell you, Mr. Appraiser. First, this guy has a 100 million bounty on his head. Second, your offer is nowhere good enough, and third, if you lie again, we'll cut off your head," she said confidently, in a sweet voice, but dark and serious at the same time. A totally good threatening demeanor. It even had Luffy and Usopp sweating.

Soon, they had 300 million berries in paper money! Amazing! They were totally rich! "Finally, we can use our money from Sky Island! Luffy, your senses will save us every time!" she cheered, tossing wads of money in the air like she wanted to shower in it.

They left the disappointed and still frightened appraiser with their money in three cases. One was being carried by each person. Usopp was afraid of having his stolen, so he was walking right up against Luffy's arm that wasn't swinging the case back and forth happily. "Nami's look was super scary! Shishishi!"

"I was sure he was lying even without you confirming it. Plus, I just wanted a lot more," Nami said with a grin. "Should we head to the shipyard now?" Luffy nodded, excited to meet the strong shipwrights. He could hear them working a lot, building things. "So, you can hear better than smell here?" she wondered. Usopp was still looking around, worried.

He nodded. "Things echo here a lot. I can hear things close enough. I think Zoro got in a fight some time ago. He's noisy when he says his attacks, shishishi." Nami put her hand to her face and asked if he was still on the ship. "Don't know. I don't think he'd leave, though. I can hear Chopper talking to Robin. Hey! Traitor! She was supposed to wait for me!" he said angrily.

"No use in getting mad now, we have a task to do, don't we? One more important thing than book shopping at the moment," Nami said casually. Luffy was swinging the case too much, and it flew out of his grasp and to the canal. Nami and Usopp both jumped into the water to save it before Luffy stretched out his arm and caught it back.

"Phew, that was close!" he said with a laugh. He was then beaten up in the face. "I'm sorry," he said. Then they headed to the shipyard. His yagara even seemed happy to see him, which was nice.

Chapter Text

DotNotFound: I saw a really good AMV about that movie. It was so haunting. Yeah, I don't know where I would have put it. Some of those memory fics where the straw hats go through Luffy's memory have the movies and fit them in, but I just honestly didn't have the patience to put one in there lol. I finished another story that follows the plot (kind of/mostly) where Luffy is part dragon, and I also didn't put the movie in there. Not that I could if I wanted to and all. Yeah, that Yagara must feel badass haha. Got bragging rights to all the others. 

Artemispolarbear: I never knew how much I liked writing cute animals until my newest fic where there's a baby dragon oc (if you count an baby animal an oc). 

When they got back, the crowd had dispersed. "Ooh, the crowd is gone now," Luffy said, Usopp and Nami were holding the cases now.

"First let's find that guy, Iceberg." Usopp wondered if it was okay to walk in without permission. That wasn't a problem for Luffy, and he said, "Excuse me!" as he tried to climb the fence, only to be stopped by somebody, telling him they'd talk outside of the shipyard. Then he looked up, and all three were shocked speechless.

His face looked like Usopp! Only his now was more square. Wow! "Hi, Usopp!" He was smacked by the real Usopp. The guy asked what they were there for. He seemed like a nice guy already. Nami got over her shock and told him they were looking for Iceberg. She handed him the letter, and he recognized who it was from by the writing alone. Maybe because it was messy from her being drunk?

"Hey, how old are you?" Luffy asked.

"23."

"Heh, you sound a lot older," Luffy said bluntly. Kaku, as his name was, laughed and said he got that a lot.

"So, you know Iceberg? Who is he?" Nami wondered.

"How can I not? He's Water 7's mayor," Kaku said. "He's also head of the Galley-La Company, and oversees the sea train. He's very important to the city. He's also a very busy person, though. You just wanted your ship repaired, right?" the shipwright asked. When they nodded, he asked where the ship was, and said he'd be back soon.

Doing this promptly would make talking to Iceberg faster, and they could start negotiating prices. "Are you going on the yagara?" Nami asked. Kaku just chuckled.

"If I did that, it'd take way too long. I'll be back in ten minutes." And then he sprinted off at an amazing pace, and jumped off of the cliff. Luffy was in awe, and said he was cool. "But that was a cliff!" Nami shouted. "Why'd he do that?!"

"Now he's dead and can't look at the Merry!" Usopp lamented.

"Well, there are probably other shipwrights," Nami said, getting over it quickly. Luffy turned when he heard someone coming over. It was a guy with blue hair and tan skin. Very tall. He told them not to worry, he was fine. That was the usual.

"People call him the 'mountain wind'. He's the chief mechanic of dock #1 of the Galley-La Company, Kaku. Don't underestimate our men. They have to be strong, not average in physique. He'll be fine, this is how we work. Quick and high quality. Kalifa?" Iceberg asked casually.

The woman accompanying him, maybe a secretary? Or a butler? A girl butler? So a maid? Heh… "Investigation complete." Then she explained all about their crew. Those with the bounties, how many are on their ship, and where they came from. She knew everything.

"Hey, you're actually pretty smart, huh?" Kalifa glared at him, and Nami hurried to say he meant no offense. He was just stupid. Luffy laughed about it.

Iceberg complimented them for getting this far all the way from the East Blue. Then he introduced a mouse he kept in his pocket. "This is a mouse I recently adopted. His name is Tyrannosaurus. Please get him some food and a cage," he added to Kalifa. Was he talking to her the whole time?

Luffy said, "That's a good name! What a brave mouse!" It wasn't shying away from him. "Animals don't really like me much." Iceberg looked at the mouse in his pocket fondly, proudly. It was funny. He wondered why Luffy scared them off.

Nami said it was probably his stupidity, and Usopp nodded. Luffy wasn't bothered and didn't say anything else. Then Iceberg's serene and composed look cracked when Kalifa listed everything he needed to do that day. Being a mayor didn't seem very fun at all. "I don't want to!" Kalifa instantly canceled all of them.

Luffy said he wasn't very dependable if he did that. "Like you're one to talk!" Nami said, yanking on his ear. But she agreed, and Usopp nodded. Kalifa made to kick them, but Luffy could hear the sounds of her getting ready to attack, and ducked under her fast hit, which landed on Nami and Usopp. "You jerk why didn't you move us!"

"Ah, sorry!"

"Ill mannered brats! Don't you dare speak to Iceberg that way!" Then she calmed. "Ah, I'm sorry. I lost my cool back there." As if nothing happened. "Iceberg san is the hero of this city, please speak to him with respect."

"Shishishi, you're scary, huh?" Nami told him to shut up and stop causing problems. Iceberg requested he not anger Kalifa. Luffy didn't speak again when Nami gave him a death glare. She really was scary, wasn't she. It seemed Usopp felt the same.

Nami had them move on, and gave the mayor the letter from Kokoro. After reading it, he tore it up. They took it the wrong way, and begged him to fix their ship, they had money. But Iceberg hadn't torn it up as a no for fixing their ship. Kaku was already checking it out. He just didn't need the letter, which was a relief.

"Since I'm bored today, I'll show you around as we wait," Iceberg offered in a friendly voice, even though he was only not having anything to do because he cancelled all of his appointments. They followed him in, and Luffy asked if he could see the mouse again. He was denied holding it, but Iceberg brought it out on his hand, and it sniffed Luffy.

He was so happy an animal wasn't scared of him like that. He wondered why but didn't ask. Nobody would know, after all. "What a cool mouse," Luffy said. Then he heard people coming up from behind in their yagaras. Luffy turned before anyone noticed, and shot his arms out to take them back from the yagaras.

"Stay away from our money!" Luffy called. Nobody noticed this was a situation before the money was back. Nami ran at them, threatening death before they angrily left. "Who was that?" Luffy wondered.

Nami and Usopp thanked him for saving their money. "It's my money too, you know?" he replied with a grin. Now they had the cases with them, holding onto them. It was reckless to leave them on the yagaras, wasn't it? Nami asked who they were.

"The Franky Family. Thugs and also demolitionists. It's lucky you got the money back. They would have taken and spent it quickly." Luffy listened to them, and heard the same weapon he had with Zoro's fight.

Luffy turned to them. "I think those are the guys that fought Zoro," he said simply. Nami sighed. "Well, he probably wasn't the one to attack them right?" he asked, lightly defending his boyfriend.

"I guess. They better not have damaged the Merry more!" she said angrily. "Stupid thugs! Ugh!" Kalifa asked what they were talking about. Nami spoke, saying their swordsman was back on the ship, and they thought he got in a fight. "How do you know?"

Luffy proudly said he heard it from a bit ago. "That's quite interesting. So, you can eavesdrop on people, then?"

"Not really. I don't listen on purpose or anything when people are talking, not with me. I just heard them come up behind us, so that's why I took the money cases." Usopp said he saved their necks a lot with that. "And your city smells weird, but the way. Like food and trash." Nami told him not to be rude.

Iceberg said there were slums there, so some parts of it wouldn't smell the best. "Oh, okay." He then reminded the three he was going to show them around. They entered the shipyard, carrying the cases inside. They met the shipwrights. One guy with a thick cigar was named Paulie, who repaired masts and was short on money. Then there was Rob Lucci, who specialized in sawing and bolting. They all had their own specialized tasks.

It seemed Lucci didn't speak, his pigeon did so for him, and it flew away when Luffy came near. Iceberg said that would be a problem. Without the pigeon, Lucci was mute. "Tyrannosaurus really is brave, isn't he? But I don't understand what's so scary about you."

"I don't think I'm scary, either," Luffy said. "Well, he should get used to it when I'm not mean to him, like the yagara I was riding did." The pigeon did fly back, and Luffy introduced himself, and said he wasn't so scary. He wasn't wearing his sash right now, having forgotten it. Paulie came into the conversation and asked if he got a tattoo.

Nami said they spent too much money on it. "It doesn't even look good." Luffy knew she was lying, and stuck his tongue out at her. Then he was asked about his eyes.

"Most people in the Grand Line don't really care about them most of the time. There are lots of weird people in this sea, aren't there? Shishishi!" Iceberg said that was true. The pigeon called Paulie a coward for not liking his eyes. Then they got in a fight, the blonde one seeming to use ropes to attack. It was not a devil fruit, but still cool!

He wrapped it around Lucci's arm and yanked him over his head to slam him into the ground, but Lucci stopped the attack by landing on one sturdy hand, his fingers dug into the ground! Luffy was impressed. But he said, "Hey, rope guy! What was that for! It was the pigeon insulting you!" Luffy said.

"He hit me first," Paulie said conversationally, puffing out some of his smoke.

"Only because the pigeon couldn't, so the guy did for him!" Usopp asked why he was defending him so much. "He has a talking pigeon!" Luffy said, pointing at it.

"And we have a talking reindeer. It's not that surprising," Nami said. "Can we continue our tour, Iceberg-san?" she asked. But Luffy was angry at the pigeon. If he was going to talk smack, he should fight on his own! Nami grabbed his ear and yanked. "It doesn't matter! Neither is clearly really angry! Just leave it alone, stupid!"

Those around called her scary, and she raged at all of them, making Luffy laugh. Lucci's pigeon introduced themselves. Lucci and Hatori. How was it talking like a person? It wasn't a parrot, right? Nami said it was a ventriloquist, which Luffy had no clue of what it was, but the pigeon said that wasn't what it was, but gave them no explanation anyways.

Iceberg told them to stop fighting and get back to work. Then Paulie looked at Nami, and scolded her for wearing such a short skirt around a factor with only men. Then he scolded the secretary for the same reason, earning a kick to the head. "See! You even lifted your leg! What are you thinking?! Are you guys teasing us?!"

"Shut up!" Nami said. "I can wear what I want! Besides, I have these two to help me if any trouble comes up!" she added, holding both of them by the shoulders. Usopp sighed, and Luffy just wondered if they could see inside. "Why are you the one acting calm now?"

"Because you're the one acting crazy right now," Usopp said casually. Luffy giggled. They entered, and saw just how huge this place was! It was massive, with such huge tools and equipment. It was amazing! Luffy was in awe, and had trouble not running around to look at everything closer. It was full of strong looking guys, working hard.

They definitely had to find a shipwright here. There was no other choice. Iceberg said all of the men had to be strong and capable, their weird personalities didn't matter. "What if one was super weird?" Luffy wondered.

"If they can help here, that would be fine, still," Iceberg said.

"What if they, like, ate everything?" Nami told him to stop asking stupid questions. The others thought he was a weirdo, too. Iceberg led them through the shipyard, telling them to not let go of their money even when there weren't thugs around.

Luffy and Usopp both had trouble not wandering off, asking who the galleon was being made for, how they got the machinery here since it was so big, how many people worked and what they were like. "Luffy, let him answer one question and then ask the next," Nami asked like she was talking to a child.

He didn't listen. "Hey, did you ever work for the Pirate King?" Luffy wondered.

"His ship, the Oro Jackson, was built by the best shipwright ever. So, yes, he created the Pirate King's ship," Iceberg said. "Though I was not mayor back then. It was long ago, after all."

Luffy beamed. Now they were even more alike! Working on their ships here. They both went to Sky Island, too. And they were both the weird ones, the ones not like those on Sky Island. He looked down on his arm, wondering if anything like this happened to him, too. Paulie asked if he liked the Pirate King. "Yeah, I'm gonna be the next one," he stated confidently.

"Lofty dreams you got there," Paulie said. Luffy said he'd do it anyways, no matter what! Everyone around clearly adored the mayor, greeting him happily. Luffy asked why he was so popular. "I helped fix up Water 7 with the sea train, and then I do my best to be a good leader and mayor."

Kalifa added, "He gets respect due to his skills as a shipwright himself. Skill is everything here." Luffy asked what happened if someone could do nothing. "Then they aren't a worker here," she said shortly, adjusting her glasses. Luffy didn't really like her. She was really uptight. "But there's nobody who can replace him in skill or leadership, so everyone in town respects him highly."

"Heh, that's cool," Luffy said. He walked up to Iceberg and patted him on the shoulder. "Hey, everyone seems to like you! Come be my shipwright on my crew, it'll be fun!"

"What did you say?!"

"I'll mannered brat!" Iceberg was unbothered and asked if he didn't have one on his ship yet.

"Nope!"

"Well, there are a lot of shipwrights here, though you'll have trouble turning one into a pirate. But if you do find one that's willing, I don't mind if you take them."

"Heh, I thought you liked them all but now you wanna get rid of them?" Nami sighed in exasperation. "Well, that's lucky for us!" he said, making a 180. "I like you, and your mouse, so you should definitely come."

"I won't, but thank you for the offer," the mayor said politely. Luffy wandered to a huge cannon and looked inside, calling out, "hello!" and making it echo. But it reeked of gunpowder and he sneezed at it. Nami was patient and didn't yell at him, looking at everything in awe herself. She asked how long it took to make a ship.

Paulie answered, saying it depended on the size, and how much they were tipped on it. "We try to work fast, though. Nobody wants pirates here for long, after all," he added. Iceberg then asked if they had Nico Robin on their ship.

"Yeah! She's really smart. We were supposed to go looking for books together, but she went without me," he said in irritation. "Though it's pretty interesting being here, so I can't be too mad. Shishishi."

"Do you ever get tired of his overwhelming personality?" Kalifa asked Nami.

"Of course. But I'm used to it enough to not want to kill him," she said honestly. Luffy wasn't bothered. Then their attention was taken by Kakau's return. He looked kind of sad. Maybe he was tired after jumping off roofs. Luffy said he was the one who went to check on the Merry, looking forward to having an answer on what they needed to do to fix it.

Kaku said since Iceberg was there, he could talk now. Kaku sat down on a pile of logs. Luffy said they had lots of money to pay if the repairs cost a lot. "If possibly, make it strong and cool with lots of cannons. And can you remodel a kitchen? Sanji wants a better one, too." Nami asked for remodeled rooms, wanting some nice decorations as well. From what they'd seen of the shipyard, it seemed they could do anything to the Merry.

Kaku said, "Allow me to speak frankly, but your ship suffered significant damage. Your trip here must have been very eventful."

"It sure was! We climbed a mountain and went into the sky. And then we got lots of attacks from marines, and a monkey tore up our ship. Also, a guy ate half of our railing. Then the ship caught on fire and the mast broke off twice. So lots to repair, but we knew that. You can fix it though!" Nami asked if it would take a long time to do the amount of damage.

"No. The truth is, even we can't repair your ship," Kaku said, Luffy and Nami's faces falling immediately. "Even if we patch it up as good as we can, the odds of her making it to the next island is zero."

Nami said, "But we've been sailing perfectly fine the whole time!" Luffy didn't say a word. He wanted to hear more before he made a reaction. Paulie asked if something was wrong with the keel, and Kaku nodded.

"It is severely damaged. The problem isn't how much it would cost, or how much work it would require. The ship can't be repaired no matter what we try to do. It's already a miracle that you sailed safely this far with your ship in such a condition. I'm honestly really impressed with that."

"But, what's wrong with her?!" Nami demanded. Luffy stayed quiet. He knew they were telling the truth completely.

Paulie asked if she knew what a keel was. When she only knew it was the bottom part of the ship, he explained that the keel was the spine of the ship. What held it all together. "The most important part, actually. If it is damaged or broken, it dooms the entire ship. And the keel can't be replaced. It's what the ship started out on, so hypothetically, to fix it, you'd need to take apart the entire ship and start from scrap with a new keel. It just isn't possible.

"Your ship is nothing more than a pile of wood waiting to be scrapped." Luffy hated how he said it, but Nami shouted at him about it before he could. "I'm just telling you the truth." Nami looked to him, her face begging him to say it was a lie. He just shook his head sadly, and she bit her lip.

"Can't you rebuild her, then? If the wood she is right now is too damaged, you could replace the wood, right?" Luffy asked, false hope in his voice.

"If we tried that, your ship would no longer be your ship. It might look the same, but it wouldn't be. You'd have no memories there, and the soul of the ship would be different. It would never be identical for many reasons. The wood would not be the same, but personally, I think that the fact it is not your ship anymore would be the worst part," Iceberg said honestly, finally speaking.

Nami asked, "So… what you're saying is, we'll never be able to set sail with her again?" Her voice was shaking.

Memories flitted through Luffy's head. Most random, but meaningful. But then he remembered all the memories he had with Zoro there. He was special. And the smell of the ship was perfect. It smelled like all of his nakama, the sea, even Ace's scent was still on one part of the railing and in the crowsnest. Vivi's scent was in Nami and Robin's room.

Everything was on that ship. Almost every moment someone found out and accepted what he was. The first home for Robin in 20 years. The place where Nami fell in love. Their home was that ship, and if she couldn't be repaired, then what? A new ship? Having to say goodbye to all of their memories? Every wound on their ship was proof of their adventure.

But that wasn't a happy thought anymore. He thought they would be like wounds that could be fixed but scarred over, showing what kinds of things they went through.

"That is correct. You can either take it apart now, or sink her and let her die naturally. With the money you have, you can buy a new ship." Luffy was accepting it, but could also feel himself slipping into denial and anger. He pushed the already grief away.

"She's our ship, we can't get another one! We can't leave her, please fix it!" He knew they were telling the truth. "We don't want a new ship! We want… we want the Going Merry," he finished, voice cracking. He couldn't help it. But he didn't cry. He didn't want to hurt Nami more. He didn't care if these people saw him cry.

"If you insist on that ship, then you accept the reality that you will all sink with her. Sailing on that ship away from this island is a death sentence for all of you," Iceberg said. Nami asked why Luffy wasn't fighting more. It was their ship!

"But he's telling the truth, Nami," Luffy said. She had tears in her eyes as they were handed a ship catalog.

"Think about it and then come back when you've made a decision." Luffy was surprised when Iceberg gave his condolences to Nami's crying. Then they were told to hide when government people came. They picked up the cases and hid behind a building. They sat against it, and Luffy lifted the cases.

"Nami… they feel light," Luffy said.

"What? Don't joke, there should be 200 million berries in there!" she said, wiping her tears, seeming glad to slip into any other emotion than the one she was feeling, slipping into anger. Luffy let her. When they opened it, both screamed. Their money was gone! Two of the cases were completely empty!

Paulie came over and demanded to know what they were screaming for. "Our money is gone!" Nami screamed. Luffy turned the cases upside down and shook, but nothing came out! "These aren't even the right cases!" Nami noticed. They were black, but not the same at all. The inside was crappy and patched, unlike how their cases had been. "Our 200 million!"

"Now we can't even buy a ship!" Luffy lamented.

"Wait, where's Usopp?!" Nami demanded.

"Hey, Kaku, what were you doing with the Franky Family just now?" a guy with a spike of hair coming from his head said conversationally. Kaku hadn't been with them all day. "That's weird! I thought I saw your long nose…"

"Usopp got taken by the Franky Family! I didn't even notice! The smell was so thick, and there was so much noise, and-"

"I don't blame you, I was distracted, too. But we have to find him! Go find him! Now!" Luffy nodded. He smelled deeply, but he was nowhere close. He could smell where he was last, though. He went to the alley way his scent was the strongest, and followed that. It mixed with other smells.

He tried listening, but heard no voice. He ran around, but lost track of him once the scent reached the water. Luffy backed up and did a running jump to the other side. No, this would be easier from above. He rocketed himself up to the nearest roof. He was rubber, he could be like Kaku! He couldn't find him easily until he heard Nami only ten minutes later, and followed her screams of Usopp's name.

Luffy landed with an "oof" when he fell from a building and bounced. It reeked of blood, and he found Usopp laying on the ground, bloody, bruised and with broken bones. "Usopp! What happened to you?! Did the Franky Family do this?!"

Usopp wouldn't make eye contact with Luffy, as tears streamed down his face. "Yes… I'm so useless! They took all the money… I'm sorry, everyone!" he cried. It was so hard to look. Nami took his hand, tears in her eyes for seeing Usopp like this. "We were finally going to fix the Merry!" He hadn't been there to hear the bad news, then. "I lost the money! I'm so sorry!"

Nami said, "We're finding them and getting our fucking money back." Her voice was cold and hard. She ran off, but Luffy called after her, he could get there faster. He knew where the ship was easily. He could hear his friends. "Okay, but hurry! Get Chopper, now!"

"Yeah!" Luffy said, and ran, heading towards the voices he recognized. Hearing was more attuned than smells, even if a smell came before sound most times. He made it back to the ship, waving his arms. He didn't have the briefcase or either others. "Chopper! Everyone! We have to get to Usopp! He's really hurt!"

"WHAT?!"

"He was attacked and kidnapped and now he's all beat up!" Luffy shouted. Then Nami was there, making it back surprisingly quickly. She knew where she was going. "What are you doing?!"

"Get to the Franky House! I couldn't stop him, he left to go get the money back!"

"The money?"

"The Franky Family stole two thirds of the money! Hurry to the house, he's gonna get killed! Kaku said the Franky house was down the coast line to the west. Follow the coast and get there! I'll protect the ship." She pulled out a gun from a drawer in her bedroom they didn't know about.

Luffy said he didn't even need directions, he could smell Usopp's blood. The boys ran in the direction Nami gave and Luffy was leading, and he could hear laughing and jeering, but not Usopp's voice. How the hell could Nami not stop him?! She beat them up all the time, she could have kept him there. She should've been able to.

"Why did he go on his own?!" Sanji shouted angrily.

"Pride," Zoro said simply.

"There he is!" Luffy shouted. They hurried to the source of the smell of blood and the salty scent of fresh tears. They found him unconscious and beaten even worse than he had been before. Chopper said he'd live. But he was incredibly injured and needed treatment quickly. Luffy could hear the Franky Family inside, cheering and laughing. He heard them insulting Usopp.

"They're cheering about this and the money," Luffy said coldly, looking at the weird house. "Usopp, we're a little bit late." The four men, turned, and walked towards the house, promising to beat the shit out of them. And destroy their house like they destroyed Usopp's already low self-esteem.

Luffy didn't ask where Robin was. He could only deal with so much at once. The Merry, Usopp, and now this. He would ask about Robin later. If she got lost or something, he could find her himself.

Chapter Text

DotNotFound: Some big changes in the enies lobby arc from canon!

Artemisolarbear: Poor Luffy with Usopp being so mean to him. I always felt so bad for him, having his "friend" talk to him that way. Though I added a lot to the argument to make it even worse hehehe...

Bonclaysboyfriend: Your username is the best lol. 

This chapter ended up pretty short. Sorry about that!

They got to the door, and it was opened by a large man with the same weird goggles as the previous ones had. Luffy didn't wait to nail him in the face so hard to broke through the wall. When they were in the doorway, all looking furious and cold, dangerous, they were mocked for only being four of them. They would "defeat them and take their heads". Plus, they were told they also weren't getting their money back.

Luffy didn't hesitate to let out that aura that scared even his crew, and those pirates on the boring previous island. Some nearest to him backed up. But those who couldn't see him, said, "You're the captain of that weakling, right? How strong are you for recruiting people like that?! You must have a death wish for breaking in here with that power!" Luffy nailed another in the stomach, crashing through his weird armor and shooting him into the opposite wall.

"Ahhhh! He broke through the armor! Hey, le-let's talk this out like civilized people!" Luffy smelled the scent of a burning match, and knew they were shooting cannonballs. Luffy said nothing, did nothing, and let Zoro come forward and cut them all up in midair, shocking the Franky Family. Then he cut up their canons themselves.

Ordinarily, Luffy would have loved seeing his strength like that. So impressive and strong, but not right now. It was not the time for such feelings. All it was time for was rage and hate and revenge. He wasn't going to take it all for himself. The others were just as angry as he was, and he would let them blow off steam as well.

Usopp… we'll be there soon. Hang on a bit more.

Sanji took part, when they started to run towards the door, he grabbed one of their faces as a support and did a handstand, pummeling everyone in range with his feet before going into regular kicks, hearing bones break easily. Even they could hear over the screams.

When they desperately ran for the windows, many unconscious or so beat up they couldn't move, how they did to Usopp, it was Chopper's turn, and he changed into horn point, attacking them all with it, puncturing skin and causing screams. He threw them into the air with his long horns. It wasn't surprising to see him act this way. He was furious. He knew how injured Usopp really was, and he was his friend and nakama as well.

The Franky Family realized they weren't escaping anytime soon, and tried to bargain. They explained that the money was already gone. Franky, the leader, was already gone with it. No matter how angry they were, they wouldn't get the money back. The one who did most of the talking called Usopp a weakling again.

"Shut up. This isn't about the money anymore," Zoro snarled. The other three were silent in agreement. There was nothing to say anymore. This was for Usopp, not the damn money! That didn't matter right now.

Luffy darkly said, "Leave no bone unbroken."

The Franky Family tried every trick they had to fight back, but they were all pointless. In the show of anger and strength, they screamed and begged. The four felt no remorse or guilt for the pain they were causing them. They were too angry after seeing Usopp that way, after Luffy heard his shame and sobbing.

Honestly, his body… was probably in better shape than his mind and emotions. Luffy knew his nakama. It wouldn't be pretty. They also had to somehow tell him the Merry was gone. She would not be setting sail ever again.

They pulled no punches until the floor was covered in damaged bodies, teeth and blood. None of them were proud at the state they left them all in. This was just something they had to do. Then they blew the house up with them all in it. Luffy didn't think any were dead, but he wasn't sure. They could bleed out from Zoro's attacks, so who knew? He didn't much care right now.

Chopper went to tend to Usopp. "Should we go after Franky?" Sanji asked.

"And go where?"

"Luffy can follow him."

"I don't know how he smells, or what his voice sounds like. This place is now full of the smell of blood and dirt and grime. Plus all of the scent of the fire,the burnt house. If I knew what he smelled like, then maybe," Luffy said, sounding ashamed. "If only I noticed Usopp leaving. I was just so distracted, and there were all sorts of smells and noises. Then there was the news of the Merry. I should have noticed it when I didn't hear sobbing…"

Zoro said, "It wasn't your fault. You shouldn't babysit us. You're the captain, but you're not a parent."

"It's not like I feel I'm babysitting," Luffy said quietly.

Sanji said they were probably not getting the money back by now. It had been awhile. "Those small fries really don't know where the money is. We can only deal with Franky when he comes back, but our money will definitely be gone by then. Fuck."

"Well, he won't be back anytime soon. Should we stay?" Zoro asked. They watched Chopper tend to Usopp a bit away.

Luffy turned around, sitting on the roof of what was left of the Franky house, and saw Chopper tending to Usopp with teary eyes. What if Usopp had been beaten to death? Luffy would have been responsible. He knew he shouldn't babysit Usopp, but he was ashamed of not even noticing he was gone. What kind of friend was he?

It would also be his fault if the ship sank with them all on it. Going over Merry's various wounds in his mind, they were all being ignorant and in denial. She was dying. And they would die with her, too.

Then there was Robin. If they had to go after her for anything, they couldn't even sail on the Merry. There was nothing she could do. She had done more than enough.

Chopper called that Usopp was better, and they could move him now. Sanji called him down, and Luffy said, "I've decided. We're saying goodbye to the Merry here." He dropped down, and Zoro took his hand. Sanji took a drag of his cigarette.

"I think so, too. The shipwright mosshead talked to sounded legit." Luffy said all of their words were the honest truth. The Merry was as good as dead. "Telling Usopp will be a nightmare, though," Sanji muttered.

"We have to do it, and he needs to accept it. Captain's choice, and the right one." Chopper carried an unconscious but bandaged Usopp back the way they came, to their broken nakama. When they got on, Luffy ran his hand on the railing, and made a mental apology.

They waited for Usopp to wake in silence while Luffy looked through the catalogue of ships they could buy. Or used shps, too. Losing the 200 million limited them, but 100 million was more than enough to get a nice one. He was trying not to think about Robin even though he kept his hearing focused and couldn't find her that way, even as Water 7 quieted as night was falling soon.

His hands shook as he turned pages, and Zoro came up to the crowsnest with him, and wordlessly pulled him to his lap. Luffy just kept looking, but his hands weren't shaking anymore. "We'll make new memories," he said firmly. Luffy slumped, but nodded. He didn't have to like it, but that was all they could do. New memories on a new ship. A new home.

Zoro asked if he liked any so far. "Not really. None of them are silly like the Merry. Maybe we'll have enough to get a new figurehead. Not a sheep, though. Hopefully we can get one with a better kitchen for Sanji. Maybe a good infirmary for Chopper. Bigger galley. The Merry… it was not going to fit more people, really." The swordsman agreed.

Luffy closed the catalogue and put it on the floor next to him, just letting Zoro play with his hair until Chopper came out. "Usopp is awake!" he said happily. Luffy was happy, but felt building apprehension. Sanji asked about Robin.

"I don't hear her anywhere. She's either being silent, or left the island. I would think it was because she was making sure to be quiet. She's smart," Luffy said quietly. "Let's talk about the ship before we bring up Robin with Usopp. Everything going wrong here." Zoro took his hand and Sanji patted his back.

"One week and then we can leave this place," he sighed, and they walked into the galley.

The moment they got inside, Usopp apologized for losing all the money. But he wasn't sobbing anymore, which was a good sign. Maybe he could forgive himself a bit. Anything positive was good. He hugged Zoro's leg, lamenting how he lost it. Of course Zoro wasn't good with people other than Luffy touching him, so he tried shaking him off, though trying to be careful of his various wounds.

He was bandaged up and handed some pain pills, and took them without a word. Luffy put on a smile, doing his best to try and come up with a good way to break the news. Chopper insisted he needed rest, and he finally let go of Zoro's leg, who walked a bit away from him and leaned against the wall.

When he was told the money was gone, at least for now, he didn't seem surprised. They had attacked the Franky house, but they'd all boasted about Franky being gone with the money. "We can't know where he went. I don't know what he smells like or his voice. Did you see him well?"

"No. He was wearing a mask. I have no idea what he looked like," Usopp said in irritation.

"Well, we still have 100 million, and that's a lot anyways," Luffy said. Nami started to say they'd lost the majority, but stopped herself and then looked down, apologizing. Usopp said it was okay. He wasn't upset. When he apologized again, Luffy waved it off.

"So, can we fix the Going Merry with the money we still have? We came a long way to get to a high class shipyard. We need to make the ship even stronger for the rest of our journey." He sounded so happy and hopeful. Luffy tried not to show how it affected him. Everyone was upset, and Usopp would be, too. He should stay positive.

He settled with, "Well, we won't know because I've decided to buy a new ship. The Merry's been good for us, but it's time to say goodbye. We really have to." He picked up the catalogue. "Iceberg guy gave us this to find a new ship. We can buy a good one with the money we have. A bigger ship for more people and all. We could even buy a really big used ship with our money. So losing the 200 won't really impact us, after all."

The room was silent, everyone having their eyes on Usopp, waiting for the inevitable bad reaction. "Hold on, hold on! This isn't something to joke about! C'mon, why are you all letting him joke like this? Really, Luffy, do we have enough to fix the Merry?!"

Luffy opened his mouth to speak, but Usopp started again. "Is it because I lost the money?! Because I lost the 200 million?! We just don't have enough money, right?! Since such a good shipyard has expensive prices right? Right?!" He was growing hysterical and stood up. His eyes were wide and bloodshot. Maybe with anger, Luffy couldn't tell other than his fast breathing.

Anger was at least in his breathing. Chopper tried to get him to sit back down. He was still badly injured, even if he was all bandaged up. Luffy wished he could heal like he could. That all of them could heal instantly like him. He still needed more blood bags. He forgot about that. There was so much to do here. He wanted to go on a date with Zoro, he wanted to go shopping with Robin for books, he wanted a shipwright, he wanted a lot of things, and it was all derailed because of the hard truth and some asshole people with a death wish.

"It's not that!" Luffy said, wanted to calm the situation in some way. "It's not because of the money! I-"

"Then tell me! Give me the truth, don't just spare my feelings!" Usopp shouted angrily. Now he was openly angry. At Luffy, maybe at himself, too.

Luffy insisted it wasn't the money! The money had nothing to do with the choice! The others were trying to calm the situation, but Usopp was lost right now. He wasn't listening to anyone, even the one who he was yelling at. Luffy was kind of unsure how to respond. He'd never gotten into a fight like this with his nakama. With anybody but Garp or early Ace. Dadan maybe, but never a friend.

He was trying to find a good way to respond other than anger.

Usopp demanded to know what the bullshit about buying a new ship was about. "It's not bullshit! I had trouble making the choice, too!"

"Guys, calm down! Fighting will get us nowhere!" Zoro insisted, though he was glaring at Usopp mostly. He couldn't help it, it seemed.

Usopp threw Luffy off after grabbing onto his vest. His hat had fallen off and onto the table behind him, which he was pressed against. He didn't want it to turn physical at all! What should he do? "Calm?! How can I be calm when he's spewing nonsense?!" Sanji stepped in.

"We only made the choice because it was necessary!"

"Oh, so he asks everyone else while I'm knocked out? My opinion matters less? Because you knew I'd protest?!" Luffy pushed him away, finally reaching a breaking point. How could he say he didn't value all of their opinions?!

Luffy glared and finally said, "The Merry is going to die! She's nearly dead already! It has nothing to do with the money! Or you losing it!" His fists were balled. "You know I'd never make this choice if I didn't need to! I love the Merry, too!"

Usopp was in denial, and didn't want to believe Lufy's words. "But this ship took us all the way here!"

"And that was too much for her! In this sea, she's barely survived! We should have known that early on! Merry will sink here, Usopp. No matter what, she can't be fixed," Luffy said calmly, though his lips were pressed tightly together. Usopp stepped back, and said Luffy was talking nonsense.

He replied, "No, the shipwright guys told us. They can't repair her. If you don't believe me, then I'll even tell you what they said! And I know they were telling the truth, too! They weren't lying. If they were I wouldn't have even considered this!"

"And we're supposed to rely on your magic blood power hearing?!" Luffy was hurt by that. It actually hurt a lot.

"It's been relied on the whole time, hasn't it?! Now that you don't like what you're hearing you're against it?!" Luffy snapped.

"You couldn't even hear the money being taken! How can we rely on that at all!?" Luffy wanted to punch him in the face. The others were watching a shipwreck unfold.

"No matter how angry you are, don't insult me like that. You know as well as I do that my senses have helped us get this far! No matter how angry you are, my decision won't change! You're the only one truly against it! Do you want to die here with her?! I won't allow my crew to die when I can make a choice to stop it!"

"So you're just getting rid of one of our crew?! Was she just a tool to you? You're part of the reason she's broken in the first place! Who rips the mast off?!" Luffy was growing really angry. He was near slapping Usopp, truly. And he was also near snarling. He didn't know what to say. Usopp was walking all over him, and there was no way to calm this situation now.

Zoro said, "We've all been rough with her. Calm the fuck down, now."

"Or what?!" The room was surprised by his behavior by now. He had never been this angry and disrespectful to any of them.

"Stop it, Usopp! Deal with the fact that I won't let us die! Even if I didn't have my senses, I'm not an idiot and am going to brush off opinions that make sense! You should know this! You try to repair her, don't you?! You know all of her wounds more than any of us! So how can you blow up on me for stating something obvious!?"

"So now you're calling me stupid?"

"Stop being immature! What's wrong with you?!" Luffy demanded. "And you don't be disrespectful to them either! And sit the fuck down, Chopper's trying to help you!"

"Don't order me around."

"I'm your captain! It's my job to make decisions! Even if you don't like them! You're not the captain! You're not making a life or death choice, I am! Everyone else has accepted it, you need to, too!"

"Now you're acting like the responsible captain?! How many times have you put us in danger?!" Luffy finally slapped him across the face, hard. Usopp sneered at him and held his cheek. Chopper begged them not to get physical. Usopp was still hurt. "You put us in danger even when you can just be fine afterwards! Just drink some blood and Luffy's back to being fine!"

"DO YOU WANT ME TO DIE, THEN? Should I stop taking my damn medication? Will that make you feel better!?"

"No! But you don't get what we go through at all! I misjudged you! Leaving one of us behind like they're nothing?! The Merry is our friend, our nakama! I won't let you get rid of her!"

"Then you can stay in a hotel while we say goodbye to her! If you can't handle it, don't even pretend to care! She's hurting, and how do you think she'd feel if she was the reason for our death?! Ending it will be what's right for everyone, even the Going Merry. My decision is final. Don't know how I'm going to punish you for treating me like this, but I will!"

Usopp glared at him. "I was just telling the truth!"

"You were being an asshole!"

"Just say I'm trying to help you be a better 'captain'!" Luffy tackled him, glaring at him furiously.

"If you don't like your captain or even respect him, then get the fuck off my ship!" Luffy shouted, losing control but knowing this was what a captain should say. He just didn't want to do it! He wanted Usopp to stay, but this was way too much! Luffy would have never imagined he would try and target his condition. It wasn't like Luffy liked it! He hated it!

That would be like Luffy pointing out all of Usopp's insecurities. The words left his mouth, but he didn't regret them. Nobody yelled at him, but Nami begged them to stop arguing. "I'm not arguing anymore. I've been more than explanatory to him! Go cool off! Come back when you're ready to treat people the way they should be!"

"You want to get rid of me. Just like you're getting rid of the Merry. When one of us is too weak, you want us gone! Right?! I'm too weak for you here! I'm the embarrassment! You have these lofty dreams, but I don't need to go that far! I only came when you invited me! The fate that brought us together isn't that strong. Since we don't have the same goals, why travel together anymore?!"

Then he left. Luffy heard the others go out and call him back, asking where he was going. He angrily said he quit. He was leaving the crew. Luffy swallowed and left. He wasn't going to argue with him coming back and not leaving. Luffy needed him gone for now so he could compose himself. Usopp would come back when he was cooled off.

Luffy didn't know how he'd punish him. He let his crew member walk all over him. Luffy was always good in a fight, knew what to do next. But this wasn't a normal fight at all. Usopp stopped storming off and ignoring Nami, Chopper and Sanji's pleas. "The captain is the owner of the ship. So fight me! The winner takes the Merry! Monkey D. Luffy! I challenge you to a duel!" he shouted.

They were all shocked. They knew Usopp would never win against Luffy. And he was right. Luffy could heal up afterwards. The other was already severely injured. What could he do against someone like Luffy? He could destroy him with a single hit. "At 10 tonight, we'll have a duel and the winner takes the Going Merry! After that, we have nothing to do with one another." Then he left.

Usopp is mean. 

Chapter Text

DotNotFound: Yeh, water 7 was intense with the betrayals. Usopp and Luffy's fight is tied in sadness with the one between Luffy and Sanji. Aw man, that scene is heartbreaking later. 

Кусочек сыра: Mwahaha! I love making my readings cry!

Artemispoarbear: Sanji and Luffy is more tragic to be honest haha. Look forward to it! Though it's a very long time from now to WCI arc. 

It was 7:20 right now. They all called him back, and then the deck was silent but for Chopper and Nami crying or sniffling. Luffy went to the boy's room and to the couch. Nami came in later, and tried convincing him to apologize. "I'm not in the wrong in this one. Besides, he's the one that decided on the duel, try and convince him not to. What's done is done. There's no going back."

"But you told him to leave."

"Yeah, I did. Go away," he said, and turned on his side. She left, slamming the hatch behind her. Luffy was glad nobody else came in. He wiped his tears of hurt and anger. He went to Luffy's weak spot, his "condition". How could Usopp ever complain about him drinking blood? It was a necessity. He looked at his marked arm, glaring at it. Sanji brought food to him, which Luffy thought was thoughtful. He did eat it, but his mouth was dry.

"He said those things in anger. He didn't mean them," Sanji said quietly.

"Maybe he didn't mean to say them. We all know there was truth behind his words. Am I a bad captain?" he asked, voice vulnerable.

"No, you're not," Sanji said firmly. "You're not perfect, none of us are, but you're not a bad captain." Luffy smiled at him, and he left. He heard Zoro and Sanji taking out their anger on one another, and Luffy knew there was no point in getting in the middle of it. There never was. Nami and Chopper knew this too and didn't try to stop them.

Them arguing was normal. The one between Luffy and Usopp was not normal at all.

When the time came, Luffy came out silently. Zoro hugged him and they waited for Usopp to show up. If he even did. Luffy handed him his hat. He didn't want it to be damaged. And he also didn't want to be wearing it when he beat up his own friend. If they even could be that ever again.

This felt like the end. Maybe if Usopp begged for forgiveness on his knees, maybe Luffy could forgive him. He wasn't sure. He definitely couldn't right now. He smelled and heard him before seeing. It was night time, dark out and both didn't have enhanced senses. Luffy was better off with sound and smells.

He got off the ship, arms crossed. "Don't come off the ship," he ordered the others. "Any of you," clearly referencing Zoro. He heard a quiet, "Love you." Only that he could hear. He just nodded. He stood across from Usopp, the chilly air blowing both of their hair, since Luffy wasn't wearing his hat.

"You look determined, but I hope you don't regret this decision later! This is what you want!" Luffy called, letting his fury out and not the hurt and betrayal. How could a person who ever thought of you as a friend target insecurities like that? He just couldn't see past it at all. It was the worst part. Insulting him and then calling him a bad captain.

But he wouldn't lose control or he'd end up killing him. Usopp at least trusted him not to kill him or he'd have been too scared to do anything. If he had even asked or demanded to have the Merry, Luffy would have given it to him. Why keep her if they weren't going to ever sail with her again? Idiot.

"Stop pretending and just come at me. I'll beat you. Don't think I'm the same as all of your other opponents! I know about all your weaknesses and how to target them!"

Behind him, Chopper was wishing to stop them since Usopp was still so hurt. "Go inside if you can't watch," Zoro said dryly. The others were silent.

The captain didn't budge when Usopp claimed he had all of these followers. He didn't know what the point of it was. "I know you're lying even without hearing!" Luffy called back. Then Usopp started to try and make him uncomfortable with words. Luffy didn't even budge when he pretended to cough up blood. "I know that's ketchup, stop fooling around!"

He ran at him, done with this stupid pretending before a flash dial was brought out and shined at him. Luffy forgot about the dials. Crap! Well, he would adapt. He couldn't see, but he could still hear and smell. He grabbed Usopp behind him, grabbing his hair but missing everywhere else until the putrid smell of rotten eggs and pepper blocked that sense. It was awful.

Then an air horn was put directly at his ears, rupturing the ear drums and causing blood to run from them. He ran away to the ocean so his sight could come back. "You asshole," Luffy snarled, unable to hear much. Even his own voice was muted. He was furious now. But he was right, he knew all of Luffy's weaknesses.

Then he realized he was in an area surrounded by spikes. Little ones. A firestar was sent at him, and his reaction was slow, his sight still bothered and unable to use his other senses. This was bad. It felt bad. He dodged the fire, but stepped on a caltrop and fell on top of them. Usopp was shouting something, but Luffy couldn't hear clearly. Something about winning and the Going Merry.

Then he shot shurikens at him! Where the hell did he get them from? And why didn't he fight like this against real enemies? Or was Luffy just someone worse than enemies? Fuck Usopp. Luffy dodged all of them, barely before he saw a purple haze around him. He couldn't hear what Usopp was saying, but he knew it would be bad.

He ran out of range easily, and slammed a fist into Usopp's face. "You're serious about this, so I will be, too!" Luffy shouted, the sounds warbled. Luffy ran after him, punching into the ground hard enough to crack it. He looked up and sent a pistol at him, but he barely dodged. But the explosion he made from the gas cloud Luffy escaped was massive, and threw both of them back.

Luffy rolled and then got back up, fighting off the memories he had of him. It was not real. He'd never respected him as a captain or friend. He could be sad later. Now he was angry. Usopp was still very injured, but with him having targeted Luffy's enhanced senses. He was about to unleash a gatling, ignoring burns from his flame stars.

He couldn't hear his attack name, but saw a little ball that hit his fist, and exploded into spikes flying everywhere, puncturing him all over. Barely missing his eyes. Was he trying to blind him, too? Luffy was angry, furious, but he kept control. His whole body hurt. His head hurt, the smell was still so strong.

He walked through the flames, burning his clothes. Usopp was injured from all the effort. "Taking damage since someone will just heal you later?" Luffy didn't reply, and pulled a hand back, and didn't hesitate to slam a rifle into his gut, making him cough off blood and be thrown away, rolling hard, making him cough harshly.

Unable to move, Usopp laid on his side. Luffy didn't hear any noises of pain from him because of the ruptured eardrums.

Even though Luffy was upset and angry, he felt terrible hurting him. Even if he felt no qualms about hurting Luffy first. "You asshole. You knew you could never beat me," he said, breathing heavily. "Do whatever you want with the Going Merry. We'll get a new ship, and go on to the seas beyond." Memories of happy days played through his mind as he walked away. "Bye, Usopp. It's been fun." He saw Chopper trying to get to Usopp and Sanji stopping him. Luffy didn't acknowledge the thick streams of tears down his cheeks, biting his lip hard. Maybe he should have kept his hat with him, he couldn't hide the tears.

Luffy couldn't hear what anybody was saying, but climbed back onto the ship. He needed to clear his sense of smell, and dunked his face and shoulders in the sink full of water, since that's where the eggs had hit. He could smell just fine afterwards.

Chopper was in front of him, asking him about his hearing. "I can hear a little bit. It's a lot worse in the right ear." Chopper didn't wait to get off the ship to treat his worse wound, which was the ears. "You need some blood."

"So I can cheat?" Luffy asked.

Zoro came in, and said, "It's not cheating. You need to hear for our safety. And you also need to be able to listen and see if you can hear Robin." Luffy knew that was true, and reluctantly drank enough to bring his hearing back, but not enough to fix everything. Zoro hugged Luffy, but he stopped crying. He'd cry later, probably.

"Be strong, don't waver. This is what being a captain is," he said against his hair. Luffy nodded, and they cleared out their things off the ship. They left food and furniture. And of course Usopp's belongings. He felt a lot better now that he could hear, but he still had spikes sticking out of his shoulders, and scrapes along his back and legs from falling. The burns weren't bad at all, so it wasn't a big problem.

They all passed Usopp a way off, taking the remaining money they had and going to a hotel.

They put their stuff there, even Nami's tangerine trees. The jolly roger stayed on the Merry. Usopp could take that down when he wanted. It wasn't like he would have the chance to do anything on it. The Merry was going to sink with him on it. It was only a matter of time.

When they got into the nice hotel, Luffy told them he couldn't hear Robin anywhere. Or smell. They were all disappointed, but Luffy needed to be treated since he refused blood. "We'll get some bags tomorrow," Nami said simply. "Usopp can say what he wants about it. You can go days without it, but we're still getting some regardless." Luffy nodded, glad nobody hated him for this. They all hated what Usopp had done and said to him. Knowing that it had always been a sore subject. All of them were hurt by his words. If he did that to Luffy, he could do it to them, too.

Chopper had already been rejected by Usopp before the fight. He was burning all of his bridges. That was what he wanted, after all. Zoro took Luffy to the room's bathroom, and helped treat his wounds, not pressing him about blood. He helped carefully pick all of the needles out of his body and bandage the worst ones.

Zoro was seething. Luffy could tell, even if his face was blank. "I'm not gonna say he didn't mean it all. He meant to hurt you, and he did a good job. Asshole blew your eardrums."

"He said he knew all my weaknesses. He did," Luffy said in a flat voice, letting Zoro take care of him. He was tired and just wanted to sleep. Luffy sniffled and started to cry silently. He had his wobbling lips pressed together.

"I tried so hard. During the argument, I tried so hard to keep things under control. I failed," Luffy lamented. "If I had just noticed he was gone, stopped the Franky Family from beating him up, none of this would have happened. We'd all be sad about Merry together. Not more broken, missing two members."

Zoro took his scraped up hands in his gently. "You did your best, and I think you did a very good job keeping a cool head. This could have happened at any time. If he was this angry and bitter about being a weak member, then maybe things would have always ended up like this. Just not in this way," he said softly.

Luffy nodded, and after his injuries were treated, Zoro washed him off. He kept his underwear on when Zoro washed him with a wet towel, since Luffy didn't want to take a shower. He was afraid he'll be in the shower and when he came out, they'd all be gone. Went back to Usopp, maybe. After he was washed off and treated, his feet pained as he walked, Chopper was there and hugged his legs, crying.

Luffy bent down and picked him up, holding him like a teddy bear, squishing him close. Luffy had not scared Chopper. He was determined not to be a monster in front of him. Chopper said, "We're monsters together," in his neck.

"Yeah. Together," Luffy said softly, but didn't cry. He wasn't going to cry in front of them again, even though Nami was curled up in the bed in tears, and Sanji was smoking on the balcony with trembling hands.

For now, they needed sleep. Emotionally drained completely. So much had happened in just one day. One terrible, terrible day.

In the morning, Sanji and Nami were gone and Chopper was taking a bath in the bathroom. But Nami and Sanji's things were all still there, just fine. They hadn't left him. They wouldn't leave him, they agreed with Luffy, not Usopp. They all openly thought his conduct was terrible, but they all did want a resolution.

They'd look for Robin that day, all day. But for now, in the morning, Luffy was with Zoro. Zoro kissed his nose, and rolled them over so Luffy was below. He left soft kisses on Luffy's neck and jaw. Running his fingers through Luffy's hair, he looked at him almost in pride. "I'm proud of you for choosing the crew over the Going Merry. I know… how hard that decision must have been. If it was this hard for us, it must have been the worst for you. Even more than Usopp."

Luffy nodded, enjoying the soft touches. Zoro kissed the side of Luffy's mouth, lingering there. "Why don't we go look for Robin?" Zoro asked. "Give us something to focus on." Luffy agreed. They got dressed in new clothes for the day, and got some breakfast below before heading out. They were holding hands tightly.

The younger was distracted, looking at his feet as they walked. "Luffy, remember to pay attention?" Zoro asked patiently. He'd rarely seen this weak Luffy. Maybe once or so. But this was weak Luffy, distracted Luffy, upset Luffy. Nothing good was there. But he nodded and started paying attention more.

He heard a commotion from the shipyard. "There are people screaming up at the shipyard. A big commotion." Zoro said they should go see. He nodded, and they went and got a yagara, once again Luffy needing to promise he could push him over the side if he hurt it. Zoro hadn't tried one, so he was freaking out. Luffy couldn't even laugh at his reactions. They headed to the shipyard level, and found a mess in front of the Dock #1. They got off the bull, and asked what happened.

"Somebody tried to assassinate Iceberg last night!" Luffy gasped, wondering who would do such a thing. The whole place loved him. There were those government guys, maybe they caused problems. Luffy was worried. He was a nice guy, and it would be sad if Water 7 broke to pieces over the death of their mayor.

They were surprised when somebody waded through the crowd, the guy with the spike in his hair. "Are you Monkey D. Luffy?" Zoro looked dark, and Luffy told him not to worry. He was a shipwright. "My name is Lulu. We'd like your assistance in this matter."

"What? Why?" Zoro asked, both of them baffled.

"Paulie said you have superb senses. We don't know who the perpetrator is. Will you help us? Maybe we can give you a discount on your ship." Luffy would help regardless, but that was a nice perk. He nodded, and Zoro trailed behind.

"So what happened?" Luffy wondered. "Isn't he a good guy? Everyone likes him here!" Lulu nodded. They had no idea who it was. But he was shot in his bedroom. No doors were opened, no locks unlocked. "Whoever got him probably has a devil fruit."

Zoro asked who Iceberg was, and Lulu explained. He kept pressing his hand to his hair spike only for it to pop out the other side of his head. They shoved through the crowd of concerned people and journalists to get inside. They hurried upstairs, and Luffy was a surprise guest to some of the others.

"What's he doing here?" the pigeon asked for Lucci. He was a weird guy. Smelling in deeply, he smelled like a cat. Weird.

"We thought he could be useful for an investigation. He has great senses. It can't harm anything, we'll keep an eye on him if anything happens." Luffy was led inside, and immediately smelled Robin, but another strong scent. It was in the middle of the room, not near any entrance or exit. He smelled deeply again, and could smell where the one other than Robin stood. He wouldn't say a thing about Robin. He smelled the floor. Zoro stood in the corner with the door wide open.

"Smells like alcohol. But faintly. Like they were around alcohol but hadn't been drunk. It… um kind of smells like one of you, too." He was immediately yelled at about accusing them of something. "Well, it does. But really, really faint. Maybe he was in the shipyard some time recently."

"Who else?"

"Nico Robin," Iceberg said, suddenly awake. They celebrated him waking up before they heard it was Robin that did it. "Correct?"

"...Yeah." Luffy wasn't going to lie. Iceberg was a witness and trusted by everybody. Nobody would believe Luffy lying over him. "But it wasn't her alone." Zoro had his hand on his swords in case a fight broke out. "Though there's no scent going to any entrance or exit. It's like they were right here and then they weren't."

"You're an accomplice! She's on your crew!"

Zoro spoke. "Robin has been AWOL since yesterday morning. We have no idea where she went or what she's been doing. Did she frame us? That woman…" he snarled.

Luffy said, "She must have a reason! But, why? It doesn't make sense! She was with us! What did we do wrong? What did I do wrong?" They were all genuinely surprised with Luffy's demeanor and words.

"It's not your fault, maybe she never was one of us, Luffy. You could never tell if she was lying. Right?" Luffy denied it, but he felt another lance of doubt and betrayal go through his heart. Water 7 was horrible. "Iceberg, was there anything else? Did she say anything?" he begged.

"No. She shot me and the big man with her in a mask was there. I don't know who he was. To be honest, I believe that you, at least, are not an accomplice. Can you search for the second man?" Luffy nodded. Not to help them out, but to find Robin and ask her what the hell she was doing and why she was leaving. Zoro didn't protest.

"Should we check the bars? He smelled like alcohol, right?" Paulie asked. With Iceberg believing he was innocent, maybe they trusted him more. They seemed suspicious of him, but not severely. Zoro asked if he should go tell the others.

"You won't be able to find them on your own," Luffy said honestly. Zoro huffed, but knew he was completely correct. They went around looking in bars before it started to storm. "Oh no! The storm'll wipe away all the scents!" Luffy said over the wind and rain. There was a warning blaring about an aqua laguna. It was a high tide that brought storms and tsunamis to the island.

They went quickly, looking in bars for anything. They were brought to a seedy one, the last one they looked at. "He was here," Luffy said simply. "He was here a lot."

Zoro looked around, checking in drawers, cupboards. Lulu asked the bar owner where the workers were. She was the only one there, and wasn't serving drinks. Though there were no customers either. "Blueno quit yesterday. Charline went on maternity leave. Someone here to work for me?"

"Blueno… did he do this?" Paulie demanded. Luffy and Zoro didn't know who he was, so didn't have any real opinions on him. Other than anger that he was with Robin when they weren't. The storm outside was getting really bad, and Luffy couldn't smell anything. The rain was wiping every scent but the strongest away. It was a violent storm so far.

"We should go get the others!" Luffy called to Zoro.

"Yeah!" he agreed. "Where's the hotel, though?!" Luffy had no idea. He relied on his senses for stuff like that. He was being robbed of them too much lately. Maybe he should have healed fully after all. Paulie offered to lead them back. They picked up two yagaras, with the foreman seeing just how scared of him it was.

He, once again, pointed out his life was in the hands of the bulls, and they went back to the hotel. When they got there, Sanji and Chopper were gone. Nami wasn't there either. Hopefully they got to safety. It was getting late and the storm was getting worse. It felt like the day just started, yet it was getting darker already. He wished he could search for them, but he didn't know where to begin. And what about Usopp? Luffy didn't want to see him but felt worried about him being out there on the broken Merry.

Zoro took his hand and shook his head. "Let's get to safety first! Then we can think of what to do next!" Luffy nodded. On their way back, they ran into Nami, who demanded to know where they were.

"Did you know what happened to Iceberg?!"

They explained what had happened on their way. "There's no way Robin would do that for no reason!" Luffy agreed while she lost nearly all trust by Zoro. They'd never been close, so it wasn't too hard to picture him losing trust in their newest member. On their way, they ran into a very angry man with blue hair and a speedo, even in this weather.

Luffy didn't know who he was. He could barely hear him as he shouted about him hurting his boys. "What are you talking about, Franky? Go away, we're busy with important stuff!" But it clicked with all three Straw Hats that this was the Franky. He was the real reason everything went wrong with Usopp. If he'd never stolen the money, then the fight would have never happened! Right?

"You're Franky?!" Luffy roared, looking furious. Zoro drew his swords. "Yeah! We beat up your guys for beating up ours!" Franky attacked Luffy more than Zoro.

"You don't look like some monster! They said you scared them? Please!" he slammed a fist into Luffy's stomach, throwing him into the wall. His senses were off. He relied on them way too much. Way too much. When Zoro got a slice in on him, it did nothing to his front. "Hahaha! Your swords are useless against me!"

"What are you?!"

He took his glasses off. "A cyborg." Luffy wasn't fighting too good against him, bogged down by everything going on. It wasn't just because of his emotions, though. He was tired. He hadn't slept very well, he didn't have lunch, and he had had a fight the night before. He was not in a good shape to fight somebody tough. Buildings around were damaged as the Galley-La guys tried to get them to stop. "Your obstructing an investigation about who tried to murder Iceberg, you dumbass!" Paulie shouted.

His ropes caught Franky and pulled him down. But the thug leader was surprised at this, and raised his brows. "Baka-berg was attacked?"

"Yes, now go away!"

"I have a bone to pick with him! Don't interrupt!"

Nami took this to her advantage and slammed her clima tact into the back of his knees so he landed in the downhill water slope and got taken away. "Now, let's get somewhere safe!"

"Nice, Nami!" Luffy said with a smile. She grinned back. He had been pretty useless against him, not in fighting shape at all. They headed back to the Galley-La Company, promising safety there. Everyone was taking shelter from the rain and wind, and not directly outside of the building. They headed inside, and hurried to Iceberg's room. They all came across dead bodies of multiple foremen!

"Lucci, Kaku! Tielstone!" Lulu shouted. He ran to them. Luffy calmly pointed out that two of those bodies were fake. "What?!"

"Lucci and Kaku's bodies are fake. They don't smell like bodies or even fresh blood. They're in Iceberg's room." He was tired, he didn't want anymore drama. He was just tired. In body, too, after the fight with Franky that was just him losing and embarrassed. He hoped nothing else happened while he was this weak.

Paluie tried busting the door down, but it was locked. There was also something in front of it. Luffy broke it open with a gomu gomu pistol. They barged in, and Luffy found Robin. She had somehow been concealing her scent, since he didn't smell her through the door at all. He should have been able to.

"Robin!" Luffy and Nami shouted while Paulie and Lulu focused on Kaku, Lucci and Kalifa all in different outfits. See, the bodies really weren't real. Iceberg was bleeding badly on the ground. Robin glared at all three of them coldly. And Luffy could tell that was a lie. "Whatever you're about to say, you won't mean it."

She was a bit startled. "I can't tell if you're lying, but I can see the pain all over your face!" Luffy shouted. "Why are you with them?! They're the bad guys!" Luffy said.

"Take him out of here, he's a danger to our operation," Lucci said, though Luffy couldn't tell the source since he'd never heard his voice before. Zoro shouted his name before Luffy fell through a trap door in the floor that came out of nowhere. He landed inside, and found nothing there. He ran in one direction, but never made it to any destination. It was like he was in a loop, or libmo. Was it a devil fruit?

I changed up this version of Water 7 post-Iceberg attack a lot. And the fight with Franky might seem underwhelming, sorry about that if anyone is disappointed.

Chapter Text

Artemispolarbear: Hehehe... There's a certain arc that makes Luffy absolutely miserable... I bet you can roughly guess which one...

DotNotFound: WCI was super fun to write. I loved writing Katakuri. It's much different than cannon. I looked forward to that and mostly made it through Dressrosa looking forward to WCI. Dressrosa is way too long for my liking, though manga is much better because I don't need to here Trebol's voice or see Rebeca's flashback a billion times. In my other fic that follows the plot, I just threw it out the window a bit lol.

There was nothing solid there, so he had nothing to grab, climb, tear, or bite at. He was just there. In the nothingness. If only he'd had some blood. He started shouting for someone to let him out of there. He was completely helpless, a sitting duck for anything or anyone that came in. The only explanation was a devil fruit.

Ahhh, he was hungry. He sat down, after nothing he did worked, to wait for anything to happen. He knew Zoro would be trying to save him somehow. He was foolish, wasn't he? That's why two of his members left. He laid down on his back, looking at the nothingness above him.

Somebody entered, and he shot up. It was the guy Luffy smelled with Robin. And then there was Robin. "You were supposed to let all of them go!"

"We miscalculated with him." He had to have been there for over an hour before now. An hour of trying to find a way out but coming up with nothing. Luffy was then on the carpeted floor of something. He heard water and waves outside. The whole thing was moving, and there were seats on either side.

"Where's Zoro and Nami!"

"They're back in Water 7. You'll never see them again. Sit," Lucci said. Luffy didn't.

"Fuck off," Luffy said simply.

He was kicked in the head and thrown forward and into the other wall. That secretary lady. "You really are ill mannered. And in no state to fight. What happened to you? You're like a completely different person from before."

Luffy didn't reply, but demanded for Robin to tell him what happened. "She's coming with us to protect your crew. Be grateful your other members will be fine," Kalifa replied. Luffy knew they would come after him no matter what. He asked where he was going. "Enies Lobby, and then to Impel Down while you're figured out."

Luffy knew of Impel Down, and felt cold. He wasn't going to Impel Down. He punched through the door in the car, planning on getting Robin back later, now that he knew where she was going. He would go back while he could. He was in no shape to fight any of them now. He didn't get much of an explanation, but Robin left for them.

He was not okay with that. But he was exhausted, still wounded from Usopp and then Franky's fights. He ran through the car train, and found Usopp and Franky there. What the hell?! They were both tied up and in burlap sacks. "You assholes are the reasons I'm so weak!" he shouted. But then he ran into Blueno, and backed away. He was grabbed roughly on the back, punched in the spine as his hands were casually cuffed.

"Don't! Don't do it!" Usopp shouted, remembering what happened when he touched seastone in Alabasta, in the cage with Smoker there. The moment they touched him, Luffy's pupils shrunk into pinpoints, and everything around him went red. He started to breathe heavily, and gave off warning feelings to them before he was made to go back into the other dimension. No fucking way!

He turned and bit down on the guy's hand, kicking him in the gut. He ripped a finger off with his teeth, snarling rabidly. Blueno screamed, and Luffy ran back the way he came, still cuffed. "Get him! Now!" Kalifa shouted at the two others in the train he'd come into first. Robin looked shocked, and Lucci was pale in the face. He snarled at them all, all but Robin.

Blueno's blood was on his mouth. He went to chomp down on Lucci, biting his hand even when he covered it in some thickness. When he yanked, he bit off a sliver of his skin, and was then kicked out of the nearest window and into the sea.

"LUFFY!" he heard Robin scream.

He landed in the waves hard, thrown about but coming to his senses. He looked around frantically, not sinking due to being caught in the waves. He landed on something hard and metal, and wrapped his legs around it. It was high on the surface, so he was partly above the water. It was the rail way they had almost been stuck on before.

Managing to stand up, he knew which way he'd come from. He needed blood, food, allies. He wasn't strong enough to fight anymore, now. He would go and get Robin back. He wasn't obligated to save Franky or Usopp. He walked along the railroad, and didn't know how to get out. He crouched down and got a mouthful of seawater before he put his lips to the key slit and spat the water in a concentrated stream so hard the mechanism turned, and the cuffs fell off.

He wasn't affected and weakened by them, but he was managing not to be insane anymore. He had gotten a finger. He chuckled weakly. He really freaked them out.

He had to get stronger, now. It was clear he was not normal at all, he would be targeted. So he had to get much, much stronger. He would use that rage. Luffy would be stronger, stronger than anyone. To protect his crew after he got Robin back. And to then go back out to sea while feeling he was strong enough to keep his crew safe.

He saw sea kings fleeing the storm he was walking towards. He started to run along the railway tracks into the waves. Then he saw a sea king below him, and demanded it come to him, or he'd hunt him down and kill him. The beast complied, and surfaced next to him. "Take me back to Water 7! Follow this railroad!" he shouted, and jumped onto the beast. "Now! Once we're there, I'll leave you alone forever!"

The sea king sped forward along the tracks before Luffy heard the sound of another train. He heard his own crew in there, along with some others he didn't recognize. He had the sea king throw him, and crashed through one of the windows, slamming into the side. He was breathing heavily, and the whole cabin shouted in shock of his appearance while Zoro grabbed him and hugged him.

Nami demanded to know what happened. Luffy explained. "So you threatened a sea king and it took you here?" Luffy nodded. "And you bit off Blueno's finger." He nodded again. "How the hell did you not die being thrown out the window?!"

"I found the railway tracks!"

"Why didn't you wait for Sanji-kun to get to you?!" Nami demanded, grabbing his ear. Huh, Sanji? "He was on the train to rescue you and Robin!"

"Oh. Well, we're heading to the same place. Robin only went with them because they promised to let us be left alone, until they took me and broke the rules, but she's stuck there, now," Luffy explained. "Can I have some privacy with Zoro?" Luffy asked. Nami started to undress behind them.

"You look and I'll kill you," she told all of the people facing her sweetly. They turned away immediately. Zoro glady let Luffy drink from him, his wounds healing and bruises fading. He felt strength surge through him and it was great, he felt a million times better. He pulled away, and wiped his mouth, smiling at his boyfriend warmly. He hugged him back.

Nami was dressed again. She wasn't shy about being naked in front of Zoro and Luffy, it seemed. After all, they clearly didn't care and had no interest. "You look much better, now," Zoro said, Nami smiling next to them. "We were so worried. A lot happened after you were taken, but we managed to get some people together in time to follow you and Robin."

"Now that I know I didn't fail Robin, too, I feel much better. Plus, I don't hurt anymore or anything. I feel a lot better," he said, nuzzling Zoro's neck. Nami was glad, and scolded him about being stubborn and now looked at what happened. "I didn't even put up a fight before. But I'm different now. I know what we have to do.

"They know something is off about me from the seastone reaction. Things might get busier now. I feel like I've been exposed, finally," Luffy said honestly. Zoro knew it was always going to happen. Eventually, somebody else would catch onto his differences. "Yeah. Is there any food here?"

There was a trunk behind them, and Nami left to bring out a smallish sack of meat. "It's all we have right now. We do have water bottles, though. Fill them up and have them in your pockets to refresh during fights. We'll be fighting those asshole CP9 guys." Luffy gladly ate the meat, tearing into it. The foremen had no idea what was going on. How he healed from his wounds.

"Zoro, can you lose anymore?"

"You didn't take too much, I'm good for more." Nami offered, too. It was going to be a hard battle, and they needed him to keep up. She told the others to look away again. Zoro cut his arm and dripped a lot of blood into the smaller bottle. It wasn't a big water bottle, more like the mini ones.

But enough for a refresh. Nami didn't like being cut, and seeing that much blood coming from her own arm made her uncomfortable. But she filled up a good portion, and soon he had two nicely sized bottles of blood. There was a first aid kit and they both had bandages pinching the skin together on both sides of the cuts. He stuffed them both in his pockets.

"Thank you," Luffy said sincerely. They nodded. He asked who else came. "The Franky Family?!" Luffy asked in surprise.

"They'll make good distractions to save you and Robin. They said Franky was taken, too, and wanted to come. Then the foremen came to take revenge on their former friends and help us out in thanks for helping them," Nami explained. You guys really messed up the Franky Family. They're in tatters."

Luffy nodded. They'd been furious. "Too bad it didn't really accomplish anything in the end but anger relief." Nami nodded. "I saw Usopp in there with Franky. They were both tied up. Robin is sitting more comfortable, last time I saw her," Luffy explained. Zoro sighed.

"What is that idiot doing with Franky?" he said in irritation. Luffy shrugged. "You don't have to forgive him if you see him again," he said sternly. "He's not part of our crew anymore." Luffy nodded. He knew that. They were going for Robin.

"You know we can hear you, right?" the Franky Family leader guy snapped. Luffy scowled at him. "We're allies now, let's move on from what happened. We have a common goal, but we don't gotta be friends."

Luffy smilked, liking this way of thinking. "Okay. We're accomplices together. You better be prepared for this."

Lulu said, "Well, you bit off his finger. Shouldn't be too hard to take him out if that happened." Zoro said it was only because Luffy surprised them. Now they most likely thought he was dead.

"Robin probably thinks this as well," Nami said sadly. "Poor Robin. All alone with a bunch of bad guys."

"Better for her that Luffy wasn't there, even though he was thrown into the sea during an aqua laguna. Though we're getting close to being out of it. I can't believe you walked along the tracks and then bullied a sea king," Zoro snorted. Luffy laughed, a real laugh, and it made Nami and Zoro smile in true relief.

Luffy was himself again. Healed and ready to fight for another friend, like usual. How many times had they don't this by now? "What if I could train an army! And they all attacked at the same time!"

"I doubt sea kings would work together, even on their own," Kiwi said. He was introduced to the few Franky Family members inside the train. Kiwi, Mozu and Zambai. "They aren't exactly creatures who travel in packs or pods."

Mozu agreed. She asked how Franky looked. "A little beat up, but not too badly," Luffy said. "Shishishi, Nami pushed him into the water!" Nami smirked, saying it was his own fault. He should have been paying more attention. "I sucked in that fight, though."

"None of us exactly performed as well as we'd wanted. Besides Nami," Zoro admitted. "You, Zambai. Why couldn't I cut Franky's chest? Cause he's a cyborg?" Zambai nodded. "So he's invincible?"

"No, Big Bro Franky made his own body. He couldn't focus on the back, so that's the vulnerable part of him. His front is all steel." Luffy thought it was really neat. He hated Franky, but he didn't want to hate anybody. It seemed Usopp reconciled with him after leaving them. He wondered if Marry perished in the waves. Taken far out to sea. The whole fight meaning nothing with the Merry gone.

Zoro kissed his cheek. "Don't think of useless stuff," he said.

"Awww," Nami said, though she was joined by Kiwi and Mozu. Zoro yelled at them to not act like that.

"But it's so touching. The big, powerful pirates are soft with one another. So sweet," Mozu said. All of the men there were uncomfortable. The formen quickly explained what Luffy didn't know. Who CP9 was and how they were affiliated. Luffy felt bad for them. Their friends were not friends at all the entire time. It must hurt. It did hurt.

"I'll take out that pigeon bastard. What is his power? He smelled weird." Zoro explained he was a leopard zoan. That it was probably a bad move to "you know". Luffy did know. It was possible that drinking from him could trigger the reaction that came from drinking from that horse. He never wanted to repeat that experience again.

Then the den den mushi then rang in the middle of the room. Nami picked it up, and the one on the other side was Sanji.

"Nami-san, I found Robin and Usopp. It seems Luffy was thrown out the window and into the sea," Sanji said in shame.

"I'm here! I walked along the tracks until I bullied a sea king in taking me back. Then I ran into Zoro's group."

"No fucking way," Franky's voice said in the background. Zambai shouted if he was okay. "Yow! For now, I am! But damn, Straw Hat, that's badass! No hard feelings?" Luffy was silent, and the den den sweat, before Luffy said okay. He was still mad, but didn't hate him. "Super!"

Zoro asked where they were. "On top of the train. Shit went down with Luffy, but the rest of the train is full of marines and government officials. We're on top one of the cars. Luffy, you pissed these guys off bad, so it's lucky they think you're dead."

"What do you mean?"

"You bit off the finger of one of them and then took a chunk out of another's arm. No to mention the fact you damaged their special cabin. When you reveal yourself, I can't wait to see their expressions.

"You back to being 100%?"

"Yup! Ready and willing to fight to save Robin for sure!" Luffy said with conviction. "We're not letting her go that easily. Feel free to go wild, Sanji!"

"You bet I will. I'm glad you're alive, captain," Sanji said with a sigh. Luffy just laughed. Once they hung up, Luffy went and looked out the window, sticking his head out. "Ooh, that looks fun!" he said and climbed up to straddle the front of the rocketman. He wrapped his limbs around it to hold on. The water sprayed on his face, and he was in awe.

He'd survived being handcuffed in the ocean during a raging storm. He couldn't wait to see stupid CP9's faces when they found he was alive and more than capable of biting off a few more fingers. He grinned widely. It was lucky seastone didn't hinder him and make him vulnerable, but he also did like having control of his mind and body. So seastone was a no-no.

When they made it out of the storm, the waves were calmer, but it was still the open ocean. It was so weird being on a train. Being on a ship was a lot better, though more difficult to maintain, it seemed. Luffy turned around and saw the huge sea kings that the rest of the family Franky was riding on. Amazing! They were like giant yagaras. And wearing goggles, too, weirdly.

"Robin, we're coming for you. You don't get to run away from us like this," Luffy said, finally once again confident in himself. If he could survive being thrown into the raging ocean handcuffed, he could take care of himself and his crew. He'd be more observant, too. He just needed to train his attention and senses even more.

He wouldn't let an Usopp situation happen again.

He looked ahead and could see before he smelled the train. He stretched his neck down far enough to be in front of the window, and said the train was in front of them. "It's not smoking or moving, though. Just sitting there!" he informed them.

They could see it was two single cars from the train, stranded and trapped on the track, not able to move without an engine. Was it going to hit the Rocketman? And they couldn't stop the thing, it had no brakes apparently. "There are a lot of people in it!" Luffy added helpfully. "I'll see if Sanji's inside, just to be sure!" he said, and rocketed himself forward and into the car.

"Sanji! Sanji here!?" He smelled deeply. He'd been there, but was not anymore. He made his arms in an X position, confusing the marines and government officials as they shot at him. When the Rocketman was coming closer, Luffy called, "Cut it! It's in our way!"

"Okay," Zoro said, and sliced the cars in half as they passed right through them. The guys were shocked by Rocketman. Luffy jumped back onto the train and kissed Zoro passionately before they almost fell off. "Idiot!" Zoro said.

"Shishishi, I couldn't help it! Zoro being strong is really attractive," he said lightly. Zoro flushed and climbed back inside. When asked what made him so red, he said it was nothing. Nami knew better than that, obviously by the knowing giggle, but said nothing about it.

Zambai asked, "So, you and Straw Hat?"

"Don't. I am not talking about that with you people," Zoro said, settling back against the wall. Luffy snickered. When they came across a sliced apart sea king not too long later, Luffy called Zoro back out. There was something weird. He looked out the window and saw the sliced apart, huge creature. Zambai said he still couldn't imagine Luffy scared one into submission. Zoro's face hardened and he climbed back out, putting the bandanna on, Luffy watching him do so happily. He looked so badass like that. Dangerous and strong. They saw the guy there, standing on the tracks.

The ship butcher was his name, a ranking marine who could cut things and ships in half. "Prepare to fire the cannon!"

"Are you blind? Zoro's got it!" He was on the front of the rocketmen while Luffy was wrapped around the chimney of it.

"I'll say this once! Get out of our way or die!" Zoro called loud enough to hear him. The guy, the ship butcher, didn't move. He said "justice, blah, blah, justice, marines" and then Zoro cut him down easily, unaffected by his attack. They all stayed on top of the Rocketman for now if anything else came up.

Luffy sat next to him. "Zoro's so pretty when he wears his bandana," Luffy said. Zoro couldn't help the snicker. "He should wear it more often."

"I did promise that didn't I?" He had, a long time ago. He kissed Luffy on the cheek. Zambai asked if they were nervous. They were acting so calm. "Why do you think we're acting like this? We know it'll be a dangerous situation," Zoro said in irritation. The others said, "Oh", understanding and backing off.

Then they both looked on and saw that big frog from before, when things were still good, appeared on the tracks. They yelled at him to move out of the way, but the bastard slapped the rocketman and they were disconnected from the tracks! "You stupid frog!" Luffy shouted. "Look what you did!" he raged.

The frog wasn't bothered by Luffy's anger, and instead went to talk to Kokoro about something as Nami tried to find a current to take them back to the train tracks. Once they found it, they first got back the Franky Family that had been disconnected when the stupid frog hit them. He was an ally now, but he could have caused them a ton of problems. Then they got onto the tracks once again.

They saw Sanji and a masked Usopp on their little ship. When the two got onto the Rocketman, Sanji was glad to see Luffy, and asked if he was all better. "Yup! I'm actually in shape to fight." Sanji grinned. "Don't worry us like that."

"You're acting like you're happy one of the guys is safe," Nami said happily. Usopp was wearing a mask, calling himself Sogeking. Luffy wished he could play along with it, but he could smell it was totally Usopp, and could tell his stories were lies. Not bad ones, but still lies. But Chopper believed it, and Luffy didn't want to ruin that for him.

Luffy just didn't want to talk to him right now. Maybe it was immature to hold a grudge. Zoro said it was okay to still be upset. But they should put their feelings aside to save Robin. "Yeah. I will. I'll try not to think about it," he replied, looking back out the window. Chopper asked Luffy if he'd ever met a hero like Sogeking.

"Hmm… I don't think so," Luffy said, playing along to make Chopper happy. He'd been very quiet on the train. Luffy scooped him up. "Now we have another ally, huh?" Luffy asked. It was nice not seeing Usopp's face.

"We're definitely going to save Robin." Zoro asked how Robin had acted in the train cars. And Franky, too.

"Robin-san was very upset with what happened to Luffy-kun. Very angry. She made a deal with them and they broke it. Everyone thinks you are dead. But she still didn't fight to get free, regardless of their deal being broken," Usopp explained.

Sanji said, "She blames herself for what happened to you. I think she needs to see you to ever want to be free." He blew out a puff of smoke. Luffy frowned. He understood why Robin would feel that way, but Luffy was the one who was obvious about it. "They tried interrogating her about it, but she refused. They sort of gave up as you are presumed dead and all."

Luffy mused, "Then it's a good thing that happened. They won't expect me. And now they can't stop me by seastone. I just have to not die." Zoro scowled at that. "I won't die, we're getting Robin back and getting a new ship for new adventures!" Luffy said positively.

"Hang on. Robin blames herself for your death and doesn't want to escape due to that, but there's a larger problem at hand. The real reason she left in the first place. Her terrible past." The cabin grew silent. Until Sanji started talking, and Luffy bluntly said he didn't want to hear. "Why?!"

"Because it doesn't matter! Robin isn't her past. Her past doesn't matter, we're all going to save her even without knowing, right?" Luffy challenged. "I just wanna save her and get even with those jerks. Grr, I hate them!" he shouted. "I'm gonna use everything against them! And then I'll have my way with Zoro later," he said firmly.

Everyone's faces went red and some looked kind of grossed out. Zoro said nothing, but his face and chest were bright red. Nami and the square sisters snickered.

Sanji asked if they really didn't want to hear. "I'm sure." Zoro nodded, and Nami and Chopper agreed. They didn't need to know to save Robin. Plus, they'd all voluntarily given their childhood stories. The way Usopp and Sanji learned was without her permission... Luffy wouldn't do the same. It didn't matter right now. If Robin felt comfortable saying something later, then that was great.

Chapter Text

DotNotFound: It's hard for me to write Luffy in character when he's not a child because canon Luffy doesn't really have a wide range of emotions. Which is why I like writing Ace more. He can feel angst and happiness. So it's easier to write him. I think I did alright in this story and my other story that's unedited and won't be posted for a while for keeping Luffy canon. Katakuri was fun to write with what I did with his character in this. I have two stories to be edited with Papa Katakuri and he's so sweet with baby Luffy omg. First time in over a year that I've written a long baby luffy story!

Artemispolarbear: He only gets more badass as the story goes!

M y dudes. The manga is getting INTENSE. I haven't been concerned over a straw hat's well being in a long time, but I am now. Chapter 1031 man... Anyways, enjoy~

No matter her past, no matter her reason for leaving them, Luffy wouldn't allow her to die. And especially not carrying the guilt of Luffy's supposed death. Paulie got their attention to introduce them to how Enies Lobby looked and functioned. Where everything was, and where they should head to get to Robin and Franky.

Luffy curbed his amazement with the waterfall and the land that sticked out of it. The last place they could get her back was before the Gates of Justice opened and took her away. Then she'd be taken to Impel Down and they'd never get her back. Get her before the Gates of Justice opened. They would do it, Luffy knew that.

"I've seen how strong you all are on the way here. If anyone can save them and take down those traitors, it's you," Paulie said strongly. Zambai said they'd be the backup to help get them there. They weren't in fighting shape at the moment and knew they weren't on par with them. But they were strong in their own ways!

Really, Usopp shouldn't be fighting either, but Sogeking was determined. "Okay. We've done this before. We've saved friends before. And this doesn't involve stopping a war," Luffy said. "All we're doing is getting Robin and Franky back alive. We'll figure out what to do after that."

The others nodded. "We'll be fine. Maybe hurt afterwards, but nobody is dying," Zoro said firmly.

"Of course not, idiot. I'll be there for Nami-san~"

"Well it's different since we don't have Usopp this time…" Chopper said sadly. Luffy said they had Usopp's friend, Sogeking. "Still…" Luffy snuggled him. "Let's not think of that now. It's all about Robin - and Franky. Sanji said Franky helped them, so we're saving that guy as well." Chopper sniffled, but nodded.

"Thanks Luffy," Chopper said happily. Luffy beamed and nodded.

Luffy was listening to the plan, but it was too long. He just wanted to get there to Robin fast. Just for her to see him. See he was alive.

"So you guys should wait for 5 minutes at the beach. Then charge in on rocketmen, straight through the gates and onto the island itself. Before that, the rest of us will go in," Zambai explained seriously. "Open up the main gate and the front gate before you enter through on rocketman. No matter how many of us die, don't stop! Keep going. There are only 60 of us, and thousands of enemies, so you should all avoid unnecessary fights. Just focus on CP9!"

"Yeah! I got it!" Luffy said firmly. He turned and kissed Zoro sweetly. Kokoro told them they were now in sight of their destination. They went to the windows and saw the massive doorway, the Gates of Justice. "How do those open? Are they attached to the floor?" Luffy wondered.

"They're bolted to the ground, and have been in place for a long time. They never completely open all the way, even when ships are passing through. They only open a little. Behind them is a windless area like the clam belts, but there's a huge whirlpool that goes to Impel Down, Marineford and Enies Lobby. Sea kings live in the whirlpool, so it's almost impossible for any other ship unprepared for the journey to go in," she explained in detail.

"Only marine ships can enter. I see. But how did they manage that?!" Nami asked in shock and awe. It was clever, and strange. Making doors into a whirlpool. "But… that means we definitely can't follow Robin if she passes through the gate."

"We were never planning on drawing this out, anyways," Zoro said, though he was very serious now.

"There's no time for chatting!" Kokoro said. They got ready to go, and Luffy contemplated leaving without them, but… he wanted to stay together. They were all getting to Robin. And he was captured once, he wouldn't get captured again and cause more problems. Plus, Zoro was holding onto his arm tightly, probably knowing he would have the urge to go on first. He didn't tell Zoro to stop or let go.

The sea kings pulled the Franky Family sea craft slammed into the gates and onto the island, just as planned. Kokoro warned them that they had four minutes until the Rocketman would breach the gate and get onto the island. Zoro asked Sogeking how his wounds were. "It's fine, for I am Sogeking."

Luffy looked away and back out the window, and Chopper wondered why Luffy was being cold towards Sogeking. "He just has a lot to think about, we all do," Sanji said patiently. Luffy heard an awkward shuffle from Sogeking. Zoro made sure Luffy had his bottles, and Luffy showed them both tucked snugly in his biggest shorts' pockets.

"Is it safe to be around you if you go all out?" Sanji asked lightly.

The captain nodded, sure of it. "I didn't hurt anybody even in the seastone. At least, not Usopp, Franky or Robin. And I'm not in seastone, so we don't gotta worry," Luffy said simply. "Even when I was around somebody else in that state, they were fine as long as they weren't an enemy."

Nami said she'd been around him like that and he'd been fine. "I wasn't insinuating he was dangerous, I was just asking if we should give him some space," Sanji explained, lighting a new cigarette. "If you need a refill on the bottles at all, I'm fine to do it."

Nami agreed. Chopper didn't, due to having the blood of an animal. "Remember not to drink from Lucci. He's a zoan, we don't know if that counts as an animal," Chopper reminded him.

"Yeah, I won't. Besides, he tasted nasty when I bit a chunk off of his arm. Blueno was just as bad when I ripped his finger off. I can't remember what they looked like when it happened too clearly, but I know they were shocked! Shishishi, they'll be even more when I am seen, perfectly healed. I don't have those wounds anymore from the fights before.

"Though I think them knowing something is off will make things harder afterwards."

"There's no benefit to speculating about what will happen after. If we pull this off, we'll be targeted regardless of whether you're human or not," Zoro said. He climbed out onto the front of the Rocketman to bust down the gate for them to shoot in. It had been five minutes. They had enough time that the two gates should be open by now.

"Hey, Sogeking, I wanted to ask about the cool ball rod of this?"

"I an Sogeking, how should I know about this? Usopp-san knows the smart things, I am the brave one."

"Sogeking is so amazing!" Chopper said.

Luffy almost smiled at it all, though it pissed Nami off. Then Luffy heard Zoro call to Kokoro that the first gate was closed. She relayed this information before Luffy could. "Change of plan! The gate's been closed!"

"What?!" Nami and Sogeking asked. "Now what!?"

"Frog, push the fence forward!" Zoro called.

"No! Doing that at this speed, the Rocketman-!" and it ran off of the fence and catapulted up with the upwards tilt of the bent fence. They were all screaming, and Luffy wrapped himself around everyone so they didn't all hit the walls as they all screamed. Luffy heard shouts of shock from below, on the island. He hoped their allies were not hurt too badly. It had been six minutes, but a lot could happen in that amount of time, after all.

"How are we going to land?!" Nami screamed.

"Leave it to luck!" Zoro said stoically, sitting on the front of the rocketman, still. Sanji didn't like being wrapped in Luffy's rubbery arms or that he was also around Nami, but when they crash landed into something hard and then onto the stone ground, Luffy moved so his back was what hit the floor, and it negated any possible injuries they could have gotten.

He unwrapped himself, and Nami, Sogeking and Chopper were crying about how scary it was while Sanji targeted Zoro with anger. Luffy jumped out, feeling his blood bottles were just fine, he walked out with the two who weren't arguing anymore. "Ne, there's a lot of people here already," Luffy said, his hand on his Straw Hat.

"The others have been causing trouble, so it's only natural," Sanji replied coolly. The Franky Family and Galley-La Company all cheered for them arriving. Many were already injured, but Luffy didn't see anyone dead. Though most weren't in perfect shape to begin with. After the boys stormed their hideout, that is. But Luffy forgave them. They wanted to save their brother, and he could respect that a lot.

"Straw Hat Luffy?! He's supposed to be dead!" someone called.

"Neehee, I'm back! Robin! We're coming for you! And Franky, too!" Luffy shouted. He smelled deeply and said he knew the fastest way to get to her. Both of them. Zoro grinned. That should make things a lot easier. Chopper, Nami and Sogeking were pulling themselves out of the train, and caught the attention of the marines.

"There's more criminals inside! Blow 'em to bits along with the train!" a marine shouted, and shot a cannon at the train, before Luffy reacted. But they were safe, and Nami was already forming an awesome cloud above them. She'd only used her weapon work once or so, and Usopp made her a new version, so he looked forward to seeing how it worked.

Guns were pointed at them until Kokoro and Chimney came out. "Help us! I'm just an old lady with a child!" she said with a grin, still drunk and holding her bottle of booze. Luffy snorted "We're defenseless!" she insisted. The enemies believed her, and didn't continue to shoot the train.

"They had hostages!"

"They really are pirates! Take them out!" Luffy kicked the faces of a long row of people in front of them with a gomu gomu whip. Nami's cloud took out a ton of others, also catching Luffy in the lightning, too. He was fine.

"The weapon is awesome but it hurts friend and foe!" Nami shouted and punched Sogeking. He claimed it was that she was using it too recklessly.

"You shocked Luffy, too! Seriously?!" Zoro shouted. At least his blood bottles were somehow undamaged. Luffy was fine though. Luffy said they should get going, though they were surrounded by enemies. They weren't supposed to fight all of them, right? He turned around and they all saw one of the sea king pets coming towards them, on land by being on a mechanical cart. It was smart!

For the second time in one day, Luffy rode a sea king (well, a king bull, but same thing really), all of the Straw Hats on its back. "This is awesome! We're following Robin's scent perfectly straight ahead!" Luffy cheered, standing on its head. "You're a brave guy, aren't you?" Luffy asked Sodom, the green king bull he was on.

It made a neighing sound, deeper than the ones the yagaras made. Chopper translated that, since his family trusted them, he did, too. "That's good. You're good fighters, bulldozing everyone down, aren't you?" Luffy praised.

The Franky Family got on the other king bull, Gamora. The Galley-La men were on the one one with the Straw Hats. This was really fun. And felt much safer than being on a wild sea king in the middle of a storm. He was still proud of that feat. It was awesome! Ace would think it was cool too, after he beat him up about it, of course.

They were followed by men on wolves, and Luffy slid down the neck and onto its back, hurrying to the edge and letting out that scary aura that had even the bravest dogs fleeing in the opposite directions. "Neehee!" Luffy grinned. The dogs were soon completely out of the area, and the marines were left confused and worried, as the dogs had been a heavy fighting force.

"You have to give them something to do, too," Zoro said, gesturing to the Galley-La men.

"What do you want to do?" Luffy asked before they came into another large group up ahead. Their allies got down to take on this group. Zoro promised to give them their message to their traitor friends and past coworkers. Luffy went back to Sodom's head and rubbed his big face. He really liked this guy! He looked like he was having a lot of fun, even on dry land.

The Straw Hats didn't get to fight any of them at the moment, as Gamora's passengers were shooting cannons and guns at those below. Luffy wished he got to fight, but knew he had to save up for his match against Lucci. He'd do a lot more this time than bite him. Maybe he could do that again, only much worse and not on the arm.

He kept checking to make sure he didn't lose any of his blood bottles, which would no doubt be very important later. His heart was beating fast in nerves, and also excitement. Adrenaline was present, too. So it felt weird just sitting and not doing anything about it.

"I'm going on ahead," Luffy said, and jumped off. Sanji called for him to wait, while Zoro said there was nothing they could do to stop him when he's bored.

"Still! We're all working to save Robin-chan!"

"You know he senses something up ahead he should take care of. And he's bored. We'll be fine and catch up to him." Nami was agreeing. They should just trust him to be fine. Not to stay out of trouble or anything, but to be fine. Luffy was glad he had such support and unwavering confidence in his strength from his crew.

He wouldn't be caught again. He ignored all the marine fodder, running and jumping from the roofs and over the next set of gates with a gomu gomu rocket. He stepped on faces, backs, everything to follow the scent of Robin and Franky. So easy to follow in a place where the other main smell was marines. They stuck out, as did Lucci the most. Probably because he could now smell the undercurrent of his devil fruit. He had believed them completely back at Water 7 when they were still undercover. They were spectacular liars and deceivers to trick people for five years, and Luffy's senses.

But he believed Kaku was honest about the state of Merry. If there was one thing he trusted their words of, it was her. Just nothing else, really. He couldn't wait to show them just how unbeatable he was. He patted his shorts again. It was good they were small sizes. He coon arrived at the second to last building. The one across from where he smelled Robin and Franky.

The CP9 members were there as well. But he heard and smelled Blueno before him and his devil fruit had a scent to it that he'd gotten a good whiff of before, being trapped in it. He jumped back, and looked upon the taller man with the funny hair do. And the missing finger, bandaged up. "How are you alive?" he asked, his voice low, and mostly bored. Though there was that current of anger and confusion.

"I'm tough."

"You were thrown out the window with handcuffs on," he said. Luffy walked away and set his bottles down. "And now your wounds are gone. What are you?"

"Neehee! Your worst nightmare," Luffy said. It was something Zoro would say, and it got the guy's eye to twitch in annoyance. "I'll take more fingers, maybe." Blueno snapped at that, growing furious. After all, Luffy could see he'd taken an important finger, the right pointer one. He would take care of this guy quickly. Compared to Lucci, he didn't seem so strong or scary.

Plus, he had a cow haircut, which was funny.

"Do you realize what you're doing? This is an attack on the global scale," Blueno said, glaring but seeming to get at least his expression under control. Luffy asked what he was talking about, stretching, ready to attempt that promising attack he'd found on accident. As long as he didn't use it long, it should be fine.

"In the oceans of this world, we boast the influence of over 70 countries. The gigantic organization of the "World Government" owns this island. When you invaded this island, it meant you decided to revolt against all the countries!" Blueno explained dramatically. "The government decided you were criminals, and would take them down. You'll be given cruel deaths. At most, there are ten of you. What a small amount of power you have. You don't even know what you're up against. You got caught immediately. You know nothing of our power. So you will be killed easily. Especially you, we'll make sure you're never free again."

"I don't care about any of that. I just need to beat you all!" Luffy shot an arm behind him, twisting it into a gomu gomu rifle, which he slammed into Bleuno's gut, after he muttered, "Tekkai". "I don't know what you're trying to do, but I'll beat it regardless!"

The hit landed hard, against his hardened body, but it wasn't hard for Luffy and didn't hurt his rubber fist to slam into something hard. Blueno bent over, coughing blood and in shock and pain. He looked surprised at this. After all, he'd met Luffy when he was weak and injured. Luffy didn't waste time and started up a gatling gun.

It was easy to sense where he went at a fast speed, and he adjusted accordingly, throwing his fist at him and punching him in the jaw so hard he slammed into the wall. He was careful to avoid any of the areas near his bottled blood.

"I don't care about any of the world stuff, we just came to get Robin back!" Luffy said. "Don't get in our way!" Blueno got up, looking shaky, and mounted a counter attack that Luffy avoided each time. He kicked the guy in the nuts hard enough for him to grunt but not bend over. He kept trying to open doors around Luffy, but he refused to get near them and definitely not into them.

Blueno could be really fast, and when Luffy found he was getting closer to his blood bottles, he surged forward, landing a bullet in the face. But he came back, and seemed to give up on the door attempts. He was attacking with the same move that Luffy didn't really know its point. It was just attacking with his hand, like he was diving it into his body. Like he was shoving his hand through sand or dirt.

It didn't get Luffy. He could hear the king bulls crying out in pain, people crying, screaming, the sounds of gunfire and the clash of swords. He could hear the sounds of the giants as they walked. He could hear it all. The sounds of Robin crying out and being hit, the sounds of Franky being hit, too.

Luffy could hear everything but was still razor focused on getting to the Tower of Justice. Plus, he had to finish this before his crew got there, and they were getting very close. "Everyone is coming, I have to finish you off now," Luffy said. He'd stretched enough. "Just wait a few minutes and then you won't be a problem," he added quietly, and purposely pumped the blood in his legs to quicken the inner workings of his body to his advantage.

"Gear second."

His skin started to steam, and he was at Blueno immediately, so fast that his sense of smell couldn't keep up with his own movements before he slammed a hand into Blueno's gut. "Jet bullet!"

"Jet bazooka!"

"Jet rifle!"

"Jet pistol!

"Jet gatling!"

He hit him with all those attacks, his normal ones but only a hundred times faster and harder. Blueno attempted to use that "soru" move that could make him go someplace fast, but Luffy's was faster. He did get hit once, but he didn't slow or stop.

Again and again he hit the guy, him doing his best to use his tekkai, but it just wasn't enough in the end. He heard his crew below, but Blueno was still standing. Luffy didn't want to have to rely on the gear second anymore as it was draining, so he released it. So, he was going to try his next technique. Something, again, only his body could handle.

He went to push air into his thumb, but Blueno fell, reaching his limit finally, and was out of the game, covered in blood and no doubt terrible bruising. Luffy went to his bottles, opened one and took a mouthful enough to recharge him.

Only two minutes had passed in gear second. That was good, he didn't want to use it too much or for too long. He wanted to save everything for Lucci. And maybe for that guy that kept demeaning Robin. He could hear it and would never forgive him. He would never see how someone could be so cruel. It wasn't like Robin was being a terrible person.

Well, there was little point in getting overly upset about it this early in the game. He stuck his blood bottles back into his oversized pockets, and waited for his crew to come up.

"ROBIN! I'VE COME FOR YOU!" Luffy bellowed.

The people in the window in the room he sensed Robin in started freaking. Spandam, the annoying and abusive one, said, "He's supposed to be dead! You threw him into the ocean!"

"I lived!" Luffy shouted back loud enough for him to hear.

"He's a monster! Can he hear us!?" Luffy affirmed this, and said he knew all about how he'd been treating Robin. And he wouldn't tolerate it. "Ahh!" Then those in the room against the window, the reflection making it impossible for Luffy to see in, saw the state of Blueno. Spandam ordered his men in the room to get CP9 immediately.

It was starting. One enemy down, and at least three more to go. There were other CP9 agents. They only knew of four, and one was down already.

He heard Spandam telling his men he was planning on taking Robin straight to the Gates of Justice. "I'LL STILL FIND YOU THERE!" To be honest, Luffy was enjoying freaking him out. He was sure Robin would be enjoying it, too. And Franky. They were talking in low tones, but Luffy couldn't really hear them well. Spandam was shouting, so it was easy, but then suddenly Franky and Robin crashed through the wall, and onto the balcony.

Robin was a little bruised, but mostly unhurt. Good. "Robin! Yay, you're here! And you're not hurt!" Luffy cheered.

"Luffy…" Robin said. Franky was attacking the marines trying to recapture them with a weapons left, something he used against Luffy but had been mostly useless as it was bullets. The strong right move had gotten him the most. He was weak back then. He would make up for it here.

Luffy ran back a bit, and told her he'd be right over. He grabbed onto the roof, ready to do a rocket across the chasm and right into the Tower of Justice. His crew could get there on the way to lower the bridge. But it was taking too long for Luffy's liking. And he also knew he needed his crew to fight the other CP9 bastards off. He just wanted to take Robin away now.

"Wait!" she shouted. "I… I don't want you to rescue me! I came here because I didn't want to be with you all anymore!"

Luffy picked his nose. "You know I can tell you're lying this time? At least about not wanting to be with us. Maybe you don't want us to rescue you, but you want to be with us," he said lightly.

"Just go away! I never want to see any of your faces again! When did I ever ask you to rescue me! I'm happy you're alive but it doesn't mean I want to come back!" She paused, and finally said, "I want to die!" Luffy was shocked, because there was truth in her words. This he could tell very easily.

Maybe she meant it now, maybe not. It didn't mean he was just going to hand her away to die, even if she wanted to. "What about all of the amazing things we haven't discovered, yet?" Luffy asked. She bit her lip but didn't respond.

Spandam laughed about it, while Franky was getting mad at her about having them come so far only for her to say such a thing. Luffy looked around and grabbed a pebble. The CP9 guys were coming out at Spandam's request - demand. He was still laughing, and though he wasn't in sight, Luffy figured out where he was.

He pulled his arm back, and snapped it forward, sending it flying at him. It landed in a good place, his eye. "Ah! My eye!" he screamed. Luffy didn't know how bad it was, but he just wanted him to shut up and stop laughing.

"Shut up, you!" Luffy shouted. He screamed some more. Finally all the CP9 members came out. Six of them, seven including Blueno. Kalifa was the only woman. There was her, Kaku, Lucci and three others.

One was big and round with a zippered mouth, another one had long pink hair and a painted face, and the other had a sort of braid and long facial hair. They were all in black government clothes. The pigeon on Lucci's shoulder flew away when Luffy came into view. Spandam was holding a bleeding eye, hiding behind his CP9 dogs.

Chapter Text

DotNotFound: Smart sometimes and not others lol

Artemispolarbear: But he will do anything to get her back, so don't worry!

"Listen Robin, we came all this way for you! So we're gonna rescue you! And if you still wanna die, then die afterwards!" Nami and Chopper were the first to make it to the roof, and Luffy didn't turn to look. There was still lots and lots of battling going on below, but he could smell them all coming closer. They were nearly all face to face against their enemies.

Maybe their toughest enemies so far. Baroque Works was hard, but they weren't CP9. They were different. These guys were evil and pretended they were doing justice when they were just hurting people. Luffy wasn't gonna die or bow down at the hands of the government. Hell no. He'd rather die drowning than be bested by some government person. Then they couldn't claim they were ever stronger than him.

Zoro climbed up next. "Yo, Luffy. Already had some fun while we were taking out fodder?" he asked, seeing Blueno. Luffy nodded.

"I was bored and it was going too slow." Nami, Chopper and Zoro were up, then followed by Sanji. Luffy could hear Sogeking and smell him screaming as he somehow made it to the roof from far below. Did one of the giants throw him or something? When he landed, they were now all there.

Luffy said, "Robin! I don't care whether you want to choose to live or die! But whatever you decide, say it while you're with us!" Luffy shouted, fists balled. He was so sad she wanted to die, and it brought back memories of what Ace was like after Sabo died, but he was still going to rescue her whether she fought the whole way or not.

He wasn't a tyrant captain, but he wasn't going to allow this.

"That's right Robin-chan! Come back with us!"

"Robin, we miss you!"

"Please!"

Tears were in her eyes. They all stood on the rivets on the building side by side, unwavering. They refused to back down. "Just leave everything to us!" Luffy shouted. CP9 stood across from them still, and lighty commented on how it was impressive they made it this far, through the aqua laguna, as well.

"Boy, how did you make it here?" Kaku asked.

"I'm tough," Luffy said shortly. "It's not gonna be easy to get rid of any of us."

"Well, we have permission to kill you, now. Though I did intend to kill you when I threw you out of the train car."

"Cause I bit you." Zoro snorted, and Lucci's eye just barely twitched at that.

"He bit you?! Then he's a monster!" Spandam shouted. Zoro asked if he did something to the guy's eye.

"I threw a rock at him. He was being mean to Robin! What a jerk."

Lucci didn't seem indifferent anymore about Luffy, but like he would have fun trying to kill him. Well, that was how it was going to end. Nobody expected any different. Spandam was scared of how many were there, and was getting emergency medical treatment on his eye. Apparently it wasn't good at all. The rock hit right against the retina, damaging it severely and it might not even be saved during surgery.

"That little shit blinded me in one eye! Kill him!" Spandam shouted in tears. The CP9 didn't move. They were already planning on doing that, they didn't need that coward to order them to. Nobody showed any concern for their boss's wellbeing. Franky openly mocked him. Robin stayed quiet, her face firm but body trembling.

Lucci assured Spandam he was safe there, in a bored voice. They wouldn't let anything happen to him. "You think you're tough because you got here? You don't stand a chance! No matter how brave you are, you'll never win!" He felt much more confident now that he was standing behind very sure and strong agents that could stop any projectile from hitting him now. But Luffy was proud he blinded him. His face was already a mess, a missing eye could perhaps complete the picture.

He pointed at the flag that signified the World Government flapping above. Blueno had pointed to it as well. "We have the full strength of the assassin group, CP9! We have the heavy Gates of Justice that human power can't open! Moreover, now I have the authority to use this golden den den mushi to trigger the 'buster call'!" Luffy heard Robin's reaction before he saw it. Spandam got on the ledge of the roof and Luffy picked up a handful of rocks.

He started to mock Robin's pain, the past they didn't know about. Other than Sanji and Usopp. This buster call was a marine attack with warships and vice admirals that destroy an island, or anything that is their target. Robin's hometown suffered that. And he mocked her for it. Luffy was seething at the mental abuse, the trauma he was inflicting on Robin and also bringing out. Luffy took the rocks, and shot them at Spandam as hard as he could. Lucci pulled him away immediately, and the rocks hit the wall inside the room so hard it blew open the other wall with a huge crash.

Spandam was suddenly silent.

"Stop mocking my archeologist or I'll come for you after I take out Lucci!" Luffy bellowed furiously. "If you're all Robin's enemy, you're all our enemy, too. Sogeking… shoot down that flag!"

"Roger," Usopp said, and shot a flame star with his new huge slingshot, and burnt the World Government flag down.

"Ace, why doesn't grandpa want people knowing about you? He hides you! I understand about me, but… why you?"

"Cause to the world, I'm not meant to be born. I was a mistake."

"But… I don't think-"

"Just go to sleep. I don't wanna talk about it tonight. Or at all. There's nothing I can do about what the world thinks of me."

"Well… I'm not the world, so there!"

"Go to bed, Lu."

"Okay…"

To be honest, it felt good to finally establish himself an enemy to everything and everyone that told his friends or his brother they were a sin, who allowed the killing of an innocent boy because of a murderer's whim, who supported Nami's town enslaved for benefits, who let their son torture somebody and starve them as an enemy. They were his enemy from the start as a true enemy.

Robin was shocked and horrified, and Luffy heard everyone else on the island who saw it react in shock and disbelief. But not a single Straw Hat looked bothered in the slightest. "The pirates… have declared themselves the enemy of the World Government!" they said in shock.

Spandam, despite the threats and abuse Luffy had given him so far, told them they were insane, while hiding completely behind Lucci. There was blood under the bandage now hanging over his eye. Luffy was glad he could blind him. Someone else already did great harm to his face, though.

"BRING IT ON!" Luffy shouted at him, making him flinch more. "Robin! I still haven't heard you say it!" Her body was trembling. "Say you want to live!" he bellowed. His friends agreed, nodding or voicing support. Tears fell from her eyes and her face started to get red from trying to hold in sobs.

"I wanna live!" she sobbed. "Take me with you! To the ocean!" she cried. The Straw Hats smiled. Franky was crying about how sweet it was. But there was so much and so little work to do. Fight CP9 and rescue Robin and then leave. Simple, but they all had to win their fights and they had to somehow escape this place.

The plan was loose, but most of it would be winging it and hoping for the best.

The drawbridge was lowering, and everyone was ready for the fight besides Spandam. He was already permanently injured and hadn't even been fighting. Luffy gave a special glare at him, promising pain. Lucci was now wearing the look of a monster. He was a monster, too. He was grinning at Luffy, no doubt now wanting to fight him.

Too bad he had to babysit Spandam before Luffy caught up.

As the bridge lowered, both sides were getting pumped up. "We'll definitely save you, Robin!" Luffy said. He turned around and took a drink of the blood, and put it back in his shorts. He wiped his mouth.

"You seriously blinded him with a pebble," Sanji commented loosely while the bridge lowered. Luffy laughed. It had actually just been a lucky hit. "Damn right that's lucky."

Luffy could hear their enemies insulting but complimenting their brass at burning through the flag. "But it's useless to try and match us," Kaku said. Luffy didn't comment he could hear them. Though they all knew of his superb senses by now. The good thing was that nobody knew about the blood in his pockets.

After taking a big drink, he was in the best fighting condition he could be in. every wound or ache in his body was gone like magic. He felt he'd gotten the best night of sleep in his life. He was confident in himself right now. The fight against Lucci would be hard. And he didn't have any do overs like against Crocodile.

This enemy also wasn't underestimating Luffy.

The drawbridge stopped with a loud clang as Luffy heard infighting downstairs. "Hurry up! They're taking Robin!" Luffy bellowed. "Don't interfere you assholes!" he yelled when he saw marines peek their heads out of the crack between the wall and the bridge.

Spandam was no longer frozen in place, and started to head into the building, dragging Robin too. "Robin!" Chopper called. Luffy snarled. The guy had lost all bravado in the face of a fearless Luffy, and wanted away as soon as possible. He would be taking Lucci as well. Which meant Luffy would reach his destination and goal at the same time. Then maybe he could get rid of Spandam's other eye. He was furious with him making Robin cry.

"Someone else take Cutty Flam!" he shouted, but Franky stilled. Luffy saw him open his stomach and pull out an old packet of paper. It was the blueprints to some "super weapon". The reason CP9 had been undercover for. They were in shock, and then horror when Franky made the choice to burn it.

He spat fire from his mouth and the old paper burnt into nothing. Franky laughed at him about it. The whole reason that weapon was being passed down still was because of the off chance Robin would awaken the other weapon. But now that Franky knew she wouldn't do that, there was no reason to keep the blueprints. No need for self-defense, so why keep it? The agents who'd been undercover to get it watched as their five years of work was burnt to nothing.

There were only tiny pieces of burnt paper left. "You don't have the weapon and if you lose to the Straw Hats, you'll be left with nothing! And I'm betting on their overwhelming victory!" Spandam was horrified and furious. It was his whole dream to have this power, and now it was forever taken from him.

Luffy didn't care about the semantics of the situation, but the reactions were entertaining. Franky really wasn't that bad a guy, was he? And his powers were interesting, too.

The Franky Family started to call to him from the courthouse. They were there for him, all of them. Most of the noise from below was no longer marines, but the Galley-La Company and the frankies. To be expected, the cyborg was very happy and touched about this. He cried in thanks and relief before Luffy snapped.

"Shut up and lower the bridge already! Robin's waiting!"

"Ah, yeah! Hurry up already!" Nami shouted.

"Hurry, hurry!" Chopper insisted.

"Straw Hat! Thank you for taking care of my subordinates! Now let the Super Battle Franky show his stuff!" he said with a grin.

"Okay, but I'm still a bit mad about Usopp!" Franky grinned, but then was kicked over the side of the balcony by a furious Spandam. Everything was going wrong for him today, it seemed. And would only go worse.

"Whhaaaa! Big Bro is falling!" his underlings freaked. Then the snail in Nami's pocket started to talk. "Hey pirates!" It was Kokoro. "Listen to everything I have to say! Enough with your hesitation!"

Nami said, "But the bridge isn't completely lowered, we can't get across!" Luffy wondered what she meant. Maybe something crazy. She was probably more drunk now than before. What a funny old woman. "Halfway down is good enough! I'll be there in four seconds! I'm gonna fly through the waterfall!"

"What's she talking about?!" Luffy asked.

They all had no idea until the sounds of the sea train were heard from behind the building. Coming inland more. "I get it!" Luffy said, and grabbed his friends around the waist with two stretched out arms, and took a leap of faith and jumped. They screamed and fell until the sea train ran into them and knocked them into the Tower of Justice.

Luckily, it caught Franky as well. "It can still run! The Rocketman is a crazy ship built by the best in the world! Don't underestimate the skill of the Tom's Workers!" she shouted jovially. More shock came from the enemy building. Actually, only the braided haired one and Spandam were shocked.

The others were in a perpetual state of slight interest. But with the sea train and pirates now inside the same building as him, Spandam demanded they leave and take Lucci with him, to protect his life no matter what. Despite the difference in skill and competence, Lucci was still an underling.

Well, Luffy could follow them easily with scent. There was a loud commotion on both sides of the falls as everyone realized just how they made it to the other side. Luffy was shocked but amazed by the brilliance and recklessness of the old woman. She was crazy!

He was sitting up, him and his proud crew all uninjured. Kokoro and Chimney only had light nosebleeds.

"Wow! You're durable!" Luffy applauded. "Thanks for helping us, old lady Kokoro!"

Franky called them all weird. "I heard you fart on Robin, you're the weird one."

"WHAT DID YOU DO?!" Sanji roared and Nami looked disgusted.

"Hey, I did it to get us out of the restraints and so she could talk to you guys! By the way, you're fucking scary, man! Hahaha!" Franky laughed positively. Luffy looked up and smelled the zipper face.

"Chapapapa! They've broken in! You won't find Robin! Even if you go to the room from earlier, Lucci took her to the Gates of Justice. Ah, and chief, too." Luffy tried punching him, but he moved out of the way quickly. "He's getting there fast, and we won't let you follow. We've been ordered not to, chapapapa! The only way you can free Robin is to defeat us." He held up a key in his hand. "Look at this."

"A key?"

"This is the key to one of the seastone handcuffs on Robin."

"Ah! That's what made me go berserk," Luffy said, pointing at it.

"Chapapa?" Chopper asked if that was what was keeping Robin obedient. Luffy affirmed this. "Well, if you don't mind her wearing that, then you can go and rescue her. But I never said this was the right key! Maybe it's a key to another set of handcuffs. There are five members of CP9 in this tower. Each of us holding a key and waiting for you, chapapapa!"

"So we won't even know if they're the right keys unless we take them from you and to her," Zoro said in annoyance.

"What a stupid way to waste time! While we're fighting, you're probably gonna be taking her to the Gates of Justice!" Nami said they should find Robin first and then get the keys. She'd be safer that way.

Chapapa guy said, "If you do that, then I'll throw this key in the ocean!" They were glaring then suddenly a bucket of gasoline was dumped on Luffy and it burned his nose terribly. Chapapa guy fled the scene with his key.

Luffy gasped and plugged his nose at the horrid, horrid stench. It felt like his nose was gonna bleed. It was terrible and he was feeling woozy. Zoro fretted over it, Sanji raging, while Chopper pulled Luffy's nose tightly, and told him to breathe through his mouth. Nami made a heavy shower above him, rinsing it off.

He was angry at how long it took, but they were all planning on what to do. Luffy would be going directly after Robin and Lucci. The others would find their CP9 opponent and take their keys to bring to Robin.

Even after he was thoroughly wet and rinsed, the shirt still reeked of oil. At least his hat was spared. Luffy didn't like it at all, but he needed his nose, even if he could hear Spandam being stupid even from there. Luffy ripped his shirt off and threw it in the corner. Franky and Kokoro saw the marks, but his crew glared them into silence.

"I'll be going now. They can try and get rid of my sense of smell, but unless they have bombs, I won't go deaf again. Plus, I have my energy juice after all. Don't worry about me, I want you to all be safe and win," Luffy said firmly. "We'll save Robin no matter what it takes!"

"Yeah!"

Zoro kissed Luffy and told him to be careful. And have fun. "Maybe Spandam will lose another eye, who knows?" he said with a snicker. "Love you, too." They all ran off in their separate directions. Luffy could still smell the gas on his shorts, but it had been the worst in his hair and shirt. Thank goodness for Nami's clima tact.

"Spandam sir, please stop talking. We've burnt his sense of smell away, but he can still hear us," Lucci said loudly. Definitely wanting to fight Luffy over getting Spandam to safety.

"Luffy!" Robin screamed. "Luffy!" She knew he could hear her, even if it just seemed like she was crying out for no reason.

"Shut it, woman!" Spandam snapped, and Luffy heard the grunt of him hitting her. As long as they kept making noises, he knew what direction they were in, but the tower was like a maze. And sound echoed from different directions. He went up stairs, down stairs, through halls. He finally decided to just make a straight path to where he thought the sound was. He rammed through walls, hearing them get further, until he breached the wall to a secret staircase that he fell down, bouncing off the walls and steps.

He crashed into the wall, and found he was underground. Sounds on either side of him were warbled. There was a huge door, but it needed a key. He didn't have the key, couldn't make one here. He had nothing to use to try and pick the lock. He aimed a bazooka at the door, but it didn't budge. It made a hand size dent, though.

"Well, now's as good a time as ever," he said quietly, and bit down on his thumb hard enough to puncture the knuckle, and blow air into it, expanding his finger's size and then the rest of his hand. It was hard to control, but he managed a hit hard enough to blow open the door. He let the air out and turned tiny. A child size as he ran after them. He heard Spandam shriek at the noise, and Luffy heard their pace quicken.

He came up with the idea of gear third, expanding his body by inflating it, in a dream. But it worked in theory, so he was glad this experiment worked, too. He was not smart at anything besides fighting. He knew his crew would be amazed. He took a drink of blood, still having half the bottle left. He had that one and the full one left. Should be fine, he had his pockets. His flip flops were deafening in the echoing chamber. "Wait for me Robin!" Luffy shouted, the voice echoing down the long, underwater passage. It was surrounded by water, he could hear it all around and above him. "I'll send that pigeon guy flying!"

It felt claustrophobic. He could hear clashes in the building, and felt the whole thing shake with a thud. Then there were screams, some familiar, others not. Luffy covered his ears when a few explosions went off, the sounds reverberating under the water in a way that Spandam's voice didn't. Luffy was still far from them, but they should be able to tell he was there by now.

Then there was a chilling roar sound. An animal, a huge one, suddenly appeared in the building. But it was near the outside, so it was dull in the tunnel. He could still hear faintly, but the sounds of his feet sprinting were much louder now.

"Keep walking! Drag her, Lucci!"

"Walk, Nico Robin," pigeon guy said firmly. It was Spandam who enjoyed abusing their prisoner more. He could tell Lucci disliked Spandam from the beginning. He looked at him with disdain. Luffy wished he didn't need to keep hearing that coward insulting Robin and roughing her up. It was irritating to listen and not be able to punch him in the face instantly.

"ROBIN!" he shouted.

"Wha?! What was that just now?! I heard a voice! Hey, was that a voice just now?! Ah, did he catch up?! Why didn't the huge door stop him!?" Lucci told him to keep going with Robin. Luffy came across a large door and kicked it open easily. It wasn't made of metal. He patted his thighs and made sure he still had his blood.

He came out in a wide open space. It wasn't what he'd been expecting through the door. "Huh, a big open space?! Where am I?" he wondered, though he knew Lucci was in there.

"Welcome. It looked like the gasoline didn't work."

"It did. I washed it off," Luffy replied. "Where's Robin?!"

Before he responded, they heard from the den den mushi connected to Spandam that he'd triggered the buster call. "Hah!? But he's here, too! Isn't that a bad thing?" Luffy demanded. Lucci made an annoyed tick sound. They both listened as he and Robin argued about the significance of it. He didn't care that everyone, including CP9, would die on this island from a buster call. He didn't care.

The "leader" thought everyone else there was weak, insignificant and worthless. Robin, the pirate, was the one that told the marines on the island to flee. Luffy didn't really take her as a person to rescue strangers, but she had had the buster call happen to her and her home island. She was showing kindness to everyone and didn't want anybody else to go through what she had.

The call was over, and Luffy knew Robin was close and behind the door. "I'm not letting you through this door. I have some questions. How'd you survive being thrown out of the car?"

"I ran along the train tracks and forced a sea king to take me back to the island," Luffy said. Lucci asked how he was all healed. "Magic." Lucci narrowed his eyes. "I'm not explaining more. Let me through."

"I guess no more talking. I'll find out on my own, then." Luffy dodged a punch in the gut and landed his own, only to be kicked in the face and into the wall. He bounced back and sent a pistol at the zoan, their fists meeting in a loud clash that would have shattered the bones in any normal person's hand that then thrust both of them back into a bunch of packages. Luffy discreetly dropped his blood bottles there.

They both stood in the rubble of the boxes of storage that were destroyed or damaged so far. "Out of my way. Robin's behind that door."

Lucci grinned, "She's there alright. But you'll never see her again." Luffy shot forward, and wrapped a leg around Lucci's left calf, yanking back as he grabbed his head and slammed it into the ground as he shot off at a fast speed towards the door, only to be blocked with a punch to the face. He bounced back and shot another punch, dodging the one being returned.

The teen grabbed one of the large storage crates, mostly wood with one metal sheeted side, and threw it at him, breaking it apart into bits and setting off a gatling gun at him. He moved out of the way of each one. Luffy landed a punch to his gut, knocking him back.

But Lucci rebounded and cut him in the sides as he rushed past him, his fingers solid and sharp. But this was the first attack that drew blood, and it burnt the tips of his gloves off. Luffy held the aching cuts with a glare. Lucci looked at the acid blood, and raised his brows. "You sure are an interesting one, aren't you?"

They clashed again, more blood flying and sizzling on Lucci's skin. He seemed unbothered, but stopped any puncturing moves. He was able to block every punch thrown at him and if one did land, he was unscathed. Or at least acted unscathed. Luffy knew he should get serious now. Things were progressing outside and he kept hearing Robin crying.

He pumped his legs and attacked, not giving him a chance. But the fight didn't do much but let him land some good punches. They both were slammed into the wall and crates of the room, breaking them into a ton of debris.

"This is boring," Lucci said, seeing Luffy's injured body, the blood on his chin from the punches. The dirt all over his body from being thrown all around.

"Then let me pass," Luffy said. "You're in my way! I'll get to Robin!" Luffy shouted angrily. Lucci said that wasn't what he meant. He went to the wall, pulled out a compartment and had a pair of seastone handcuffs. Luffy narrowed his eyes. "What do you want to do with that?" he asked. But Lucci was on the other side of the room, and Luffy shot towards the door he wasn't guarding.

He touched the door, but when his hand made contact the cuffs came flying at him and caught one of his wrists. He didn't react fast enough as he felt that draining but empowering feeling. He could deal with it, but then he had it cuffed to the other hand, both hands bound behind his back. "This seems more fair now. In strength ability. Besides, I wanted to see what was so strong to force me to eject you from the premises."

Luffy started salivating and breathing harshly, like he was running a mile a minute and couldn't handle it. He shot at the door. Robin. My friend. Save. My friend. Don't lose. But Lucci kicked his face into the wall. He couldn't fight with his hands anymore. He tried to slip his fingers out as he fought for control.

It wasn't fair, he wanted to fight on his own! He didn't want to win or lose like this! He didn't want to win like this at all. "Unnn-cuff me!" he shouted. Lucci held up a key in his fingers. Luffy shot forward, but Lucci stuck it into his sleeve. He wasn't going to uncuff Luffy.

Then Franky ran in. Ooh, Straw Hat! You haven't won!?"

"Ffff-rank-eee! Robin! Geeet to Robin!" Luffy said, his voice warbled as he fought snarling. "Hurreeeeee!"

Franky realized something was wrong immediately and saw the cuffs. Luffy kicked Lucci in the face hard enough to let Franky through. Luffy now could fight. Those cuffs weren't coming off without him pushing Luffy to the limit. He spat out blood and scowled at Luffy before launching at him.

"You can't even fight me when you're in this state? You couldn't beat me before, or maybe you were just taking too long. And now what're you doing? You can't even talk straight but aren't even giving it your effort. Do you really just want to waste time here while the rest of your friends fight against my colleagues?"

Lucci moved to the wall, and made to punch it to make water pour into the passage. Luffy wouldn't allow that, and shot forward, kicking Lucci in the throat, throwing him back and making him cough blood. "Youuuu not herrt mah friends!"

"I won't hurt them, I'll kill them," Lucci said with a nasty smile, and smashed a fist into the wall, letting water in. It wasn't a thick stream, but it would fill up quickly. Luffy knew there was a real possibility of them drowning in there. He had to put his friends before his pride and hurry. This was humiliating. He won against Enel on his own, barely, and he felt he hadn't beaten Crocodile how he'd wanted. He beat the East Blue enemies alone.

This was shameful. Fighting cuffed when he was inches away from losing control. But his friends came before his pride. Luffy finally let himself snap, and his pupils dilated, he let out a deafening and spitty snarl, and launched at Lucci. His friends were only gonna be safe because of this.

Luffy was weak, a monster, but he would be strong for his friends. Even if it was just to keep them from downing and not to defeat Lucci to save Robin. Defeating Lucci was key, no matter how. But the guy seemed to realize this may have been a mistake when Luffy kicked him so hard the left side of his chest caved in. He vomited blood and a lung was crushed.

Luffy slammed a foot down, devil fruit powers gone but strength not depleted. Even if he was in control, he had no way to attack using his actual fighting moves. Though he thought long and hard about it. Maybe he'd never be strong on his own. Maybe it would always be his monster side, not his devil fruit or actual work.

Maybe he had to accept that as he drove another foot onto Lucci's face, cracking a cheek bone. He kicked Luffy in the face himself. Luffy wasn't made of rubber right now, so the hit hurt. Lucci was standing but barely. He changed into his hybrid form, massive and much taller than Luffy now. He was losing it, everything was slowly tinting red, and blurring. There was a ringing in his ears and his mouth was producing so much saliva it dripped down his chin. Like he was going rabid again.

He let out a chest ripping snarl and shot forward, biting and kicking up Lucci was a blood mess. Luffy kicked in his skull, he bit everywhere, blood sprayed all over the floor and added to the blood already on Luffy. Even when Lucci was dead, Luffy couldn't stop deforming his body angrily.

Then he realized he was trapped in this room, but the silence inside calmed him until he was on his knees sobbing as he snarled. He couldn't get the key into the cuff locks himself as his fingers were twitching and out of control. He got the key in his mouth, and collapsed. He crawled along the ground with his face. He was tired, and hadn't ever gotten to drink any of his blood bottles.

He went to that area, but couldn't unscrew the bottle. He cried, unable to get out of these cuffs and to act himself. He was afraid of whoever would come in first, but he needed somebody. Hopefully Zoro or Nami. Chopper was probably out from being that monster. He crawled to the door, and then the rushing water started to press against the walls, and he watched as his two bottles of blood washed away and down the hall.

He had to get above ground. He had enough strength to jump onto a storage bin. Explosions began, shaking the other island, leaving vibrations through Luffy's chest as he heard the booms easily.

Luffy was shaking, foaming at the mouth and unable to get the key into the lock. He was trapped, somebody else needed to help him. He heard his friends screaming in the passage and then the water swallowing them. He failed them. He stood up, determined to do something even as he couldn't function properly.

He made it to the next level. Robin was alive, Franky was, too. He had to get to them. He still had the key clenched tightly in his mouth. Lucci's body was at a level below, getting caught in the water as well. He hoped his body was never found. Not just because Luffy tore him apart, but because Luffy didn't want him to be found out as some monster.

When he was on the upper level, he had the blood washed away, but was still covered in bruises and cuts. It was clear he'd gone through a fight. He still had the key in his mouth, teeth clamped around it, but not hard enough to break it. The part-human/part-something rolled onto his back, wishing he had blood. He was tired. The fight had been tiring, but the seastone was taking up a lot of energy, though not immobilizing him.

He laid on his back, and the booms got louder until the building he was in was shot. He was so tired, and felt one of the ribs that had cracked move again. Lucci's body floated up, though on his back, not showing the deformed front, but it was clear he was dead. The water was rising, and pooling around Luffy.

His friends were shouting his name, he could hear them, once they saw his fight was over. "Luffy! C'mon, come over, let's go!"

He had the key in his mouth, and when he tried to rise, his body was too tired. They kept shouting at him, and he couldn't move. This was ridiculous! He'd only used his gear second a little bit. What was making him so weak, the cuffs? How rabid he was? The exercise he had running through Enies Lobby from the start?

"That's Rob Lucci! It seems... Straw Hat Luffy has defeated Rob Lucci!" a marine on a megaphone said over the explosions shaking the island. Shaking both sides. His friends were calling out for his victory happily. Now they just had to leave. Luffy looked at Lucci's body. Was it worth it to expose himself and making himself possibly ill? Or to hope his friends come to get him?

And they got out a different way! They were alive!

"Luffy, hurry up! All that's left is to go home, get out of here!" Luffy heard their screaming for him, the fighting, and the explosions. It was so loud. Not deafeningly but enough to be uncomfortable. He looked around, and saw the blood bottles floating in the water, but it was waist high, too deep for him to make it.

Luffy was very close, though. He heard the explosion of a ship, and his friends screaming that their getaway vehicle was no more. Luffy had to fight for them. No matter what. Another explosion rocked the building he was in, throwing him around and into the wall. He felt the key slip down his throat, and out of his reach.

Shit! Now he needed to throw the key up and have somebody do it for him! Damn it! He was weak, but he couldn't think about that right now. "But it seems Straw Hat Luffy is severely weakened and unable to move!"

He looked for anything to help him, but the blood bottles were on the other side of the room. Lucci's body was bumping against the hole in the wall that had been made from a cannon ball. His crew broke his heart, screaming at him to hurry, all that was left was to run. Luffy wished they could go without him if he was just holding them back.

"Luffy! Come home!" Usopp shouted. "C'mon, you can do it! Just a little further, try hard!" Luffy pushed everything out. His hunger, discomfort, fear, embarrassment, shame, and stood. But then he heard a voice in his head. "Come home, into the sea!" Luffy staggered to the ledge to look over, only to be shot at. He wasn't made of rubber right now. The bullets nearly hit him, and one caught him in the shoulder. They hadn't been shooting at him before.

Then Usopp started shouting at them to go into the sea, too. Luffy staggered to the ledge again, despite the bullets lodged into his arms and leg and jumped, seeing their wonderful Merry below. He closed his eyes tightly, holding his breath and begging someone come and get him safely. He was losing a lot of blood from the bullets lodged in his limbs. Someone did come and get him.

"I've' come to take you all back!" He heard Merry say, even underwater. The sounds of explosions were at the surface. He was thrown over the side, making him cry out at the pain of his wounds, being carelessly thrown onto the deck. Zoro wasn't the one to do that, and then got everybody onboard.

Nami was wondering who brought the ship here, who let the rope down for them to come. The Merry was in terrible shape, but Luffy was more distracted by both himself bleeding out and the sounds all around their small Merry.

Chopper was brought to him and Robin carried Luffy inside to the bed on the galley. That was where Usopp had laid. When he screamed at Luffy about sensitive topics. Luffy could hear fighting outside, but just had to hope they would be fine without him. Without Robin and Chopper. Chopper got to cleaning and removing the bullets. Robin was filling a cup from the cupboard in blood from her arm without being asked, and Luffy was trying to force himself to vomit.

It wasn't like he could force the key out himself, though. Once the bullets were out and the wounds cleaned, Robin gave Luffy some of the blood. It wasn't nearly enough, though. The wounds stopped bleeding heavily, but they were still there.

"Luffy, do you have the key?" Chopper asked. He was unafraid of Luffy even though he was still salivating and his heart was pounding.

Robin apologized for blooming a finger in his mouth and pressing against his uvula, making him throw up the blood he just drank, which wasn't the best idea, and even they realized that was a mistake. The key didn't come out, so Robin stuck a line of fingers down his esophagus and spread it apart to make room for the key to come out.

He had never been more uncomfortable than he was there. But the key was out, covered in blood and spit and stomach acid. Chopper unlocked the cuffs, and Luffy felt a rush of relief and took some deep breaths. Tying to stand only resulted in Chopper and Robin forcing him back down. "What happened?" Chopper asked. Robin looked so guilty. Luffy briefly explained that he was fighting Lucci when he cuffed him as an experiment.

"I tore him apart and then couldn't do anything anymore. I couldn't unlock myself, so I was carrying the key in my mouth, but then I swallowed it. I'm sorry Robin-"

"Why are you apologizing?" she and Chopper asked in bafflement.

"I let you keep getting bullied by that guy," he said. His voice was hoarse from the throwing up and the drag of the key along his esophagus. Robin pointed out he'd let Franky out and passed Lucci to help.

"Luffy, even if you had defeated Lucci with what you think is your own strength, we still had to get the keys to her, right? It was an effort made by everybody. Right?" Chopper said kindly. "We all saved her. It was never only on you."

Luffy nodded, knowing he was right. Chopper was really weak, too, and had to be helped to move. The reindeer asked for Robin to get Zoro once everything was calmed down. Despite the sounds of everything, the booms, the shouts, the sounds of rushing waves all around them, Luffy was able to drift to sleep. He woke up to a silent ship only a few minutes later, with Nami asleep with Chopper, Usopp in the corner still as Sogeking, and Zoro sitting up next to Luffy. Sanji, Chopper, Robin, Chimney and Kokoro on deck sailing away.

Zoro noticed when Luffy woke up, and smiled at him in relief. "Hey, how are you?"

"Embarrassed. I was fighting Lucci… and he said he got bored and so he handcuffed me to see what I was like then. I didn't even have control of myself, and I tried so hard. But then he flooded the place, and I killed him. I had plans and new moves and everything," he said sadly. "I was unable to do anything myself."

"Chopper already said it, but this was a team effort. You took down Lucci, even if it wasn't how you planned. Remember with Crocodile? You took him down with your strength, but again, it wasn't how you wanted. I'm sorry that keeps happening," Zoro said, propping Luffy up. "C'mon, get some blood."

Luffy didn't want to do it in front of Usopp. "Sogeking, can you give us some space? I know the Merry's yours now…" Zoro said lightly. Sogeking nodded and left. Zoro already wasn't wearing a shirt, but an open vest. Luffy took a deep drink, and Zoro didn't moan or anything, just pet Luffy's hair rhythmically.

He smiled when Luffy's bullet wounds healed, and his bruises faded. He pulled away, the color back in his face. "Don't be ashamed. Nami said Sanji couldn't fight against the woman and got turned into a soap doll. Chopper will feel ashamed he only beat his enemy as an uncontrollable monster."

Chopper woke up, and smiled at Luffy tiredly from Nami's grasp. "Both monsters, right?" he asked softly. Luffy smiled and nodded. His situation was mirrored by Chopper's, too. He wasn't the only one that didn't like how their match turned out. But, they were all alive and well. Luffy asked how they got away easily.

"Sanji pulled a lever on the Gates of Justice that closed them and created whirlpools that threw the huge marine ships around."

"Wow! That's smart," Luffy praised, making Zoro scowl. "Well, we're on our way back to Water 7, right? Our last ride on the Merry." Luffy stood up, not shaky anymore. He looked at his injured nakama, feeling guilty. "I'm sorry-"

Chopper said, "We're not so selfish we hate that you can get better but we can't. Take me with you." Luffy smiled and picked him up, carrying him out. He still had no shirt on, and he sat at his special spot, Chopper in his lap. "I miss Usopp. I wish he didn't go off before Sogeking."

"He came with us?" Luffy asked, still refusing to ruin it for Chopper.

"Yeah! He helped us all fight CP9 to save Robin!"

"I wonder why he didn't show himself, then."

"Maybe he was ashamed of the fight."

"Yeah. It was a really bad one, wasn't it?" Luffy asked, looking up at the sky. "But, how about we just be happy on the Merry, right now?"

"Yeah! I'm so happy you're all better. Maybe you can learn how to use that crazy strong version some time! I mean, you could control it before, right?" Luffy rested his chin on Chopper's hat. He explained that this time was different. It was because of the seastone that he ended up that way. He was fine before that. And then he was unable to get himself out of the cuffs. "Oh! Well, then that's not a problem! Not every enemy is gonna have handcuffs."

Luffy smiled. "I guess you're right, huh? Chopper's smart, shishishi!"

"Don't call me smart, it doesn't make me happy, bastard!~" Chopper said, though he still couldn't move well.

Franky came up behind them. "So, you're all better, Straw Hat?" He didn't sound surprised at all. Luffy nodded. "That's pretty handy. Able to heal with just the blood from others." Luffy asked who told him. "Sanji-bro. If I tell anybody else, I'll have my balls chopped off from Zoro-bro. No need to worry, your secret's safe with me."

Luffy and Chopper giggled at it. Luffy turned around on Merry's head. "You're really strong, too, huh? That was funny when you burned the important papers."

"It was funnier when you nearly made Spanda shit his pants. Blinding him with a pebble! Hah! How shameful. At least Nico Robin got her revenge in the end." Luffy was glad to hear that. Franky sat and crossed his arms. The others were inside or on other parts of the deck. They had only been sailing safely maybe half an hour. So they weren't very far, but they were safe. "So, what are you?"

Chopper said, "We're trying to find out! We have all our dreams, but we're all still trying to figure out what Luffy is together." He said it so proudly. "So, has Merry talked again when we were asleep?"

"No, she hasn't," Sanji said, coming out of the kitchen with some water. There was nothing else here. No food or anything left. It was a ghost ship but with some people still on. Why would Usopp set sail on this empty and lonely ship?

Chapter Text

DotNotFound: Lol Luffy would pull a Kaneki and have his hair turn white. Though it wouldn't be through torture. There are other things that make Luffy stronger in this besides haki... hmmm. Well, you'll all learn once we get to Thriller Bark pretty soon!

idkwhat2namethis: Aw, thank you! I'm glad you like it. 

Artemispolarbear: Honestly Franky is the best. He's so ridiculous but I also love him. Well, all of them are ridiculous but for maybe Robin and Jinbei haha. I can't wait to either see Jinbei loosen up when he joins after Wano or grow very frustrated with being on a ship with a bunch of kids (and adults who act like kids). Franky also is my fav character in Dressrosa solely because of his braids. Well, Law is up there with the angst. I love me some angst. 

This chapter is family drama. Luffy gets really emotional and a bit out of character, but it fits the situation. Enjoy~

Luffy heard the echoes of people, and turned around and said a ship was coming at them. Everyone gathered, Nami looking tired and leaning against Robin. Usopp, still as Sogeking, was in the background. They saw the flags to find it was the Galley-La Company's ship!

"Wooo! It's the Straw Hats!"

"You're safe!"

"Yay!"

Iceberg was injured still, but was standing with them as the men from other docks cheered them on for their success in sailing off through the aqua laguna. Luffy wasn't impacted by that storm so much as the others were, though. He missed a lot, didn't he? Well, there was no point in brooding about it.

Brooding about the past will do nothing other than worsen the future… right, Sabo? He smiled lightly. "Hi Tyrannosaurus!" Luffy cheered, seeing the brave little mouse on his shoulder. Iceberg shared a look with Franky. Maybe they were friends, or enemies? After all, the Franky Family did cause trouble for Water 7.

Chopper asked who he meant. "There's a mouse that wasn't afraid of me when Lucci's pigeon was!"

"Wow! What a brave mouse!" he agreed. While they were talking, it happened so fast Luffy didn't even hear it begin, the ship cracked in half in the front. Luffy and Chopper hit the Merry's figurehead with an "oof!"

"What's happening all the sudden?!"

Sanji sighed and helped Franky, Chopper and Luffy off the broken part. "It's not 'all of the sudden'. Remember, Merry shouldn't be able to sail anymore. It's some miracle how she and we have made it this far before this happened." Everyone on the ship was sad at the inevitable passing of the Merry.

Most of them just weren't going to be the ones to see it. They planned on leaving their dying ship to Usopp like he wanted. Luffy turned to Iceberg and asked if there really was no way to fix her. "She isn't ours anymore, but we don't want her to die! She's done so much for us, she saved us even just now-"

"Then let her sleep," Iceberg said kindly, though his face wasn't. His face was hard, but his voice held kindness and sympathy. He had to have seen lots of ships die before, and seen their crews' reactions to it. And he knew what he was talking about. Everyone knew that, too. Any resistance was fleeting. Even Usopp said nothing behind his Sogeking mask. "We've done all we possibly can."

His face softened and he said, "I'm seeing a miracle right now… a miracle. From a ship that has reached its limit long ago. I've been a shipwright for many years, but I have never seen a more incredible ship. It lived a very admirable life. I understand."

Luffy swallowed thickly and nodded, looking to the broken Merry. Putting her to sleep is what was kind now. She was hurting, being pulled apart. Knowing she could sink at any moment and kill her crew. They all silently vacated their home, even if she was now Usopp's, she was still the Straw Hat's home. Usopp said nothing, did nothing to stop this. He knew. By now he knew and he had no choice but to accept it right now.

They got any remaining personal belongings off of the ship, but most were already long gone from their first vacating of the ship. They stood on one boat, while Luffy was on the smaller one, directly in front of the Merry. He was captain, it was his burden to let his crew member go. He had the torch, and made sure his crew were ready before he said, "Merry, the sea bed is dark and lonely. We'll stay with you until the end."

His voice was surprisingly firm. He didn't hear any crying from behind yet. He was doing his best to stay in control. But he'd said goodbye to the Merry already. This was just giving her the respect she deserved and needed. This time, she was gone for good. Sailing on her own adventure while the rest left and remembered her forever.

"Thank you for carrying us all this way. You made our lives into a true journey, Merry," he said as she burned. The flags burnt away, and the ship made creaking noises as it's old and tattered wood bowed and accepted the flames. Putting her to sleep.

Snow started to fall, lit a pretty orange glow in front of the blazing fire. It was an uncomfortable silence. Luffy wished somebody would make a sound. Just something. On the surface, the cracking of the ship in the fire was calming. But the more the fire spread the more Luffy heard. Everything burning and breaking. Hearing glass shattering inside… he wished he couldn't hear it.

Like hearing somebody's body fall apart from the inside. Luffy balled his fists, clenching his eyes at the noises of his home just dying. Tears were in his eyes, but he didn't let them fall, even as he heard Chopper and Nami crying, and light sniffles of everybody else. He could wait until he was alone with Zoro to show the pain, whenever they'd have the time for that.

"I'm sorry. I wanted to carry you… just a little bit further. I'm sorry. I wanted to go on more adventures with you."

It was Merry's voice, the one he'd heard in Enies Lobby. The one that told him to jump into the ocean. Everyone could hear it, it wasn't just Luffy.

"But I…"

"We're the ones that have to apologize, Merry! I'm not good at navigation, and I crashed you into an ice berg! I even ripped the sails sometimes! Zoro and Sanji are idiots and broke things all the time! Usopp always tried to fix you everytime, but he wasn't good at it! We're so sorry!" Everyone but Zoro and Sanji were at least tearing up. The snow was falling thicker now, storming.

"But I was happy. Thank you for taking good care of me up till now. I really was happy!"

Luffy was crying openly now, too. Usopp, Nami and Chopper were sobbing though Usopp was trying to keep his in. Franky was crying, too. Though he didn't have the emotional connection that the others did.

"MERRY!" Luffy shouted. They watched her disappear completely. Even watched the last dregs slowly sink or float away from them. Once it was over, and Merry's spirit was in the sea and not in a ship, they got onto the Galley-La Company's ship. The rest of their allies had made it back to Water 7 on the Puffing Tom, thank goodness.

Luffy stuck with Zoro and Chopper, carrying him around like a stuffed animal. The Straw Hats were quiet and resigned on the ship on the way back to Water 7. It only took a couple hours, but there were hours where the Straw Hats wished they could just be left in quiet instead of everyone amazed by their defeating CP9.

Luffy was sitting on their yardarm next to Zoro and Chopper in the crowsnest. "I could hear it all. I heard the upholstery burning, the glass and mirrors shattering, the things detaching from the walls while she burnt," Luffy said suddenly. "I never thought the sound of breaking could be so sad."

Chopper and Zoro said they were sorry. It must have been pretty bad. "I know that she couldn't have gone much longer in the Grand Line. And I know it was the best to lose her at Water 7, but I wish I could have kept her healthy longer." He got up and sat next to Zoro.

"It's not just you that did stupid stuff," Chopper said simply. They all knew it was true, and most of her damage was done by enemies, but still. It was from all of them. It was their ship. Not just Luffy's and so only his to mess up or take care of. Chopper got down when he saw Sogeking talking with Franky.

Luffy sat in Zoro's lap in the crowsnest, leaning back against his chest and looking at the sky. It was still snowing, but not cold. "Usopp told me to 'come home'."

"Yeah, he did."

"I… don't know if I want him back. After the things he threw at me. He went after my sore spots. Do you think he meant them all?" Luffy asked. Zoro was careful with his response.

He said, "I think he tried and succeeded in saying hurtful things. Usually someone acting to the captain like he did to you would earn them a bullet to the head or being dumped off the ship." Luffy sighed.

"I don't know how to argue well. I didn't know what to say. I just let him walk all over me. I didn't want to be mean to him either. I just wanted the argument to end, but it kept getting worse and worse until I snapped," Luffy expressed. "I was the captain. But I don't know how to punish my friends."

Zoro nodded. He could see how that would be hard. He would just beat them up. But Luffy didn't beat them up, he was the one that got beat up for mistakes. "Shishishi, yeah. But I get better fast. Even when I don't need you."

He wrapped his arms around Luffy's waist, leaving kisses on his neck. He had a Galley-La shirt on. "Ne, we need a shipwright. I have an idea who."

"Franky?"

"No, Zambai." Zoro was just silent. "Shishishi, Franky, yeah. He was so chill about my thing! Though you guys told him first."

"Had to when he asked how you were getting medical attention for six gunshot wounds. He's an annoying guy, but I think he's a good man. No matter what he did to us in the past. Maybe he'lll join, maybe not, but we do need a shipwright."

"Though we need a ship first. Did the aqua laguna take that hotel? Is all our stuff gone?" Luffy asked, worried about bringing it up. "We just chose a random hotel. I don't know what the real aqua laguna was like." He was afraid they'd have nothing left. No money, no tangerine trees, nothing. No ship, either, of course.

Zoro said they had to hope. They didn't know. Luffy slouched and took his hat off, holding it. How did it get hurt from Buggy, but no other enemy? "So, were you still going to have your way with me? That was pretty embarrassing you know?" Zoro said slyly. He ran his fingers under Luffy's shirt. "You can't say such things as a joke."

Luffy's face turned red. "It was more like… Zoro could have his way with me. If he wants… I won't know what to…"

"Zoro wants. And he'll take care of you how you deserve. Maybe on our new ship, if I can wait that long," he said, chewing on Luffy's rubber earlobe.

"Shishishi, you shouldn't get so excited here," he said wiggling in his lap, unashamedly.

"It'll go away, just you wait. I have perfect control of my body," Zoro bragged. They waited quietly for a few minutes. "See?"

"Ne, are you thinking of dead puppies?"

"No! I just have full control. And I'll show you that personally later." Luffy giggled again, feeling better. He said he needed a nap. He was still tired. "Sleep as long as you want, captain," Zoro whispered, kissing his head and rubbing firm circles on his chest, lulling the younger captain to sleep.

When they got back to the hotel, among a crowd cheering their safe returns, they found the place was flooded, but not destroyed. Most of their furniture was ruined, all of the clothes were soaking wet, and a handful of Chopper's medical books were destroyed. Considering it wiped out much of that area, the fact that almost everything else was fine was amazing. Thank goodness they had the highest floor and the one to the south, away from the direction the waves came from. The money was safe in its quality case.

It was a huge relief and Nami broke into relieved tears. They needed a new hotel now, though. And they were brought to the Galley-La Company hotel itself. There were other tenants as well, including Franky and Tyrannosaurus. And Iceberg, too. Chopper forced all of them to rest for a full day. Not including him and Robin, as they both went to treat Sodom and Gamora, who would be fine with rest.

The island was very damaged, but apparently it was usually that way. The aqua laguna was gradually eating the island, consuming it more every year. The island would eventually be destroyed by the storm, but they were used to repairs and helping one another. Maybe that was why everyone seemed to be close to one another there. At least, very friendly.

Even the giants Usopp made friends with helped repair the city. Who knows where Usopp was, Luffy wasn't paying attention to his voice or scent. The whole place was fresh with smells, having been wiped out most of them with the storm. If you could describe the scent of Water 7, it was no longer with good food and trash, but just life. Lots of moving people and new things.

He would look forward to being out to sea for an extended period of time.

Luffy was bright red all day the next day, seeing Zoro bringing back certain supplies to the hotel room that he hid under the blankets. Nami teased Luffy about it. "Somebody doing something new tonight?" she taunted when Zoro came back shopping with a bag that had a big red X on it.

"Yup. You're all expected to leave soon. Go do something else," he said blunty, making Nami's face bright red. "Did you not expect an answer?"

"Ah, nevermind. We'll look through the ship catalogue tomorrow morning, yeah?" She and the others left in a hurry, Sanji scowling the whole time. They let the two teen have time to themselves, which they both enjoyed for a very special and successful first time.

-x-

The next morning Zoro kept grabbing Luffy's butt around the hotel room that they shared with bunk beds. "Stop grabbing his ass!" Sanji snapped at the breakfast table. Zoro asked if there was a problem. "It's gross!"

"So, it would be fine for me to grab Nami's or Robin's ass?"

"Of course not!"

"But it would be okay for you to, right?"

"Well…"

"You're only grossed out cause it's two dudes," Zoro accused. Nami interrupted. She said it would be polite to everybody if he and Luffy kept the more explicit parts of their relationship to be private. "Then we need a bigger ship."

Robin giggled, and Chopper was flustered. "So, what are we gonna do about a ship? Buy a used one? The money Franky took really is long gone," Sanji said. Luffy and Nami drooped. "We should leave once the log pose sets in case the marines decide to come after us. They've strangely left the place alone for a while. Considering how many people of Water 7 invaded."

Luffy pouted, "Well, I wanted to have Franky as our shipwright, but I don't want to ask outright. I mean, he beat up Usopp and everything. I don't know. But we do need a ship soon. And we have to have it built, and all. We do have enough for a nice ship with 100 million. We should get a new catalogue."

Robin pointed out that the island is more focused on rebuilding itself than a new ship. "They may put us on hold. We should ask about that first. See how long we'll be stuck here for. And we'll have to furnish it. The furniture from the Merry was ruined."

"Mmmmm, don't say that! I don't want to have to stretch the money after losing two thirds of it," Nami whined. "Ahhh, we should have taken that whole golden bell." Chopper said the Shandorians deserved that bell!

Robin pat his head. "I don't think she meant it," she said sweetly. "We just wish we had gotten more money. Though even if we had 500 million berries in three cases, still, two thirds would have been stolen. So, what you might mean is you hoped our money wasn't stolen."

"Shishishi, Robin's smart," Luffy said brightly before stuffing another pancake in his mouth. The room was quiet a bit before Luffy was asked about Usopp. "I don't know. It might just come down to a vote between all of us." Sanji and Zoro were silent. Robin also didn't say anything, not having been there for any of it.

Nami wondered how she'd vote when the front door was knocked and then busted open, successfully taking them off a sore topic. "Yow! You all being super?!" Franky shouted. "Meh, not all of you are here, but guys! I've got something to tell you, listen!" he shouted, striking multiple poses with his two square sisters, Kiwi and Mozu. They and Nami got along well after their mutual crooning over a certain adorable pirate couple.

Luffy tossed Franky a bagel, who sat on the floor and ate it wordlessly before beginning. "So, on an island with a never ending war-"

"If it's some stupid story, I won't listen," Sanji said, serving Nami more orange juice. Franky told him to shut up and listen. He did, going to pour Robin some more as well. Luffy raised his own glass and was handed the juice pitcher. Well, Sanji didn't serve the guys like the ladies unless it was something for Luffy with blood on it.

It was weird how he enjoyed but detested cooking with blood. Loved finding successful recipes, but also hating dealing with the blood and cooking with latex gloves on.

"There was a huge 'tree' that never fell. Even if people started a war with raining bullets, or if everyone died and left the island in ruins, people still went back to the tree. They used it to rebuild nations and towns. There are only a few trees like that in the world. That strongest tree's name is the treasure tree, Adam."

Luffy shared a look with Chopper in interest. "A tree?"

"Must be a really big one," Luffy stated.

Franky continued, "The wood of it turns up on the black market every now and then. I've always wanted to have them, but I couldn't because they cost nearly 200 million berries. And then appeared a group of pirates with just that much, more than that much."

"BASTARD! DON'T TELL US YOU BOUGHT THAT CRAP WITH OUR MONEY!"

"Shut up and listen!" Franky said in irritation, shoving Sanji away. "Once… I had decided to never build a ship ever again. But before I knew it, I was drawing up blueprints! Because I wanted to catch up to the person I look up to the most. My dream is to make a 'dream' ship that can cross any sea! Made of the treasure tree wood!"

Luffy's eyes were wide, and he hoped he was right about where this was going. "Now that I have the blueprints I need ready and the treasure tree wood, I'm ready to build that ship! When I finish it, will you guys sail with that ship I've built?"

"Yay! We get a ship!" Luffy cheered.

"You're giving us that ship?" Sanji asked. Zoro made a motion for some of Kokoro's just opened bottle of booze and spiked his orange juice with it, though he was wearing a satisfied smirk. Franky said that it had been their money in the first place.

"The ship that managed to go around the whole world, the 'Oro Jackson' that the Pirate King Gold Roger had was made of Adam's wood. I'll make a terrific ship!" The room was quiet before the Straw Hats to just start laughing. The hat, the dream, the mysterious condition, and now a ship.

"I swear, how are you not his son or something?" Nami asked with a snicker. Franky and the others were confused. "We'll be so happy for a ship like that. It's an inside joke," she added in an explanation. Well, he'd know soon anyways, once he joins. Then the mystery will be passed onto him. They all laughed before Luffy grew suddenly angry. Angry and cold. The change was swift, and Zoro asked what was wrong.

"Someone is here who isn't welcome," Luffy said in a surprisingly cold voice. He walked to the window and opened it wide so he wouldn't smash through the wall. He would definitely do that and then not pay for the damages. Luffy stared up at his detested grandfather. He had that awful smile on.

"Yo, Luffy. I heard about your reckless stunts, huh?" Garp asked, voice upbeat as if he thought it was some joke and something he wouldn't get yelled at.

"Ace has already scolded me. What do you want?"

"Brats, give me some time with my grandson."

"GRANDSON?!" his crew and friends shouted in shock. Garp walked in and closed the window so the other marines couldn't hear. Still wanting to hide Luffy away. Keep him from being a nuisance.

Luffy looked at them all and told them to leave. "Luffy?" Zoro asked. The others knew who he was, he was a famous marine. 'The marine hero, Garp the Fist'. AKA, the world's worst grandpa.

"Grandpa, can I go outside? It's not raining anymore."

"Grandpa! I want to train, too!"

"Ace, why doesn't grandpa like me? Is it because I drink blood?"

"Why does Ace get to be a marine but I can't leave the island?"

"It's not fair! I never want to see him again!"

"Grandpa… am I a monster? Wait!"

Luffy told his crew they could leave. They weren't comfortable with this, but Luffy said it would devolve into family issues. They nodded, and hesitantly left the room. When the room was empty, he could hear everyone listening in. Luffy and Garp stared at one another.

"What were you thinking? You're not even wearing your contacts, and everyone at Enies Lobby saw your markings!" Garp scolded. "I told you not to leave for this reason! You have a bounty, and now the marines have a special interest in you. I can't believe how foolish you've been!" Luffy glared.

"I wanted to have a life. And I know a lot more about what I am now that I ever would have trapped on some island in a bandit's hut! I'm not the only one, and I'm not a freak and I don't deserve to be hidden inside!" Garp narrowed his eyes. He was interested in what Luffy knew, since if he knew anything, he never wanted Luffy to have any clue.

"Did you not know about Roger?" Luffy demanded. "You were friends, weren't you?"

"What does Roger have to do with anything?"

"Roger was like me. He had contacts on and dyed his hair. He was never hidden away, he lived a happy life. And obviously good things came from his life. And no, it's not hereditary. Ace has nothing to do with this." Luffy didn't want to be anywhere near him. If he was going to arrest them, Luffy would fight back, he didn't care. Not about his relationship with his grandpa.

Garp seemed shocked and asked how he knew. "I went on a journey, I learned things on my way."

"Is there a cure?"

"I'M NOT SICK!" Luffy shouted back. "There's nothing wrong with me! There are a lot of people like me!"

"Then have they been hiding under a rock? Of course there's something wrong!" Luffy scowled. Garp had never wanted Luffy to exist. He just fed him with bags and bags of donated blood. He never showed any sort of care to Luffy or gave any sort of value to his existence. Luffy was always an eyesore. He had to wear sunglasses inside when he was at home. When he was young and had to live with Garp at their island for a while. Luffy remembered all of that time. Most strongly, the feeling of self hatred and denial.

His grandpa cared about him! He had to. After all, he kept Luffy alive. That had to be care. But when he found a real family in Ace and Sabo, and saw the difference between Ace and Luffy's relationships with their grandfather, he realized he was just a burden.

"You should be happy I left the island. Now you don't have to send blood bags there and I can't burden you anymore," Luffy said coldly. Garp frowned deeply at him.

"I'm not happy that you've plastered your existence all over the place." Luffy's jaw clenched. "It's dangerous for you! Are you out and attacking other people? Where are you getting the blood?" he demanded. Luffy said he had someone on the crew who donated. He wasn't a monster going around eating people. "You tore apart Rob Lucci. Wearing handcuffs. They also said you were thrown out of a sea train window for attacking government officials."

"Yes, I'm a monster, are you happy?"

"Why are you acting this defiant?"

"Because I know I should be alive! I should be able to be happy. I should be able to have friends and someone who loves me. I'm worthy to be happy just like everybody else is!"

"I never said you weren't. I never said you shouldn't be alive! Why are you insinuating I did?" Luffy thought he was stupid. He didn't even know what he did to make Luffy feel wrong? Luffy didn't want to put it all out out there. He didn't want to. He just wanted to hear about Franky's dream ship and nothing else.

"You always showed you thought I was wrong! You ignored me unless it was to keep me from seeing any other living person! I was left all alone in the house while you were away because I was too scared to have anyone see how wrong and ugly I am! I only left when Shanks saw me trying to wash the kitchen window and invited me to hang out with him. I was always treated like a burden from you. I can still remember a conversation we had word for word!

"I asked you if you thought I was ugly. You told me I just 'looked better when nobody could see me.' Ace wanted to be a pirate, but you wanted him to be a marine and tried to make him stronger. You never wanted me to be a marine, you wanted me to just disappear on Dawn Island and not bother you. Maybe find a cure for whatever the hell was wrong with me. You have been the worst grandfather I can imagine anybody having, especially an insecure little boy," Luffy said, wiping his eyes and running out of the building.

He heard his friends calling after him. He didn't listen and went to the top of the island and shot himself up onto the fountain. He looked over the island and saw where Garp's boat was docked. That weird one with the dog face. Luffy had never been invited on board. He wanted him to leave quickly.

Luffy was happy now, his life was fun and meaningful and rewarding. He didn't want Garp there fucking it up. If he hurt his crew then Luffy was going to trash his ship and leave him stranded.

He listened in and heard Garp was no longer at the hotel. He wanted Zoro and Chopper. Well, he wanted Ace, too, but he wasn't there. Luffy went back through Water 7 and back to the hotel, and was embarrassed since everyone had heard his outburst. Garp wasn't there, and the stench of the marines were faint.

He walked in and everyone was quiet before Zoro gave him a letter. It was accompanied by a den den mushi. "What is this?"

"Garp said he knew you wouldn't want to see him any time soon, but he had some important stuff to tell you, so he'd planned on calling to explain at 7:30 tonight. He also wrote this letter." Luffy took the letter and tossed it in the trash bin. "Are you sure?"

"If he only just realized anything cause I yelled at him, it won't change anything." Sanji told him he should really read it.

"There were also two marines he brought to meet us, but it sort of turned into a mess, and he didn't want to piss you off even more," Zoro explained. "So they're coming tomorrow. Then he'll leave without seeing you again."

Luffy was humiliated. "Sorry for the outburst. It had to be really awkward, huh?"

"We all had childhood issues," Chopper said brightly. "Didn't know much about him, though. You mostly talked about Ace and Sabo and Shanks." Luffy nodded. He talked about them because those were the people he liked and felt impacted him more.

"Garp was just the bad spot."

"I'm not saying this to be patronizing, but good on you for not wearing contacts or sunglasses in public. Going out and living your life despite his attitude," Sanji said. "Parent figures are the worst sometimes. I'm not gonna talk about my own stuff, but still, I understand what you feel about being the disappointment."

Luffy hurriedly said he didn't want them to talk about their pasts if it was out of pity. "That was out of respect," Sanji said back simply. "Just know none of us think you're a monster or don't deserve happiness and respect." Luffy smiled and nodded.

They went to talk briefly about the dream ship, but not directly invite Franky yet. Though he had dinner with them, but left before Garp called. Luffy and Robin went book shopping for a while, looking for anything that might have any sort of root in supernatural or old, old history. It was fun.

"I'm sorry I went out shopping with Chopper instead of you," Robin said honestly while they carried the bookbags back. Luffy had a slushie in one hand with syrup all over his mouth and a blue tongue.

"No problem! That's all behind us," Luffy said brightly. Robin smiled, and when they got back to the hotel, Sanji was making dinner already. Zoro was napping against the wall, and they set their books down. Nami was looking through a thick book, smiling. A furniture book so they could fully furnish the ship, though Franky wasn't sharing what the ship would look like.

It was his dream ship, so he was designing it how he wanted, which they agreed on. It wasn't a free ship, but it was a wonderful offer. So he could have fun with it. Luffy had a feeling it would be a fun ship. He was so excited for it. Before they had dinner, Chopper was checking on their wounds, just to make sure they were healing. Luckily, nobody had permanent damage.

During dinner, Luffy was pleasantly quiet, just glad to listen to his friends talk with one another. They were all tense about the den den call that would happen that night. Not knowing what to expect. Luffy didn't know either. He was still embarrassed about blowing up and then running away like a little kid and not a powerful pirate captain.

He tried not to think about it and wear a cranky, sour face. He wished he liked his grandpa, but he just didn't. Too much or too little had been done to Luffy by the man. There was no fixing it by now. But Luffy was glad he didn't need to see him again. At least he understood that much.

After dinner, Luffy was in Zoro's lap on one of the bottom bunks, everyone else gathered on the surrounding beds. This was the bed he and Zoro were intimate on. It had been so special and romantic. Luffy blushed when thinking about it, but it filled his heart with warmth and a fuzzy feeling.

The den den rang, and Luffy picked it up quickly. "Luffy?"

"Yeah," Luffy replied in a clipped voice. Then he added his friends were around. Garp asked if he read the letter. "No."

"I see. Well, please read it later. Anyways, since you're getting closer to the next sea, I planned on telling you about it, preparing you," Garp said, thankfully getting to the point quickly. Everyone leaned forwards without noticing. "You mentioned Shanks. Do you know anything about him now?"

Luffy said he didn't.

"In the Grand Line, there are numerous powerful pirates, but there are four that are the most powerful ones. Shanks is one of them, along with Whitebeard." That was Ace's captain! "We call those pirates, that rule like emperors, over the latter half of the Grand Line, 'yonkos', the four emperors." Everyone was very interested. "The marines and Seven Warlords exist to counterbalance the yonkos! Should one of the three balancers be gone, their power is so influential that the world would fall into chaos!"

"I'm happy to hear Shanks is doing okay!" he said, taking off his hat and looking at it fondly.

"By the way, I heard you met your dad." Luffy was confused. He met his dad? He had a dad? "I guess he didn't introduce himself! He met you at Loguetown." Luffy looked to Zoro in confusion. They had been there together the whole time. Luffy didn't remember meeting anybody. But then he remembered.

"I smelled someone that smelled like you! I don't know anything about him, though," Luffy said.

The den den took a deep breath. "Your father's name is Monkey D. Dragon," Garp said simply. Everyone in the room was shocked, but Luffy didn't know who that was. But Dragon was a cool name. "He's the leader of the Revolutionary Army." Luffy didn't know what that was.

"Ne, who's that?" His crew were shocked at him not knowing. "Is he a big deal or something?"

"Yes! He's the most well known criminal in the world, and not a pirate!" Sanji said. Robin calmly explained he was the leader of a large force trying to take down the World Government. They were impossible to catch. He was the most wanted man alive, and caused a lot of trouble for the government.

"Since most pirates don't attack government agencies and strongholds, they stand out more as those that do. Propaganda is spread through the world, and provokes many revolutions, destroying countries. The government got angry with them, and named him the one pulling the strings. He's now said to be the 'the most wanted criminal alive', but little is known about his identity."

Garp said, "Ah, maybe I shouldn't have said anything. I'm not surprised you don't care. Well, I was planning on leaving today, but I still have two who want to meet you. I won't be capturing you on this island, since you're my grandson, and I'll tell the marines you were already gone. Feel free to stay here as long as you like! I'll be leaving tomorrow. Bye."

"Bye," Luffy said simply, and hung up. "He just doesn't want to catch me cause he feels guilty," Luffy said. He didn't know, but it sounded how things would be.

Chopper said it was a good thing. They wouldn't be arrested. Luffy agreed with that. "I wonder who wants to meet you." Luffy had no idea. He smelled a faintly recognizable scent, but didn't know who it belonged to. After dinner, they went to bed late, Luffy snuggling with Zoro on the nicely sized bed. They could spoon more comfortably than on the small couch.

In the morning, Garp didn't come over, but a guy with pink hair and a guy with long blonde hair attacked Zoro and Luffy, who beat them easily. Luffy smelled the pink one was recognizable. They were wearing marine outfits, so it was easy to know they were those Garp brought but Luffy derailed the plan.

They both smelled like the bad grandfather after all. "Who're you?"

"Wow, you really are strong after all! I give up. Luffy-san, Zoro-san! Long time no see! Do you know who I am?" the pink haired one asked. The blonde with weird glasses on was let up by Zoro, who took the swords from the guy's necks and sheathed them. Luffy had no idea who that guy was.

Luffy smelled. "Coby?!"

"You remembered me!"

"Yeah, you smell the same! But you look totally different! What happened to you?!" Luffy asked. Coby blushed awkwardly. He just said a lot changed. He was more confident now. "Yeah, I can tell! Hey, who's that guy, though?"

Zoro was smiling at seeing Coby again, too, even though he didn't spend a lot of time with him. The blonde said he was Helmeppo. Luffy and Zoro cocked their heads, having no clue who he was. Luffy didn't recognize his smell or appearance at all. "The marine kid? I sentenced Zoro to death!" Still, neither had a clue. "I was the kid that rode on his father's coat tails."

"Oh," they said, and walked away with Coby. Helmeppo was upset. Did he think they wanted to be friends with him? Coby looked at Luffy closely, now, and the captain realized why. He explained he wore colored contacts when he was with Coby, but had lost them along the way.

"Oh, I see. Did you get a tattoo?"

"Actually, we found this weird rock at Sky Island, and it stabbed me and left some mark." Coby was shocked. "It didn't hurt too bad, though."

"Wow! You've had some adventure!"

"Hey, hey, so you know Alvida? She came after me, and lost all the weight! She followed me to Loguetown and said she liked me." Coby looked mortified. "But I told her I was already taken and she got upset. Shishishi!" The pink haired teen's demeanor collapsed immediately.

He said, "I see. A new crew member?" His face was red, and Zoro frowned slightly. Luffy nodded and took Zoro's hand. "Ah, I see. Well, you guys did click immediately." The captain nodded cluelessly. He said it had been a fun journey, and they went through so many adventures together. Coby looked more and more uncomfortable, so he released Zoro's hand.

Zoro asked how he'd come to the Grand Line so soon. "Garp-san took me in. I'm a marine officer now, and when I heard Garp-san was coming to see you, I just had to come! I didn't expect what happened yesterday, though." The oldest teen gave him a warning look when Luffy's face went blank and disinterested. "I didn't mean to be nosy, but we just had a plan! We were going to attack you and Garp-san would see-"

"Let's talk about something else. I don't want to talk about him," Luffy said, uncharacteristically interrupting somebody like that.

Coby smiled and moved on quickly, much to Luffy's gratitude. Zoro went back to the hotel to let Luffy catch up with Coby. He gave Luffy a quick peck on the cheek for some reason, making Luffy giggle. Coby and Luffy went to a secluded area and sat on a pile of rubble that was a building destroyed by the aqua laguna.

The younger was fascinated with Luffy's trip through the Grand Line. But Luffy was surprised to hear Coby never crossed Reverse Mountain. He missed an amazing experience! Though it was scary, so he would have cried if he did it. "I'm not the same as I was, though!"

Luffy beamed, and said he could tell. "So how did you get to the Grand Line ?"

"Marine warships can cross through the Calm Belt."

"What?! How! When we got there it was a nightmare, there were sea kings everywhere!" Apparently marine warships had seastone bottoms that kept the sea kings away. They gave off the same energy as the sea, so the sea kings didn't notice them. "Heh, sea kings are stupid, huh?"

"The technology is just too advanced for sea kings to know! The man behind it all is Dr. Vegapunk, the military scientist. He's brilliant! Truly, he's amazing! Hey, do you know the devil fruit that you ate?"

"Yeah, the gum gum fruit."

"Vegapunk knows so much about devil fruits! Recent studies have shown so much progress in figuring out what they are and how they exist." Luffy was amazed. He wanted to know. "Even I don't know, but the higher ups know and are buzzing with it! There are some amazing people out there, truly!

"I thought the sea I was living in was so small in this big world. If you hadn't jumped out of that barrel on that day… I'd still be a slave cabin boy on Alvida's ship, sucking up to her. But I was saved!"

Luffy laughed, and said, "Haha, you were stuck there. It was so funny how you got stuck there! Shishishi!" Coby looked awkward but both laughed. Soon, though, Coby said he should leave. They were enemies now, after all. "In jobs only!" The other laughed and admitted that was true.

Then Coby's face lit up. "Luffy-san, do you know what the latter half of the Grand Line is called?"

"Grand Line Part Two?" Zoro snorted, as they were back at the hotel to say goodbye.

Coby said, "No, the second part that goes beyond the Red Line is called the New World!" Luffy thought it sounded awesome. Was it very different from the first half? What was it like there? But he didn't want any spoilers, and didn't ask. Coby briefly told him that it was where those starting the next generation gathered. "Whoever conquers that sea will become the Pirate King!"

"Neehee, so me, then?" Luffy asked confidently, arms crossed. Coby beamed, but then looked awkward.

"L-Luffy-san, let's meet over there some day! And I'll capture you then! Next time we meet, I'll be much, much stronger. One day, I'll become a m...marine admiral!" he said, voice wavering and unconfident. Then he got embarrassed and took it all back. Definitely not the confidence Luffy had in becoming the next Pirate King. And not just because of his similarities to Roger. He would become the Pirate King on his own, only encouraged by the similarities.

There would be no cheat sheet on becoming the Pirate King. "Coby!" Luffy interrupted his rambling. "You wanna fight me, right? Then you gotta be as strong as them!"

"B-but a marine admiral?" Coby asked, sounding hesitant and voice showing disbelief that anyone would believe in his dream. Luffy simply said the next time they'd meet, both would be stronger.

"The Straw Hats will be much stronger!" Tears started to drip from Coby's eyes. Zoro grinned and asked if he was still a crybaby. Coby wiped his eyes and smiled. He was so glad to see them again that day. "Me too! Do your best, Coby!"

"You're right, we'll definitely be much stronger when we meet again! So let's meet in the New World!" Coby declared more confidence in his voice this time. The two young marines left, and Zoro was grinning. Did Luffy just make another great enemy?

"Coby will keep his word, I know it! Shishishi!" Luffy said happily.

Later that night, Water 7 had a huge party, including everyone who accompanied the Straw Hats to Enies Lobby, even the giants. They all ate the water water meat of the city, which was absolutely delicious. Even Usopp as Sogeking was there. Luffy didn't feel so angry at him anymore, but was still hesitant about what to do next.

Luffy really wasn't sure, but he pushed the thoughts away for now. He wanted to enjoy the party, and he did. The music, food, fun and games. The joking and happiness. Everyone was happy, the adventure and ordeal over and done with. Luffy stopped in the middle of eating a full leg of water water meat, and jerked around only to see Robin come over.

"It's all good," she said with a smile. Aokiji had been there just now! Luffy trusted Robin's smile, and nodded, returning to the feast and fun. He convinced Robin to do the chopstick nose, which was an amazing feat despised by Sanji. Everything really was fine, wasn't it? For now.

Heh, the New World? What kind of place was that?

Poor Luffy and dumb Garp. 

Chapter Text

DotNotFound: Garp is already abusive and neglectful in canon, I just played it up and made Luffy actually react to it more than just fear. Poor baby. But he has a better family now, and Ace... 

The next morning, Luffy felt great after getting a nice helping of blood the night before. They had breakfast, and were planning on going shopping for new clothes and gear. Well, Nami and Robin were getting new clothes. Luffy and Zoro were going to go to one of the open restaurants since it had been three days since the aqua laguna, and things were looking good repair wise.

Though, Water 7 specialized in building things, so repairing the destroyed buildings wasn't so hard, it seemed. "Luffy, package delivered to the door for you," Sanji said when there was a knock on their room's door.

Luffy got up and went to the cardboard box. He opened it at the table, and looked inside. He had no idea what it was. Only a box of needles, tubes and empty blood bags. "Chopper, what's this?" Luffy asked, showing the contents to the doctor.

"That's a blood drawing kit!" He looked through the box. "It's quite the quality content!" Nami asked who would have known. Luffy rummaged through the box and got to the bottom and saw there was a marine seal on the box. It was from Garp. What was this, an apology? It didn't make him any happier.

"That from Garp? It's from the marines," Sanji said, seeing the seal once Luffy reached the bottom. "Seems like some sort of peace offering, huh?" He gave Luffy more orange juice. Luffy closed it and set it with the other stuff without a word. Nobody pressed him on it, which he was grateful for.

Later, before he went out with Zoro, he went to the roof top and sat down. He sighed, and saw Garp's ship was gone from where it had been before. Did he really not realize until now the damage he'd done? It was too late. He felt that deep inside. He would never love Garp the way he'd always wanted to be loved himself.

Maybe someday he could forgive him, but… not today. He appreciated he was trying to make an effort. Maybe he'd read the letter some day. He kind of wanted to read it with Ace next to him. He was about to head inside when he heard a massive "boom!" that was far from where they were now.

He didn't know what it was, but pulled the sheet of paper Ace gave him out of his hat. It was perfectly fine, and he smiled. Maybe Ace just caught his enemy. He wanted to ask him all about Whitebeard from the New World. Ace sure was an awesome pirate to be a big wig on a yonko's ship!

Well, he'd catch up soon enough. Beaming, he went inside to go on his long overdue restaurant date with his beloved boyfriend.

Later, on their way back, both in a very good mood, Zoro asked if Luffy noticed Coby's behavior. "What do you mean?" Zoro just smiled and said it was nothing. "Neh, what do you think the New World is like? Do you think it's fun?"

"Probably more difficult. I wonder if its name is accurate, though." Luffy wondered if there were more people like him there. "Maybe. Though you'd think Garp would know about that if there were. Though he didn't know about Roger, so who knows?"

People greeted them all over, like they were famous. It was kind of strange, but at least it was a friendly atmosphere. "By the way, have you noticed Usopp spying on us?"

Zoro snorted. "I thought you didn't notice, so I said nothing about it," he said. Luffy took offense at not noticing such an easy thing. "True. Why haven't you said anything about it to the others?" Luffy shrugged, but then said he didn't want them to get their hopes up. If Luffy didn't let him back. "Do you really not want him to come along? I'll support any choice you make, since there are merits on both sides. Not letting him come back, and welcoming him, maybe not with open arms."

Luffy really wasn't sure. "I want things to be how they used to. And he did fight with us together. But it just really hurt, what he said. Why would he want to come back when he thought I was a bad captain, anyways?" he wondered. Voice light despite the heavy subject.

"I don't know. I know he cares about you as a friend. Even if he said such hurtful things. I'm still mad he blew your eardrums. Made you deaf." Luffy said he'd been an enemy. It was a problem that people knew about his senses like that. How CP9 had planned to dump gasoline on him to rid him of his sense of smell. It was just lucky Nami had the power to rinse it off. "True. But still. And he better fight that way against real enemies. Though I guess going all out like that was a sign that he recognizes how strong you are."

"I guess. I'm still not sure. I know Chopper is still hurt from when Usopp shunned him after the fight. But he misses him. So does Nami. Robin wasn't there to see the fall out, so she doesn't really understand the situation and how it got this way, huh? Maybe it's a mystery to her. I'll think about what to do later."

"... If he doesn't apologize profusely for what he did, then he's not coming back. I won't let him." Luffy smiled softly and nodded. "It's your decision from there. It'll be a tough one, but you're captain, no matter what he thinks or thought."

Luffy nodded and changed the subject. "Neh, do you think Franky will join us?"

"I don't know. Hope so. Then we'd have a half-monster rubber man, a talking reindeer, and a cyborg. Not to mention a pervert." Luffy giggled. They would be a very diverse crew. Though why was it taking so long to have a musician?! "We'll get one some day."

Luffy pouted. "I want one now." Zoro just smiled. When they passed the newspaper stand, Zoro took one to read at the hotel. When they got there, only Robin was around.

She told Luffy he should stay away from Nami for now. "She found out you spent so much money on the party. I think it would be safest for you to stay away," she said lightly. Zoro smirked. Hopefully the ship came furnished and they didn't need to buy their own furniture. And hopefully Franky made a bed big enough for them to share.

Zoro opened the newspaper, and started to read while Luffy searched for Usopp's voice. If he was going to spy on them, why couldn't he do it back? But he was interrupted by Robin's voice. "I haven't found anything useful in the books so far. In the supernatural one, the only creature listed is one we long ago ruled out. You're not a vampire, clearly. Nothing else has been helpful, unfortunately."

Luffy frowned and flopped on the bed. "Sorry, I know it's disappointing," Robin said in sympathy. Luffy nodded, and looked up at the ceiling.

"Maybe the New World will have answers. Or another island we visit in the Grand Line Part 1. Hopefully. Neh, do you think everyone has been getting their dreams so far?" he asked suddenly. Zoro turned a page in the newspaper and replied.

"Nami's drawing maps of some of the islands we've landed on, Chopper's improving as a doctor with the more injuries others get, Robin is having fun with mysteries and looking for poneglyphs. Dart Brow can't do much with his own dream. You're getting stronger to be Pirate King, I'm getting stronger, even though I lost one of my swords at Enies Lobby. Usopp had been getting stronger, but abandoned his dream, so he doesn't count," he said casually.

Luffy felt better knowing he wasn't hogging the time they were sailing. "If someone was dissatisfied with the journey, I think they'd say something," Robin added. Luffy smiled. The crew gathered for dinner, and Nami attacked Luffy despite the large amount of clothes bags she had.

"We had to have money for the party!" Luffy complained with bruises on his face.

"Not our own money! Zoro, you don't get to heal him!" Nami shouted. Zoro just flipped her off, making Luffy giggle. Then Zoro got hit on the head, and Nami went to Robin to complain about their idiocy.

She said, "I'm sure we can steal more treasure from somewhere else," reasonably. When they were eating, Zoro told them what he read in the papers. Nobody but the Straw Hats and Franky were mentioned in the paper about Enies Lobby. "They completely left out the Franky Family."

"That's good. Now they won't have to be on the run," Sanji said, cooking. "Though their pride might be injured from it. They fought hard as well. I wonder why they didn't throw more people under the bus."

Zoro said, "They pinned everything on us, why blame others? It would just show more people broke in besides the six of us. Luckily, there's nothing revealing about Luffy. Though the government has to know something is off by now. Nothing about Lucci's defeat, either. And they pinned the burning island on us." Then he smiled. "This means our bounties will rise, though."

Luffy cheered at that. The others were excited for bounties but Nami. Even Chopper wanted a bounty. They only had a handful of days left until Franky said the ship would be ready. The log pose would set the next morning, but it was pointing slightly down.

"Neh, maybe we're gonna go to hell. We went to heaven already- ow!" Luffy shouted when Nami punched him.

"Don't say that! You'll scare me!" Chopper said. Luffy laughed, and said it would be fun.

"Neehee, I'll meet my demon brothers!" Nami hit him again. "I'm just kidding!" he shouted. Zoro was laughing and Sanji shook his head. "If it's not hell, then where is it?" the captain demanded with a pout.

Kokoro came in then, just showing up, drunk as always. But she was welcome, entertaining and had helped them so much. So she could have meals with them, even if she reeked of booze. Nami asked her about the log pose.

"Ngagagaga! That log pose points to the next island, Fishman Island, the paradise beneath the sea." Sanji was excited, but Luffy completely deflated, melting on the bed with a pout. While Sanji gushed about seeing mermaids, Zoro asked what Luffy was so upset about. The captain ran his finger around the pillow.

He said, "The fishmen will all hate me. Arlong and his pirate people were afraid of me. An island full of fishman? I don't wanna go," he whined. Nami also had reservations. Kokoro said she was a mermaid and wasn't afraid. "But you're always drunk, you don't count." Nami scolded him for being rude.

"Ngagagaga, maybe if you show you're a good kid, it'll be fine," she suggested, taking another guzzle of booze that Zoro was looking jealous at. Sanji was unbothered by the bummed demeanor of two of his crew mates, one of them being Nami. Kokoro added, "It's not easy to get to the paradise, though."

"What do you mean?" Robin asked.

"You'll have to go through the Florian Triangle to get to that paradise. More than 100 ships go missing there every year. Later on, others find empty ships pass them. With skeletons or nobody on board. There are even constant sightings of ghosts," the old mermaid said. She sounded like she was having a lot of fun.

"Heh?! Skeletons?!" Luffy asked. "Neat!" he exclaimed. The others glared at him in disapproval. "I wonder if I'll meet one that can talk?!"

"What kind of thought is that?" Zoro wondered. Luffy said they'd seen plenty or weird things! Like him himself. "Good point, I guess." Luffy couldn't wait to meet new things and people. Fight new enemies. Well, enemies that didn't use seastone to mess with him. He felt he could have won against Lucci with his new moves, but that would never be proven or disproven.

Nami said she didn't want to meet anyone. "I don't want to meet skeletons!" she said, Chopper agreeing. Luffy grabbed Chopper and sat him on the bed with him.

"You're all strong! You could fight off a skeleton easily!" Luffy encouraged. Chopper did his wiggly compliment thing and Luffy laughed. Zoro smiled softly and looked down. Kokoro was definitely having fun now, telling them if they didn't make it out on the first go, they'd never get out, they'd just float around until they turned to skeletons themselves.

"Noo!" Nami screamed, Sanji professing his love and how he'd protect her no matter what.

"Sure. You'll be too horny about mermaids to do anything," Zoro said.

"You're the one horny all the time! Grabbing Luffy's ass anywhere you want!" Zoro stood up and drew his swords.

"Stop it! God, you're so annoying! And stop laughing, you should be embarrassed!" Luffy continued to laugh, and said it was true. Zoro turned on him, and Luffy just giggled helplessly. Robin was hiding laughter and Nami confessed she didn't know how to deal with them to Kokoro. The woman just laughed as well.

"You know, ghost ships often hold treasure," Robin said to bring them back on the topic and appease Nami, who now agreed to go as long as there was treasure.

"I wanna buy a bronze statue with it!"

"I'm never letting you handle money again," Nami snapped at him. "You spent most of our money on food!" Luffy grinned, saying it was a fun party wistfully. Nami put a hand to her face, and begged the mermaid for help.

"Ngagagaga," was all she said and guzzled more booze with her ever present lazy smile.

"Maybe a treasure ship has some new swords."

"You already have three swords."

"No, I have two."

"Franky said every guy has a sword. I didn't understand it, though," Luffy said thoughtfully. More than one of them raged about Franky "ruining Luffy's innocence". Luffy laughed joyously. He loved his nakama. He couldn't wait to go on more adventures with all of them. And Franky, too. Luffy's mood lifted more when they were told by the square sisters and Chimney that their new ship was ready only a few moments later!

Luffy was amazed that it was done already! But Sanji pointed out they had five top knotch shipwrights helping out. "Still, that's super fast!" Luffy buzzed. They all hurried out of the building to go see their new home. Luffy wondered just what kind of dream ship Franky envisioned. Chimney said it was awesome, so it had to be!

When they got outside to the front yard, they heard "Straw Hat-saaaann!" and the rest of the Franky Family came, the square sisters already there. Even they were surprised to see Zambai there. They still had bandages on from wounds, and still hadn't replaced their broken goggles. Maybe they liked them that way.

"What's up? Have you come to see the ship too?" Luffy asked brightly.

"That's not it! I have a favor to ask you! Did you see the wanted posters?!"

"Eh? Wanted posters?" Luffy wondered, clearly not having seen them. Nobody else there had either.

"You have an outrageous bounty on your head! And the others have them, too!" the man said. The three that hadn't had wanted posters before were buzzed. Well, Chopper and Sanji were excited, Nami didn't want one. She was horrified when she asked if she had one, too. "Here, see for yourself!" He laid down seven wanted posters. All of them now had a bounty, even Usopp. Wow!

Luffy's bounty had increased to 300 million, Zoro to 120 million, and Robin increased to 80 million. In addition to those three who already had bounties, Nami's was 16 million, Sanji's was 77 million, "Sogeking" was at 30 million, and poor Chopper was at 50 berries. The three newbys were upset for different reasons. Sanji's was the funniest.

Instead of any photo, it was a poorly drawn representation of him.

"Well, I can feel ya, and I know you probably have lots to say, but… wait! Our request is in regard to this!" Zambai shouted, pulling out a bounty of "Cyborg Franky" at 44 million.

"Ooh, Franky got one, too! Neehee, he's cool like us, too!" Luffy said brightly. But the Franky Family didn't agree. Now that he had a bounty, he couldn't live safely at Water 7. He would be hunted and eventually caught and taken to prison. They wanted anything but that, and so they requested the Straw Hats take their big bro with them. They were sure he wouldn't leave them all, but they wanted him to be free from the government.

The only way to do that was to go on the run as a pirate. So they wanted them to take Franky away from the island, even if it would break their hearts. "Please, take him out to sea! He's already the son of pirates! Use force if you need to! Please!" Zambai begged, bowing his head to them.

How strange this had become. They attacked Usopp and tore the crew apart, yet now they were begging for them to take their brother away. You truly find friends in all sorts of situations, don't you?

"Don't worry, I was planning on taking him with us anyways. Franky is gonna be our shipwright," Luffy declared, much to the relief of the Franky Family. Their plan to get him to go was a bit weird, but sounded entertaining. If it worked. If not, Luffy would drag him with them. It was for his sake too, right? Shishishi…

They got their things ready to go, packing everything up in many bags that they would be taking to the ship. Franky had taken a good portion of the books and cooking ware to put on the ship, so they didn't have too much to carry. Mostly clothes and things that were easy to carry in one load.

"Sanji, how long are you gonna be depressed? It's pretty good to have a bounty that high for the first time, isn't it?" Luffy was happy his bounty said nothing about his condition or traits that the marines knew about. Garp probably didn't tell them anything about him. Luffy was always hidden away, there was no way the man would tell anybody about it voluntarily.

"Shut up! My picture is the only one hand drawn!" he lamented. "It looks so ridiculous!" he added, falling to his knees and looking at the depiction with utter hatred in his eyes. "I'm going to kill the person who drew this!" he raged.

Zoro poked fun at him, of course. "That drawing looks just like you. I don't see the prob-" Sanji got up in his face, crying and saying gibberish. "I don't know what you're saying."

"Don't worry, Sanji! Just cause more trouble and they'll have to put a good photo there! But for now, it's really funny! Ahahaha!" Sanji just got on his knees, and mumbled how the ladies would never want to be around someone that looks like that.

"Shut up, it's not your actual face! It would be worse if your bounty poster was some very attractive guy, and you turned out to be hideous in real life," Nami snapped, irritated with the constant crying about it. "You're the only one who can safely go shopping now. I'd much rather not have a bounty poster! The photographer tricked me. And Chopper is called a pet, he should be much more upset than you are!" Chopper sniffled and nodded.

"Chopper's not a pet, he's my doctor and fellow monster!" Luffy said proudly. Chopper wiped his eyes and nodded.

"Luffy, have you decided what about U...Usopp?" Chopper asked hesitantly. They hadn't talked about him at all since they got back from Enies Lobby. Not all together. Luffy frowned, and said that he would only welcome Usopp back if he apologized sincerely. If not, he wasn't welcome, and they would just have Franky.

Everyone agreed with that term. "Hopefully he can shove his pride down his throat this time and do the right thing," Nami said softly. "If not, well, then that's on him. All on him." The others said nothing about it anymore, and went to meet their new ship. Nothing would replace the Merry, but a new ship didn't have to replace her.

"Hurry up, bro's waiting for you!" Zambai said. They made sure to forget nothing, as they were going directly to the ship and then sailing away. Luffy started to feel his heart beat faster in excitement and anticipation. He didn't think anything Franky said was a dream ship would be crappy.

"Sanji, hurry up!" Nami called.

"Just leave that idiot behind," Zoro said in a casual voice.

"What?!"

"Hey, Sanji got up! Good job, Zoro!" Chopper praised. They walked through the city and to the coast where the ship was being built. Well, where it had been built. There were tons of broken ships and scraps in this place, and they saw there was a huge object with a large tarp on it. That had to be the ship!

It was so much bigger than Merry. More than large enough for Luffy's two or three new members, depending on Usopp's case. He had started out wanting ten. He had six right now, possibly eight by the end of the afternoon.

But Luffy didn't smell Franky near. It was easy to notice his absence, even if his scent was all over there, he was not. Chopper shouted for Franky, and that they were ready for the ship. Iceberg said Franky wasn't there, so he would be showing them the ship. Luffy wondered why. He listened in, but didn't hear Franky talking anywhere. Well, he wanted to see the ship right now first.

"This ship is amazing. I was astonished when I first saw the blueprints. It will be able to cross any type of sea." Luffy was buzzing, Chopper jumping up and down, too. "With this ship, you can even go to the end of the world." The mayor and shipwright pulled the tarp down. "Franky also left you a message, Straw Hat-"

"Just show us already!" Luffy shouted excitedly. Iceberg gave him the message anyways as he pulled the tarp down.

"'If you will be the Pirate Kingone day, then set sail with the king of the beasts!'" he said as the tarp revealed their new ship. It was huge! Well, not like a galleon, but Zoro said it was twice the size of the Merry.

"Wow!" Luffy cheered. "It looks like so much stuff is inside!"

"Whoa, he's giving this to us?!" Chopper exclaimed, eyes sparkling like Luffy's. He shot his arms up and launched himself up to explore. Sanji wanted to see the kitchen, while Nami commented on the type of ship it was. They all got on top and Robin wondered what kind of flower the head was modeled after.

"It's a sun, Robin! Look, a grass deck!" Iceberg said the figurehead was a lion. There was even a slide! The inside was amazing, there were so many rooms and cool places. They would never get bored on this ship! Luffy went into the boys room and saw the bunk beds were super big! He and Zoro could definitely fit on one together comfortably.

The kitchen was huge, and Luffy lamented to see there was a lock on the fridge. Sanji was overjoyed at that. No more giant mouse trap that Luffy got caught on. There was an aquarium where they could store fish, a big kitchen and big table, a library, a big bath house, the girls and boys rooms, the grassy deck, and more.

"It really is a dream ship!" Chopper cheered, hugging Luffy's legs as they began to dance and jump up and down. When Zoro poked his head out of the enclosed crows nest, he grinned and said Franky made it into a gym with huge weights for him.

"Yay! I can watch Zoro weight lift in privacy! Neehee!" Nami giggled at it. "Hey, he's really pretty when all sweaty and red-"

"Enough," Sanji snapped. Luffy grinned, and looked at the pirate flag. The jolly roger. It was very different from Merry, but it already felt like their ship and home. Luffy couldn't wait to set sail on it with Franky.

"Neh, where's Franky?" Luffy asked Iceberg. The Straw Hats weren't happy to hear that Franky didn't even plan on saying goodbye. He wasn't going to see them again. He knew that Luffy was going to ask him to be his shipwright, so he wasn't even going to give him the chance. Luffy frowned in disapproval. What a dirty trick!

"Why?!" Chopper asked, also upset.

"He thinks it's his duty and punishment to be here the rest of his life." Nami said the island didn't even want him there. "He has his personal reasons. He enjoyed being with you guys, and knows he couldn't turn it down if he was asked. So, he's avoiding you," the mayor explained lightly.

Luffy crossed his arms and pouted.

"If you really want to take him along, take him by force. Don't be choosey. That's the only way to set him free." Luffy's face brightened at the option to take him by force.

"Neehee! Sounds fun! I can already hear a commotion in town! Be back!" he said, and zoomed away and to the noise, jumping from roof to roof and following the shouts and thudding sounds of bodies hitting the ground. Franky Family members were fleeing their naked leader, trying to lure him to the scrap yard by making him follow his underwear. Well, speedos.

"Pass it here!" Luffy called and extended his arm. Franky shouted his name and tried to catch his arm before it snapped back into place. Luffy ran away with the pants towards the new ship.

"Punk! Did you see the ship?!" he asked, not sounding especially angry about running around naked. Luffy said he did, and it was incredible! "Of course! In addition to my super planning, I did everything you requested!" They hadn't requested much, as it was his own dream ship, and they knew it would be cool. Sanji was the one to request a nice kitchen with the special refrigerator. Nami wanted a big bathroom. Chopper requested a wonderful infirmary as well. Other than that, they let him have free reign.

They were still running, Franky chasing after Luffy, when the older man asked, "Did you see the soldier dock system yet?!" Neither were tired from running.

"Not yet!"

"That's a special feature! I'm sure you'll like it. What about the aquarium?!" Luffy nodded, and Franky looked happy. They both considered it a dream ship, but when Franky got close to Luffy, he tossed it to Chopper. It was kind of gross he had it clamped in his mouth, but Chopper couldn't run fast in brain point mode. He was in walk point.

Then Franky ran in the wrong place, and was grabbed by Zoro and Sanji, shoved into a cannon, and shot towards the scrap yard called shipwreck island. He went shooting over the town screaming, while Luffy had Chopper grab onto him, and rocketed both of them towards where Franky was, and onto their nameless dream ship.

I can honestly see Franky telling Luffy dirty jokes and stuff to make the others uncomfortable lol. 

Chapter Text

DotNotFound: Lol there's a scene in another one of my waiting stories where Luffy starts talking about periods since it had to be explained and he's just going around talking about bleeding vaginas all innocently and Nami and Vivi get pissed haha.

Franky landed on his face, his junk out for everyone to see. People at the stairs were shouting at him to put pants on when Luffy called his name, holding the pants up. Nami thought the whole thing was disgusting. "Thank you so much for the ship! We'll take good care of it!"

The man said, "Yeah, you're welcome. I wish you all a safe journey." Still, he was pantless. And it didn't bother him at all. Nami was looking away while Robin didn't seem to care at all, and was just lightly entertained by it all.

Luffy held the pants up and said, "If you want these back, then be our nakama!" The townspeople were yelling at him to get dressed, go away and that he destroyed the island again. Franky told him to give his pants back firmly, but there was a waiver to his voice. Iceberg was right, he wanted to come but didn't want to at the same time. "Then be our nakama."

"Don't be silly and think you can force me to come with you by taking my pants!" Luffy shot an arm down and took his sunglasses.

"Be our nakama!" Luffy insisted. "And I'll give these both back."

"That won't bother me!" and he struck a pose, completely naked in front of the onlookers. Luffy was impressed with how resolute and chill he was about this. Not embarrassed at all. Robin pleasantly asked if she could be a bit rough and help move things along. Luffy nodded, wondering what she'd do.

She smiled and crossed her arms using her devil fruit to form two arms on either of Franky's thighs before she yanked his privates, making everyone gasp and wince at the same time. Franky screamed at the pain. Zoro and Sanji were back, and Luffy said, "Cyborgs have a sword, t-" Zoro covered his mouth.

"You will never again refer to a dick as a sword. Understand?" he asked darkly. Luffy nodded. Everyone was gasping and screaming about how tight Robin was holding his junk. Painfully. Even the women were bothered and thought it would look painful the way Robin was squeezing, indeed being "rough".

She pleasantly said, "If you ask a group of pirates to back off in front of treasure, then you'd better have some good explanation. Otherwise there's no way they'll back off." It was true, and the other Straw Hats nodded in agreement to her words. Franky was now on his stomach, showing everyone on the island his hairy ass.

"I - I said I want to stay on this island!" Luffy didn't say he could tell he was lying. Even without his super hearing, it was clear. Or maybe it was just him in pain. "I- I'm really thankful to you guys! More than you can ever imagine! I want to go with you, but I have stuff here I need to take care of! That's why I gave you guys the ship!" he said, still wincing a bit but mostly looking irritated.

Then he continued. "First of all, I quit being a shipwright! So that ship would be the last I ever make! It was my wish, that is my dream ship!" Iceberg was listening the whole time, watching and unbothered. Luffy wondered what their relationship was.

"Wait, Franky. That ship has not become your dream ship, yet." Franky defiantly said he changed his mind on what he wanted to do, clearly referencing something only the two of them knew. "What you want to do?! No, that's not right. What you're doing on this island is atonement! You are still regretting and blaming yourself for Tom-san being taken away that day… but Tom-san already forgave you on that day, and directed you to the new road!"

He said Franky united those in the backstreets that had no home, called himself a bounty hunter in order to protect the island from real criminals and pirates. He did that to protect the Water 7 this Tom-san cared about. Though Iceberg was sure nobody saw those things as helping the island and not just himself.

The cyborg denied it all. Luffy could tell it was a lie. But Iceberg continued to pick him apart in front of everybody, a huge audience of the entire island. "You quit shipbuilding, and subdued your will to live. Is that what you're gonna do forever?" the mayor demanded.

"Though, even if I forgive you, and Tom-san forgives you, probably nothing will change, huh?" He then scowled. "Why won't you forgive yourself, Franky?! You can live your own dream, right?" Iceberg said, and Franky was lightly crying, clearly trying to hold it in. Maybe it hurt, Robin was still grabbing his nuts.

Then he started to openly cry in pain. And then he was interrupted when a bunch of heavy bags were tossed next to him. The Franky Family had gathered, some injured from the chase just now, but most crying. They apologized for causing Franky problems, but wanted him to be happy. And safe from the government. They were useless but loved him. Franky cried more, claiming it was because he was in pain.

"Robin, adjust your pain level, please! He'll become a woman!" Luffy begged, Chopper agreeing. Sanji and Zoro were just wincing and staying a bit away from Robin, who was smiling in amusement, maybe? But she stopped her hand pose and turned away. Franky continued to cry, cursing her. "Hmm? You aren't doing anything?"

"Haha, it was only in the beginning. He's sneaky, blaming the pain for the tears." Luffy giggled. "Neh, you know, they don't look like swords, but bananas with-"

"SHUT! UP! ABOUT! GENITALIA! ARE YOU A CHILD?!" Sanji shouted. Luffy laughed and ran inside to get some blood from Chopper's new infirmary before coming back out.

The Franky Family assured him they would do their best to take care of one another. "Don't worry about us on your adventure, big bro! Even if you're going far away, we'll always be your men!"

Once Franky stopped crying, Luffy tossed him his speedos. "Now get aboard my ship, Franky!" Franky wiped his tears and laughed. Nami was giving Robin hand sanitizer even though she assured her it wasn't her actual hands that did the grabbing.

"You should give the hand sanitizer to those who grabbed his speedos," Robin suggested, Luffy taking some and Chopper realizing he put them in his mouth in disgust. Luffy had the blood bag in his hand. Franky stocked a lot of blood bags all in a refrigerator that Chopper said was at the perfect temperature to have them last at least a month each.

Luffy heard some echoes of his name from the other side of the island easily. It interrupted his thoughts and what he was going to say. "Luffy! Sorry, my report was denied! I'm coming to arrest you!" It was Garp. He told his nakama they had to get going, the marines were back.

"You're lucky I'm coming. A ship like this couldn't be taken care of by some inexperienced fools. It would be a shame for this to be in the hands of anyone other than a real shipwright!" Franky got on and Luffy grabbed his heavy luggage and brought it onto their grassy deck. Luffy couldn't wait to have picnics on that deck. "I, Franky, will become the shipwright for your ship!" he declared.

The crew cheered. Luffy felt a tightening in his chest. Well, this was it. With the marines coming, they had to leave the island now. With no sign of Usopp coming. Maybe he decided to not come back after all. He meant everything he said or was too scared to apologize. He could see them both being the reasons, but they had to leave.

They unfurled the sail, and the ship started to lurch to sea. "Luffy? Are you sure?"

"I don't hear him coming. He coulda' come this whole time, but he hasn't. Maybe he did choose to stay. Maybe he meant every word he said."

"But-!"

"I'll continue to listen, okay? But we have to leave now, Garp is coming. Stupid," Luffy added. His letter was weighing heavy in his pocket. He should have thrown it away. But he hadn't. It was in his pocket, forgotten until it wasn't. Chopper and Nami were bothered. Franky as well. Luffy felt a tightening in his chest again, stronger this time.

It seemed they were losing one nakama and gaining another. Luffy drummed his fingers on his knee as he sat against the mast, biting his lip but keeping a smile plastered on his face. "Grandpa is coming, we gotta go. It's too late, I think…" he said sadly, realizing he did want to forgive Usopp and move on. It might take a bit to get to where it had been before, but he wanted to have another go.

But the vice admiral was getting closer, and Luffy could hear him telling his people to get out the cannon balls. Then the first one hit, without a noisy word from Garp, he threw one at their ship and just barely missed. "We can't let the new ship get damaged!" Nami said. She sadly said they had no choice but to go now.

Nobody was happy, even though they had a new ship and new nakama. Finally somebody who could repair and keep proper maintenance of a ship. And even though they had someone to fix it now, they couldn't let the ship get hit by any cannon balls. His crew were shocked at Garp throwing them at them. Luffy saw his face from there. It was set in an angry expression, face tight. Luffy could tell he wasn't angry at him. He didn't want to do this. Maybe Luffy's painful outburst actually touched his heart. He didn't know and didn't want to find out. At least not now and not in person.

Then Luffy could hear Usopp's voice. He jerked around, and Chopper heard it too. "Luffy, Usopp's come!"

"I can't hear it," Luffy lied. "We have to go, now! Franky, how do we get out of this mess?" Luffy asked. He could hear Usopp just fine, even if he didn't like what he was hearing. He was demanding to know why they were leaving without him. They fought together, didn't they? Luffy wanted to hear an apology. He deserved and required that for Usopp to rejoin them.

Zoro cut cannon balls, Franky shot them, Sanji deflected them with his leg and Luffy bounced them back off his body. Come on, apologize! Hurry up!

They all heard Usopp's words now, Luffy couldn't lie and say he didn't. But Usopp was not apologizing. He was doing the same old inflated talking, bragging about his greatness. It left a bitter taste in the captain's mouth. Even now, he couldn't apologize, seeing them leave? He still clung to the belief that he was in the right during that argument?

That picking Luffy apart out of anger was just fine? It made Luffy upset and irritated, and he began to block Usopp's voice out of his head by purposely hearing everything but him. The birds, the marines breathing heavily as they hauled more cannons out. Garp's muttered apology that actually sounded sincere. He knew Luffy could hear him.

"No… wait!" he heard Usopp's voice call. There was a pause before a loud, "I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY I SAID THOSE THINGS! I DIDN'T MEAN THEM! I WAS SELFISH AND CRUEL AND I'M SORRY!" Luffy looked up, eyes wide at the place the voice was coming from.

The honest words were full of the thick noises of crying and gasping. "I know it's shameful! To beg to come back after everything I did and said! Ca-can I take back what I said?! Can I, please?! Please let me come back with you! Let me be nakama again! One more chance, I won't waste it!"

Luffy stretched a hand out, shooting it from the back of the ship to where Usopp was. Luffy didn't say a word, but Usopp grabbed on and Luffy snapped his hand back, pulling Usopp along with it. The other teen was sobbing, but Luffy just had slow tears on. Of relief and hurt. He would do everything he could to move on from the incident.

He didn't want lingering dislike or distrust on the crew. Especially not from the captain himself. "Finally, everyone's together! Let's get outta here!" But Franky told them they couldn't go yet as they heard the citizens shout for them to hurry away. They furled the sails to Franky's order. Luffy trusted his words, he would never let his ship get damaged on purpose.

He said they couldn't set sail without naming the ship. Luffy wasn't sure if this was the best time for that. But he had all sorts of great names! Lion was too predictable, so he chose all other animals. Usopp kept shooting them down, and it bothered Luffy. It really would take a bit to get used to having him back. Well, it was to be expected.

Luffy always thought he was a forgiving person, but he proved he wasn't both with Garp and now Usopp, though he'd try much harder with the latter one.

"I have a suggestion of my own. The 'Thousand Sunny'. The ship that will sail a thousand seas."

"Wow, that sounds so cool! Way better than my names!" Zoro said it was better than his name, "lionel the boss". "Haha, that's a weird name!"

"You're the one that was going to name the lion ship 'dumpling gorilla lion'," Zoro replied lightly. Robin's suggestion would have been "The Darkness", and Sanji's "monster sunflower". Luffy giggled happily.

Franky didn't approve of any of these names, and they could all agree the Thousand Sunny sounded perfect. But they were surprised when he didn't choose that name, Iceberg did! Though they decided on that idea. It was better than Franky's "Lion Gang Champion".

"Let's go with Iceberg's name!" They all agreed. Now that they had a name, it was time to go, right?

"Hey, Franky, let's go! What's this secret weapon? We named the ship already!" Sanji shouted, deflecting more cannonballs. Why was the vice admiral missing each throw? Was it on purpose? Luffy couldn't see that being the truth, though. Maybe it was just a mistake, or he wasn't focused properly. Or maybe his arm was tired.

Franky grinned. "Take a look at this Water 7 while you can! It'll be gone in the blink of an eye!" Luffy beamed, trusting his words, and turned to the enemy ship with his grandfather attacking them from.

"Oi! Coby! It was good seeing you again!" Luffy said, not including Garp or that other guy. "We'll be running away for good this time! Until we meet again!"

Garp said, "Read my letter," quietly, though he knew Luffy could hear. Luffy gave him a simple nod. Luffy turned and thanked everyone on Water 7 for what they'd done for them while they were there. They waved and cheered them goodbye despite the marine ship right there in front of them.

Coby shouted at them to run, and they did. As Garp's final attack came close, a huge cannon ball that Luffy had no idea where it came from was about to crush their ship before the Sunny blasted off with a shout of "coup de burst!" from Franky, indeed leaving Water 7 in a blink of the eye.

Luffy was nearly thrown off the ship, having been standing at the back, and grabbed onto the railing as they flew, cheering at how fast and how far they'd gone just already! The whole crew were amazed and holding on. Luffy got back on the ship and hurried to the others, in awe of their new ship.

Franky told them they could go a whole kilometer in one blast, powered by cola! How?! Amazing! "This ship can do anything!" Chopper said happily, jumping up and down while Luffy looked over the side at the ship's reflection in the ocean, speeding along the waves without touching them.

"Whatever your Going Merry could do, this ship can as well! This ship surpasses her in every prospect. The Thousand Sunny will inherit that ship's brave spirit!" Luffy liked hearing the Merry praised. He did hope the Merry was inherited by the Sunny. Or that she was in the sea, going on adventures of her own. "And if it breaks, I'll fix it without flaw! Count on me for your ship and weapons!"

And he said he didn't want to come!

They had a party that night on the Thousand Sunny's grassy deck. It was so nice and cozy. The grass felt good beneath them. He already felt at home, and could tell the others did as well. Luffy felt kind of awkward with Usopp, though. He tried his best to fall back into step, but found himself feeling self-conscious.

He went to take a bath with Zoro the next day, neither embarrassed about being nude in front of one another, and planning on having some fun in the tub, when Luffy heard Usopp ask Nami if Luffy was still mad at him. He was back on the crew, right?

Sanji was the one to reply. It was after dinner. "You said some pretty hurtful things. I think he's uncomfortable to show any side of his other self in front of you for now." Franky had been filled in on Luffy's special information, and seemed both chill and amazed at it.

"Oh… I feel bad about it. I didn't want to bring it up because I feel ashamed about it. I was trying to hurt him… I was so angry and upset when I shouldn't have been. I was so mean, and I didn't mean anything I said. Of course I don't want him to go without the blood…" Usopp said in shame.

Zoro asked if he was okay, as he was straddling his lap and with his mouth pressed to Zoro's neck. Luffy nodded. Zoro ran his hands across Luffy's soft skin, and Luffy bit down. Zoro didn't try to conceal the pleasure. Luffy found it was easy to please him in other ways while drinking. It was a fun discovery. Neither were in any way shy about using that. Just not in front of anyone else.

When Franky showed them the shark submerge, Usopp was in the docking system as well. Luffy wanted to go in immediately, and Franky didn't protest. It was while Usopp, Chopper and Luffy were inside with Franky that Usopp formally apologized to Luffy about what he said. The captain didn't mention he'd heard it all before. He nodded, but said he might be a bit stand-offish for a bit. "I'll do my best to move on, though," Luffy said with a genuine smile. Then he looked down. "I always thought I was a forgiving person. But there was Garp and now you."

Chopper asked if he read the letter. "Not yet. But I will some time," he said honestly. Franky told them to not talk about sad shit anymore, and the three nodded. Luffy was in the passengers side as they explored. Chopper saw something first, and they followed the white thing. They went along the bottom of the ocean when they saw a swarm of black and white fish and dolphins. There was a huge shark there, too, but none of them were attacking the other.

"No way!" Usopp and Chopper said at the same time. "It's that!" the reindeer shouted in shock. In front of them was a chunk of blood stone. Identical to the one they found on Sky Island, that Luffy got punctured by with no real consequences.

But these creatures were licking the stone like the animals on Sky Island had! "Hey, it makes sense! The whale you and Zoro and Sanji saw before Jaya," Usopp said. Back when they saw the first creature that wasn't Luffy with those markings. "It can't be a coincidence."

Franky asked what the hell they were talking about, so Chopper explained about the blood stone. "If there are some in the ocean, then what if there are some on land?! That could mean more people were like you!"

"We haven't met any in the first half, what if the New World has some," Luffy said with a bright grin. "Neehee, the mystery continues!" he said happily. "It's too bad we can't get a piece off." There were no extendable arms on the shark submerge. A submarine in the shape of a shark. It was so cool! Franky hadn't shown them the other cool things yet.

Franky was grinning in interest, too. "I didn't think you had some mystery journey along with the one to become the Pirate King. This thing sure will be interesting. I'm sure Nico Robin will be interested." The other three knew that was true. They left eventually and went back to the Sunny. When they got there, the four were buzzing, especially the three youngest.

They ran into the galley where Robin and Nami were having tea. "Robin, Robin! We found a blood stone in the ocean!" She looked shocked, as did Nami and Sanji in the kitchen. "There were creatures licking it, like on Sky Island!" he gushed. Robin smiled in true awe. Too bad they couldn't get a sample.

Franky asked to see the one they got from the island in the sky. Chopper got out to go to the infirmary, where it was kept in a case. He brought the case back and took out the tube with the stone. He handed it to Franky, who looked at it in interest. Zoro came in, yawning and wanting some alcohol.

"What's going on here?" he asked.

"We found a blood stone on the ocean floor!" Zoro's jaw dropped. "There were other sea creatures that were at it, too. Sharks and dolphins weren't bothered by each other." Zoro was in awe, and smiled for Luffy. Everyone was interested in it. With them all excited with new information about the huge mystery, Luffy felt happy they were all interested in that part of their journey.

To discover what Luffy was, and how he came to be. As they traveled along the Grand Line, further, they learned more and more but also were thrown into more and more confusion. Sky Island was a blessing to go to. Amazing! How lucky were they?!

The mood was high that day, everyone speculating about it. They had theories about it, but of course no way to prove them yet. All of them were betting that the New World was holding more answers and than questions. Well, hopefully. Luffy was buzzing in excitement about going to Fishman Island. Though he hoped he didn't scare them all off. That would suck.

Zoro and Luffy could comfortably fit in one of the bunks, which had real mattresses in them. Franky built them very large for future crew members and himself. Obviously. So Luffy and Zoro could spoon now instead of being so cramped on the couch. It was awesome and both of them enjoyed the extra space.

-x-

"Ooh, I got one!" Luffy cheered as he tossed a shark into their fish preserve and aquarium. "Let's go see!" Luffy cheered. Usopp's apology made him feel good. It sounded truly sincere. He felt happy with it, satisfied with the apology and the sincerity behind it. They both ran to the aquarium room and were angry to find that the shark ate the other fish. "That jerk!" Luffy raged, going to the glass to yell at it. "We're gonna eat you, so it's good you're all nice and fat!" he said.

Sanji asked how he was surprised. Luffy stuck his tongue out at him. "Grill that bastard!"

Robin told him he shouldn't get mad. It was only natural that the shark would eat the other fish. "It was your fault, first," Sanji said, and then refused to grill, but made a tastier dish, only making Luffy hungrier.

He left the room, and went to the boys room and to his bunk. He just suddenly had the urge. There was no trigger for it, but he pulled the letter from his grandfather out of the stash he had under the mattress of his and Zoro's bunk. He looked at it, seeing it had the marine stamp on it, no doubt because it was all they had.

He sighed and then opened it surprisingly neatly. He pulled out the folded piece of paper. There were photos in it, too, but he went to the letter first.

Luffy, I wanted to tell you in a letter, as I know you were very upset to see me, which I understand now. I made mistakes as a grandfather. I don't have a good excuse for how I handled it. I always wanted your safety first. The marines and government will be interested now. Knowing more about you, though I won't give more information to them.

I never meant to make you feel unloved or undesired. You mean a lot to me, and I'm sorry for how I handled our relationship and your childhood. I care about you just as much as Ace, though I expressed it differently. I should have not said some things, and done more for others.

I did it all for your safety, forgetting to consider your happiness. I want you to be happy, even if it means we are enemies. The photos I added are not meant to be a bribe. I just want you to see that I do treasure you, even if it never felt like I did.

-Grandpa/Garp

Luffy's lips were trembling, his eyes burning, but he didn't cry. He looked at the photos, and saw they were taken of a photo book. It was one of those aging books. Where you start as a baby and then go up. It ended at ten years old. He saw photos of himself as a baby. He saw a photo of him drinking from a blood juice box as he colored at a table in a coloring book.

Finally the tears came out of his eyes and down his cheeks. He felt bad for hating him, maybe he should have read the letter first, before they left. He wiped his eyes and leaned forward. His grandpa did care about him, even if he hadn't shown it in 17 years. He was stupid, like Luffy was.

He sniffled, and saw Zoro come in and see him crying. He hurried over and asked what was wrong. Luffy handed him the letter, and Zoro read it with a straight face, and then sat next to Luffy and kissed his cheek. Luffy showed him the pictures, and Zoro smiled, saying he was really cute as a little kid.

"The letter seems very sincere," Zoro said. Luffy nodded in agreement. "It's too bad he never showed these before." The captain nodded again, and then smiled a watery smile. "Love you." Luffy returned the sentiment, in a great mood. He was so happy.

Luffy watched his very strong boyfriend lift weights silently, sitting on the bench in the crowsnest as Zoro sweat, shirt off, lifting his massive weights, no problem showing off to his attentive partner. Luffy had his cheek in his hand, bent over and enjoying the view. When Zoro looked over and saw Luffy lick his lips, he grinned and turned so Luffy could see his strong back at work.

There was a banging on the hatch before Nami came in and saw Zoro weight lifting his ridiculous weights, and Luffy looking sort of dreaming. She giggled at the cuteness and informed them they found something in the water, a floating barrel. They both got down, Luffy throwing his sweaty boyfriend the towel and climbing down while he put his shirt back on.

They came out to see there was a barrel floating in the sea, with a torn up flag on it. It was dedicated to a sea god, but had the words "treasure" on it. So they pulled it onto the ship, even if it was more likely to have alcohol in it. Zoro would be happy with that.

Nami explained that it was an offering to a god, a prayer for a safe journey. Chopper asked if it was okay for them to open it, then. Plus, if there was nothing of use in there, why bring it aboard. They asked when Luffy smelled from it. It smelled like the sea. It had been floating a long time, so the wood had those barnacle things on it.

Usopp didn't want to open it. What if it was cursed? "Well, if we pray to it, then it will be fine?" he added to himself. Zoro said he wouldn't pray to some imaginary god. Luffy smelled it deeply, and touched the rim, only to smell it didn't really have the scent of alcohol. "It doesn't smell like alcohol.

"Kind of like gunpowder!" They hurriedly tried to return it to the water, get it off the ship as soon as possible, but it was broken and fragile, so moving it too quickly caused it to fall apart, and let out a flare. It was loud and bright. It lit up the entire ship in a red glow until it dissipated as quick as it had come out.

"Heh, it's the curse of a sea god," Zoro joked.

Robin casually said, "Well, it would be nice if it was a prank, but it could also have been a signal, and now the ship is being targeted. Nami said it was really old, so maybe whoever made it wasn't working anymore." Her voice was full of hope and worry.

Then Nami sensed and saw a storm coming, and said they were fleeing south-south-east. They got to their posts and turned the ship to try and avoid the storm that Nami said was coming in five minutes. None of them could see it, but they trusted Nami's instincts. Luffy couldn't hear or smell when a storm was about the form, and even if he could, Nami would sense it, too. So Luffy knowing it was there was nothing very special.

The storm came too fast for them to get away, the wind not on their side. They couldn't get away, and it surrounded them, rain and lightning pouring down, the sky a dark gray. They were trapped there, the storm already encompassing the area. But Franky was confident, and told them to raise the sails as he pressed a button on the wheel and paddles came out.

Not having to use oars themselves was nice as the Sunny had automatic paddles. They escaped the storm easily, but when they came out, it was still dark out. And chilly, with a haze all around them. Luffy smelled a strange, faint smell in the air all around them. "What's this weather? It's not supposed to be night yet…" Zoro said, sounding confused but not too much. Luffy took a deep whiff, and Sanji asked if he smelled anything. He nodded, but said it was unfamiliar and faint. Almost like a sort of after taste.

"It's a thick fog, but does fog usually have that scent?" Zoro asked, getting a shake of the head in response.

"Maybe we're already nearing Fishman Island? The mermaid utopia? My heart isn't ready!" Sanji gushed. Luffy said sea monsters were there. "How do you know?"

"I just do. Shishishi," Luffy replied. Robin giggled. Franky was smiling, and said it should be obvious where they were. The "Florian Triangle". The strange sea where it's a mystery why some many things never appear on the other side. "What if it's an adventure?!" Luffy grinned. Usopp smacked his head. It wasn't an adventure!

Robin said, "Well, maybe the fog will hide us from whatever made that flare. Or not," she added. Chopper, Nami and Usopp didn't want to be there, while the rest were mildly interested. Luffy was sniffing, but couldn't smell anything near. "Can you smell anything, any way out?" The captain shook his head. All he smelled was the fog. "What about sound?"

"I can hear stuff, yeah. There's a creaking of wood from somewhere. Like there are ships around us."

Usopp asked, "Are there any monsters?!" Luffy shrugged. If there were, they'd be underwater. He couldn't hear well below the surface. "Eek!"

Luffy grinned, saying Kokoro said there were talking skeletons. He was excited for this adventure, whatever it was. They all enjoyed teasing Usopp. Maybe not all, Chopper was scared as well. "Listen Usopp, every year in this ocean, 100 ships mysteriously disappear, what's more, ghost ships carrying talking corpses in these waters, or so they say."

"Say stuff like that beforehand!" Usopp screeched. Sanji asked what he would have done if he had. After all, there was no other way to the Red Line than passing through the florian triangle. It was inevitable. "I'd prepare myself with anti ghost and spirit gear! Luffy, stay with me, you'll scare them off!" Usopp said, latching onto Luffy's arm. Luffy laughed before pausing. "What?! What is it?!"

Luffy said he could hear faint singing coming towards them from behind and the sound of creaking wood.

Chapter Text

DotNotFound: Agreed. But it could be one of the crappier arcs because it was smooshed between two really good ones. Just couldn't live up to the hype generated from Ennies Loby and Water 7. 

Big developments in this chapter! But maybe not what you'd think... Enjoy~

Everyone froze, but Luffy couldn't lie, so he was telling the truth. "Neh, what if it's a ghost?! It's creepy singing." They all waited in silence and heard the singing as well. Luffy had been telling the truth for sure.

Usopp and Chopper hid behind him. "Yohohoho~" the eerie voice sang. It echoed through the empty waters and space. Then the source of both the singing and the wood came into view. The fog was so thick it was hard to see until it was right there, but a huge ship came into view. It really was massive. "Ghost ship!" everyone screamed, some in terror, others in surprise or awe. Only two were in awe, Luffy the only happy one.

And it was clear the source of the singing was from it. "AHH! IT CAME OUT!" the three weakest members shrieked, hugging one another. Chopper ordered Luffy to come near them.

Zoro pointed out that people weren't afraid of Luffy unless he scared them away. If it was a ghost, why would it care about Luffy being scary? "B-B-But… no! Luffy, scare it off!" Luffy refused, wanting to see what it was. What if it was a talking skeleton? "That's not it, it has to be some sort of demon! Don't listen to its song, it'll curse you!"

Sanji said perhaps Luffy could befriend it then. Once Luffy stopped considering himself a demon when they discovered the red stone after the whale, it became fine to joke about. Luffy ran to the railing, wanting to see what was making the noise. A ghost ship with creepy singing… it definitely wasn't a human! Or at least, a regular one.

"On this ship… is there someone sailing on it?" Robin asked darkly.

"Hmph, if it's an enemy, I'll just cut it down." Luffy told him he had to wear his bandana with it. Nami demanded to know why he was so calm. "Because it's cool! I wanna go on it!"

"There's definitely something on it," Sanji said in a low voice. Then they saw the source of the singing. It really was a talking skeleton! He sang a song Luffy recognized from Shanks' crew. Bink's Sake. He was sipping tea. They were in shock and horror. Besides Luffy. When he started to rocket himself over, Franky grabbed his arm, pulling him back.

"Are you crazy?!"

"But! It's a talking! Skeleton! I'm definitely gonna go see it!" Luffy said predictably. Zoro said he couldn't go on his own. They should draw straws. See who was going to go with him. "I can go by myself." Everyone disagreed, so they drew straws, and Sanji and Nami were the ones to accompany him, much to Nami's horror.

She cried as they climbed the rope net hanging over the side of the severely damaged ship housing the skeleton. It was the only one he could hear on the ship. And did he mention the thing had an afro?! Amazing! How could a skeleton have hair? Sanji swore to protect Nami as they climbed over the side of the ship.

"This could be a treasure ship, and the skeleton is guarding it, Nami!" Luffy said brightly, grinning as they climbed. She didn't agree with this.

"Can you smell it?"

"Smells like mold!"

"Ah, it's moldy?! No!" Nami shouted, tears down his cheeks. Maybe it was the whole ship that smelled like mold, though. It was old and damaged badly, after all. They didn't make it to the deck before the skeleton looked over the side. Nami shrieked and Luffy grinned. They were sure now, it was the source of the singing and could actually move. But how?! Amazing!

Luffy thought it would be awesome to have a skeleton on his crew. Then they'd have a mystery creature, a talking reindeer, a cyborg and a walking, talking skeleton. That would be amazing, his crew would be so unique and diverse. Who would the final tenth member be? What kind of thing, what kind of person? What if they got a pet? Then they could have more. And Chopper could talk to it, too.

His mind was buzzing with fun possibilities in the future. He couldn't wait for their time in the New World. Uncovering more mysteries. He was brought back to the present when they climbed over the side and he spoke to them!

"How do you do?! Yohoho~! Pardon my early behavior, I met eyes with you before, yet could give no greeting!" He was wearing a fancy outfit with a cane and a top hat on his afro. He was so cool, already, and so weirdly proper for a living skeleton. Maybe he was possessed or something. "What a surprise, it's been decades, perhaps, since I met a living person! All you see is ghost ship after ghost ships in these parts. So scary!"

Luffy pointed at him with an amazed smile and wide eyes. "Look, he's talking. A skeleton with an afro is talking!" He invited them into the creepy ship, where Luffy could smell tons of mold and dust. He knew he'd have a sneezing fit if he went inside. He didn't smell much treasure or paper money, though.

Then the tall skeleton turned to Nami, and said she was pretty, which made the orange haired very uncomfortable, and she denied it for the first time ever. Nami got her angry personality back when he asked to see her panties politely, earning him a kick to the head. But the bone didn't break. He was really durable, it seemed.

"Yohohoho, my my so severe!" he said cheerily. "I felt that down to my bones, down to my skeleton."

"Shut up!" Nami said, no longer afraid, just thoroughly annoyed. Luffy laughed during the whole thing. This guy was entertaining. Luffy asked him if he pooped.

"There are a ton more questions you should ask first!" The skeleton replied that he could. Luffy wondered how, but Sanji was just mad he answered. Why were they so angry? This guy was so cool! "First! You're nothing but bones, so how can you walk and talk? What the heck are you, why are you here? What happened on this ship? Tell us everything that's going on in these waters!" Sanji demanded.

Luffy had the same questions, but knowing if he pooped was the most important. "Hey, before that, join my crew!"

"Yes, very well then," the guy said. Luffy jumped, pumping his fist in the air. They had another weirdo. Nami and Sanji lamented about not stopping him before. They said he was a scary skeleton, they couldn't have him on.

"Well, you only care cause he looks scary, right? You're not scared of me," Luffy pointed out cheerfully. Nami and Sanji had no good argument, knowing Luffy's point was true. "I got a good feeling about him, don't worry so much!" Luffy said, patting Nami on the shoulder too hard. She kicked him.

"Yohoho, what a scary, beautiful woman!"

"You shut up!" both Nami and Sanji said. Luffy just laughed, and had him come onto the Sunny to meet everybody. He looked around at the others, but it was hard to tell his expression. He had no face after all. So cool. "Yohoho, what a cheerful greeting. Hello, everyone. It seems myself and my ship have caused some problems," he said, taking his hat off again. How did it stay on his afro like that? "I'm dead bones Brook, nice to meet you."

Nami and Sanji were dejected for not being able to stop Luffy from offering him to join. The others scolded them for that, and they didn't argue back, knowing they messed up. They didn't like Brook so far, though. "C'mon, look how cool he is! I'm sure he'll fit in!"

Chopper was holding a cross at him while Usopp had decked out in "anti-spirit" clothes. Luffy wondered where he got the awesome outfit. Brook went to Robin and asked to see her panties. Robin just stayed quiet calmly. Clearly a no. Zoro demanded Luffy why he was there. "I made him our nakama!" he said simply. "Shishishi!"

"I won't accept that!" He turned to Sanji and Nami and yelled at them more about the fact they went with them to stop anything like this! Anything reckless or stupid. And this was reckless and stupid. They were ashamed. Luffy said they should get past his appearance! "He's a skeleton! You're different!"

"How harsh!" Brook added, getting Franky and Zoro to tell him to shut it. Then the skeleton said they should go inside for dinner.

"It's not up for you to decide!" Luffy thought this was all hilarious. But they went inside to eat regardless. Franky turned his opinion right around when Brook complimented the ship. It really was amazing. "That's super right! You got good eyes!" he said happily. Anyone cheering on Franky's work was a friend in his eyes. Sanji told him to not be so friendly with him.

Brook said he looked forward to food. He hadn't had food in decades. "Does that mean you haven't pooped in decades?" Zoro smacked Luffy's head, and Brook didn't reply when he got a terrifying glare from Nami. The skeleton said he had not eaten in so long the skin on his belly and his back were stuck together. "But I have no skin! Skull joke!"

"Hahahaha!" Luffy was the only one laughing. But the room had calmed down compared to what happened outside only a few minutes ago.

"Since I'm a gentleman, I'll say 'I wait for the food happily'. Ah, it sounds so unconcerned," he said. He sounded so relieved and happy. But then he and Luffy started banging their forks and spoons on the table, demanding food. Sanij told them both to be quiet and wait. Being annoying would not make the food go any faster!

"By the way, magical-ghost-centaur-"

"Do you know what a centaur is?" Usopp asked in exasperation.

"-what on earth are you?" Luffy asked. Brook didn't really know what to reply to that other than to say his name and ask Luffy's. "I'm Luffy." Zoro smacked his face. They didn't even know each other's names and Luffy invited him. Only because he was a walking, talking skeleton. Luffy proudly agreed with that. It was definitely why.

"What does he actually smell like?" Robin asked.

"Mold and dust."

"How harsh!"

"Neehee!"

"You sure do have good senses, right? How can you smell me like that? Do I stink that badly?" he asked. "If I do, I apologize." Then he farted. Luffy laughed and everyone else sighed or groaned.

Zoro told him not to say the whole thing. They didn't know him well enough. So, Luffy just said he had really good senses. "You did mention that Nami-san and Sanji-san weren't afraid of you. Though I don't mean to press, yohohoho!" he said cheerily. Luffy said he'd talk about it later, but repeated his question of what he was.

But before he could answer, dinner was served. Sanji would not kick the skeleton out when he was so hungry. Never would he do that, which Luffy knew everyone respected. Even Zoro… probably. "Neh, Brook, Sanji's food is the best! You'll love it!"

"What should I do! Instead of my stomach, my heart feels full." Luffy looked, and was sure he had no organs. Maybe he really was magical. They ate with Brook annoying many but Luffy and Robin, who seemed kind of interested but detached. She was the only one who hadn't bitten his head off yet.

After dinner and some fruit parfait dessert, Brook finally answered their question: how he was like this. It wasn't as exciting as Luffy had hoped. It was due to a devil fruit that brought the user back to life. "Heh, that's boring-" Zoro told him not to be rude. Luffy smiled at him, and he blushed, not angry anymore. Robin smiled behind her hand at this.

"The truth is I died decades ago! In short, the revive revive fruit revived me once I died. Being able to come back after death sounded like a wonderful devil fruit! But all it did was take away my ability to swim. I was a pirate on that ship all those years ago. Unluckily, we stumbled across some very strong and frightening fellas. My entire crew was annihilated. I died at that time as well, of course."

The mood of the room changed immediately at hearing this upsetting news. They all felt so sorry for him. He continued like he hadn't said such a depressing thing. The day he died, his soul returned from the afterlife. "If I had found my body immediately, I would have woken up just fine, but my soul got lost in this dark mist! My soul wandered for a full year! When I found my body, it was already as a skeleton. I was utterly surprised. I didn't even have eyes anymore."

"Ah, you get lost like Zoro! Shishishi, at least he doesn't die!"

"Luffy, don't be rude," Nami said. Luffy giggled again.

"So, that's how you became a skeleton. You got lost. That sucks. Being resurrected even as a skeleton… I can see that being a terrible devil fruit." Sanji asked if he was still cursed, and the dead man nodded, though all he could do was not swim now. Luffy thought it was a crappy devil fruit.

"Though I'm happy to be alive, even if it's so lonesome being on that ship," Brook said, his voice quiet and for the first time sounding genuinely sad. Some of the more annoyed crew members had their faces soften in pity and sympathy. But Brook kept on living. Though could he die again and still live?

Zoro asked why he had hair. Usually it fell out early. "My roots are strong!" Wow, very strong! Usopp put his metal cross back up, and Luffy once again wondered where he had gotten it. He demanded to know if Brook was actually a ghost. He didn't look like a human at all anymore! "But I strongly dislike ghosts! If I see one I'll surely scream."

Nami held up a mirror. But there was no reflection of Brook. Robin lightly said vampires didn't show up in reflections. She seemed entertained when Usopp and Chopper shrieked. Nami told them he was obviously not a vampire. "Certainly not! That would terrify me," Brook said.

"Then where's your reflection?" Zoro asked. Luffy moved to sit in his lap, Zoro not seeming phased by it, just resting his hands around Luffy's waist. But then they all noticed he had no shadow. What was he?! But Brook was unbothered. Luffy leaned back against Zoro's chest, fascinated and confused as well.

Brook was completely calm, obviously knowing that was true. He knew he had no shadow, and was unconcerned even as everyone freaked out. Zoro just looked at him with a serious expression. The skeleton then explained everything. It had nothing to do with being a skeleton. His shadow was stolen from him. He could never go out in the sunlight without burning away into ash. Any sunlight would kill him quickly, and he wouldn't come back again.

"I also can't be seen in a mirror or photograph. In short, all light rejects me. But even then, I'm alive! Yohohoho!" He was so cheerful despite the dark subject. Sanji wondered that as well. "I'm so happy because I got to meet other people. I couldn't tell the difference between today and tomorrow in this dark fog. All alone on a ship that won't obey its rudder. How many years I've been wandering! I've been reeaaaly lonely! Lonely and afraid, so much that I wished I would die."

Everyone's faces fell in true pity and sadness for his terrible experience, for decades. How lonely indeed. Luffy felt so sorry for him, and wanted him on his crew even more now.

"I've lived a long time, and being with people is a delight! For me, you're my delight!" he said with wide open arms. "If I had eyes, I would surely cry of happiness. You invited me to be your nakama. I'm very glad you did. But the truth is, I should decline."

"What?! Why?!" Luffy raged. Brook explained he could never leave the fog without his shadow. He wouldn't keep them trapped there any longer than necessary. "Leaving this sea would kill me quickly. I need to get my shadow back here before ever leaving the fog! I have to wait for a miracle day."

Luffy immediately said they were friends now, and they would help him get his shadow back. Who was it?! Luffy would beat them up and get his shadow back no matter what. Brook declined. He was thankful for Luffy's kindness. He wouldn't tell them. He would fight his own battle for his shadow. Luffy was about to ask why he didn't want any help, angrily, when he heard a bunch of sounds. He told them, and they got up to see.

When they got out, they saw a ghost there. They screamed at the sight of it, flying in front of them. It seemed the flare had taken them here. They were in some sort of bay, with the gates behind closed. Brook seemed to know this place. He didn't seem happy about it, and Luffy got tons of bad smells. He should have heard this first. There were the smells of rotting bodies, dirt, crap, trash. "This place smells terrible!" Luffy said in disgust. Usopp asked what. "Every bad smell. Plus rotting bodies, I think. I've only smelled it once, but it smells like that."

Sanji asked when he saw a rotting body. "I was nine. Someone was buried under trash in Gray Terminal. It wasn't the first dead guy I've seen, though," Luffy said simply. They all looked kind of pale at that. Luffy didn't say he'd been with Ace when he bashed somebody's head in. He didn't want to paint Ace like a monster.

Besides, Luffy was a murderer, too. He killed Lucci in cold blood. He didn't really have control then, but it was still him who'd killed him. It bothered him at first. But… now it didn't really. He didn't feel any different afterwards. At least, not in the long run.

When they were shocked at the sudden island, Brook told them it wasn't a floating island that roamed the mist, it was a massive ghost ship. And it was where he lost his shadow! "Hey, then we can get it back for you, huh?" Luffy said happily. "Though this place seems creepy." Usopp and Chopper agreed. They didn't want to go on. "It's another adventure!"

"No! Let's leave!" Franky pointed out that the gates behind them had closed them in. Besides, it seemed like an interesting place.

"I think Robin would like it," Zoro said. "Always saying dark shit."

"It does indeed look interesting," Robin said casually.

"What is wrong with you all?!" the three weakest asked. Luffy giggled, saying they were always scared at first. "But this place is wrong! It took away Brook's shadow, what if it happens to us, too?" Brook spoke up, saying that was the reason he hadn't wanted to tell them about this place. But it was too late now. They were stuck there, at least for the time being.

"This place is called 'Thriller Bark'," he said darkly. "But today is a lucky day for me! I can get my shadow back! It truly has been a delight to be with people, and thank you for the delicious meal. My heart's wish was fulfilled!" He jumped to the Sunny's head, body light since he was only bones. He told them to try to escape out the gate, and to not lower the anchor there.

Well, Luffy was planning on going on the floating island regardless of what Brook wanted. But then the devil fruit user jumped into the water, alarming everyone until he started running on the surface like crazy. "Wow!" Chopper exclaimed.

"Anyways, let's do what he said, Luffy! This place is dangerous, we shouldn't go on it!" Nami said desperately. Luffy beamed and turned around, asking if she said something. Clearly he wanted to go on the island for the next adventure. "You want to go?!"

There was a chilling sound from the island that they could all hear like a ghost and monster. Luffy wanted to see what it was. Usopp asked where the ghost had gone. It had been there only for a few seconds before it left. It headed back to the island. Robin said, "I think that loud vibration was from that mouth closing. It has large gears. I can't be sure, but we must have been eaten by that mouth," she said. "Though we can't know with the fog."

Luffy took a deep whiff. "Smells like rust. This place is really old, isn't it?" he wondered. "I feel bad I didn't notice in time," he said, though his voice was bright and happy.

"No, you're not," Nami snapped.

"Well, we're locked in here for now, it seems," Robin said lightly. "We can try to break out, but the gate looks very thick and heavy. It pulled us in. Luffy are a lot of people here? Not just bodies?"

"I hear a lot of people, but they're all trying to be really quiet." Luffy closed his eyes, looking for Brook's voice, as he was already on the island. His brows furrowed. He could hear Brook's voice, but there were two versions. "Brook has a twin!"

"Huh?" Franky asked. "That's not possible, he has the only revive revive fruit, right?"

"But I hear two versions of his voice," he said, slightly defensively. Zoro said he trusted Luffy's ears, but there must be something more going on there. Well, they had to dock if they couldn't get out of the gate, anyways.

"Wait, do you think all the people you hear were lost at sea? The ships that go missing every year?! Could their crews be here?" Nami asked, shaking. Franky said they couldn't weigh anchor there if the place was floating around the sea. They had to leave the ship still. "Stop talking like we're going on! We're escaping!"

Luffy replied, "But I want Brook to be our nakama. So we can't leave without him." Zoro crossed his arms, and said that couldn't be helped. "Plus, I wanna help him get his shadow back. And don't you all feel bad for his story?"

Nobody could argue that part. His life for the last few decades had been terrible. But the three weakest still didn't want to step foot on the floating island. Luffy hurried inside and got his bug catching kit, only it was for ghost catching this time. He heard the whole conversation. Usopp developed his disease where he couldn't go somewhere scary. Looked like it was contagious and transferred to Chopper.

"Then you guys can stay on the ship!" Luffy offered.

"You're already ready for an adventure," Usopp accused. "Please, don't make us go!"

"He said you can stay on the ship, didn't he?" Zoro asked with a yawn.

"Don't you see this place is haunted?! You're underestimating ghosts and evil spirits! Those dead bodies, all those voices, what if there are zombies?!" Franky called him a bit ridiculous now. Luffy held up his net, and assured Usopp he'd catch all the ghosts. "That ghost went through the wall. How can you catch it in a net!?"

Luffy shrugged and said, "I won't know till I try, shishishi!" Zoro smiled at him fondly. "Zoro will help me, too, right?" Luffy asked, directing his grin to him. The swordsman said he would. "See!"

"Well, no matter what, Brook will be our nakama. Sanji, lunch box! An explorer lunch box!" Sanji took a drag of his cigarette and went inside, coming out with the lunch box with two bags of blood in it underneath the food. "Yay! Thank you!" Luffy cheered, puting the lunch box in the large bug catching box that he'd definitely trap the ghosts in.

Usopp complained more about keeping Brook. He was annoying and creepy! "I drink blood from Zoro," Luffy said, pointing to himself.

"But you're- you're Luffy!" Usopp protested. Robin said he had a good point. They accepted him even when he had to live off blood. "Still, Luffy doesn't look scary, so I forget about it all the time. I don't wanna be afraid of one of our nakama."

Franky waved a large hand, saying they could get used to him eventually. Luffy nodded in agreement. "Besides, do you think he's gonna give up because you guys disagree?" the cyborg asked. Luffy nodded firmly with that.

"Luffy, Franky, you better protect Robin-chan!"

"Ooh, Franky and Robin are coming, too?!" Robin smiled. She liked the thrills. She wouldn't pass up this opportunity. Luffy beamed, and Franky struck a pose. He wanted to help Brook, too. Nami accused him of only liking him because he complimented the ship.

"Yow! Not true! He's a man among men, dealing with his loneliness yet still having a bubbly personality and view of things! Not many can claim to be that way," he replied. "He's loud and obnoxious, but so is Luffy."

"Shishishi! Yup!" Luffy laughed. Luffy took Zoro's hand. Franky said they should use a smaller ship to get to the land. He grinned and introduced more of the soldier dock systems he'd hidden. They'd used the shark submerge, the battle boats, and he let out the mini-Merry! It was a small boat with Merry's figurehead. It would be perfect for landing parties and Sanji bringing food back to the Sunny.

There was another one they hadn't seen yet, though, and he was keeping it hidden for now. Nami, Usopp and Chopper took out the mini-Merry for a test drive first, Luffy taking the next turn. It was wonderful, and making it look like Merry was very thoughtful. "I love the way you think, Franky!"

"Yow! I'm the best man of this week!" Luffy laughed.

"Hurry up, I want a turn!" Luffy called. Franky told them to have a longer turn. "But I wanna ride it now."

"What are you, a toddler?" Sanji asked in annoyance. Luffy pouted. While they were waiting, Luffy got a blood bag and drank it. In case they came across monsters there. Sanji noticed they were gone too long, and Luffy said they were making worried sounds. "What's happening to them?!" Then they heard screams from them all. But they could no longer see them.

Zoro said they couldn't see them from there with the thick fog. "But the sound came from the island," Robin said. Luffy smelled something and grabbed what looked like the air.

"Neh, here's an invisible thing here!" Luffy said, shaking when he felt. It writhed around, and Luffy could tell it was a person. They were momentarily distracted from the three people on the mini Merry. "Show yourself!" Luffy was kicked in the cheek, but his grip just tightened. Luffy sniffed and said it was a person.

Sanji said whatever was happening, he wanted to get to Nami-san now. "What about Usopp and Chopper?" Luffy asked. Sanji didn't respond. But the waves around them started to crash around, and Luffy lost balance letting go of whoever had been there. He was invisible, but Luffy could tell where he was. He was a noisy breather. But he lost track when Franky was concerned the ship would crash into one of the bay's walls.

"We can't leave them behind!" Sanji shouted.

"Chopper, Usopp, say something!" Luffy shouted. "Franky, use some cool weapon to do something!" Luffy listened, and barely heard their voices. "They're okay! I can hear them, but not what they're saying!" Luffy said over the crashing waves.

The others looked relieved, but they still had to deal with the ship, but it finally got caught in something. A huge web, along with Brook's ghost ship. The mini-Merry was caught in the web as well. Luffy said it smelled like piss. "Well, we're on the island now! Let's go! Adventure! And to find Nami and Chopper and Usopp!" he added.

They left the ship as a group, finding a staircase where Luffy smelled their friends had been. They all calmly walked down the stairs, Luffy excited while the others looked mildly interested. Even Robin only looked a little interested, though she said otherwise. It didn't take long to hear growling, and then see a three headed dog of some sort standing in front of them until they got too close and sensed Luffy.

They backed away and fled. "Wait! Come back!" the dog stopped, tail tucked between its legs. Robin said he was cruel, it was terrified. Luffy pouted, but said it could go, and it fled the passage with loud whines and whimpers in fear. "I hope everything isn't scared!"

"Well, the ghost hadn't been," Zoro said lightly, walking with his arms crossed. "I'm sure we'll find things that aren't scared of you. Hey, what's with your arm?" he asked, voice a little more insistent. Luffy looked down to see his arm's tattoos from the Sky Island blood stone was sort of blinking a red.

Blinking? That was really weird. "Does it hurt?" Luffy shook his head. It didn't feel any different. They were all a bit bothered by this, but it didn't hurt at all. All it did was glow a bright red. It was so bright it illuminated both sides of the stone passage.

"Well, that's hard to hide," Franky commented, lifting his sunglasses.

Luffy gasped. "It's like a robot!"

"I'm like a robot, you're like… don't some bugs glow when they are being defensive?" Luffy said he wasn't a bug. "Can you get it to stop?" Luffy frowned, and tried to shut it down, wanting the lights to stop, but it only got faster. His hands started to ache and shake.

"Now it hurts," Luffy said casually. "Well, we should find Nami and them and not worry about it." Zoro said he thought they should worry about it, sounding very concerned. "My hands feel really tight. Like really stiff," he said. They started to twitch a lot, and Luffy fisted them, trying to punch. He slammed a hand into the left wall, and it blew apart like an explosion. He hadn't even touched it hard.

"Idiot!" Sanji shouted as the water started to flood in. Luffy shouted it was an accident as they all fled the water flowing in from the huge hole in the wall. "Make a hole in the other side!" Luffy did that, and it blew apart as well. The ground was higher there, and Luffy let them climb up his arms after jumping up. The water rushed through the passage. Well, now they couldn't get out that way.

Robin asked how he felt. The blinking had stopped. "My hands feel better. I feel back to normal," he replied. She said it might be some kind of pent up energy of a sorts.

"What, so he can emit shock waves now or something?" Franky asked. But Luffy realized he'd lost the scent trail when the water flooded in. Oops. Robin shrugged, but said it started from the mark from the blood stone. It could be related to that. After all, he'd never actually done anything having to do with the stone.

Franky said, "I wish I coulda' gone to Sky Island, too." Sanji asked if they would just talk all day or try to find Nami.

Luffy had lost the scent in the passage way. They'd have to go look for it manually. As in not follow it directly, but try to catch the scent from a distance. Sanji was angry that he lost the scent by flooding the passage. "It's not like he meant to do that," Zoro snapped defensively. Luffy was fine, and they walked along the wall, coming across a huge wall. They couldn't get past it. Luffy stretched up and looked over it, sniffing.

"The scent got picked back up over the wall."

"You should try blowing the wall apart," Robin suggested. Luffy tried, but nothing happened. "Hmm… it could really be pent up energy or strength. I wish we had some information about the stone or what it does." She sounded frustrated.

"Well, I guess it's a mystery, then." Zoro chopped a doorway into the wall, and they walked through it easily, coming to a sudden stop at a tree and unicorn having tea together. They froze, and Luffy's jaw dropped in shock.

He said, "That geezer-tree and a unicorn are having a drink!" He then shot forward and grabbed the tree. "I caught it!" The tree spoke, asking to be left alone. "Hey, join my c-"

"STOP FUCKING AROUND!" his fellow strong teens said angrily. Luffy laughed, and the tree and unicorn fled.

"Hey, that unicorn smells like a bunch of different things mashed together!" Luffy explained, trotting back to the group. "This island is crazy!"

"I'm worried about Nami-san," Sanji said. Franky sourly told him he should worry about Chopper and Usopp, too. "When I say Nami-san, I mean all of them."

"Liar," Zoro muttered. "Luffy, don't go around asking every weird thing to be on our crew! We already have you, a robot and talking reindeer," his boyfriend said sternly. Luffy walked over and held his hand. He replied that random stuff was fun! "Not when you only choose them when they're random. Besides those things were much creepier than Brook."

Luffy pouted, calling him a meanie. "I'm not a meanie," Zoro sighed.

"Well, even if Zoro's a meanie, I still love him," the youngest of the group said casually. Zoro flushed but smiled lightly and quietly said he loved Luffy, too. Sanji made a disgusted noise, and Robin giggled. Franky asked if it was the time for that. "It's always time to love Zoro!"

By now Zoro was uncomfortable, but couldn't bring himself to tell Luffy to stop. He was being so cute, maybe that was why. Or Zoro just secretly liked what he was hearing, regardless of the time and place.

Then Franky suddenly shouted, "Hey, you called me a robot! I'm a cyborg!"

"Robots are cool, too!"

"But I'm not a robot!"

Sanji said, "You run on cola in a metal compartment in your stomach. You're a robot whether you like it or not." Franky threatened him with a weapon's left. "Grow up."

"Fine, how about I call you an amateur chef. Food isn't that good, anyways."

"WHAT?! HOW DARE YOU!?"

Robin said they were going to call attention to all of the weird creatures of the island. Luffy had said there were a lot of voices, and they already saw three strange creatures. Zoro was just looking at Sanji in an unimpressed look, which the blonde saw and scowled at, demanding to know his problem. "You're obnoxious."

Sanji's eyes twitched and he took a very deep breath.

"You know what everything so far has had in common? Stitches and wounds. I also saw numbers engraved on their bodies," Robin said, thankfully changing the subject and diffusing what was going to be a loud and annoying argument turned battle. "Luffy, you said the two smelled like different things?"

He nodded. Franky wondered if they were experiments of some sort. Luffy turned and heard something coming their way. It took a good minute for it to be heard by the others, so it was going very slowly. "Hey! A ghost! I'm gonna catch you!" he shouted, and jumped after it, trying to catch it in his net. It went right through it, and now there were three. "He dances, he clones himself! Wow!"

"Negative! Negative! Negative!" the three chanted. They looked silly, and identical to the one that appeared at the ship. They smelled like cotton candy for some reason. Maybe they were edible! But he couldn't catch it to see. The net didn't work at all, so Franky tried to burn it with his fresh fire.

Nothing happened to them. Then one of them went through Franky, and he lost all confidence in himself, falling to his hands and knees. But one went into Luffy, and they expected him to be negative as well, but he only looked dopey and started chanting "negative!" too, until the ghost left and he fell down.

But when one went through Zoro, he reacted much like Franky. "It looks like the ghosts interacted with Luffy differently. It seemed he was possessed," Robin mused.

"Ahhh! Possessed?!" Luffy freaked. Then the ghost fell down, as if it wasn't weightless anymore, and started to chant "Meat! Meat! Meat!" "Ahahaha! It got possessed by me, too!" Sanji hit his head. He should take this more seriously! "Well, it only lasted for a little bit. And it didn't do anything. Oi, Zoro, stop being mopey!"

"B-But, I shouldn't be alive anymore," he lamented. Franky was crying by now. Robin said it looked like the "negative" ghosts would lower anyone's spirit. Besides Luffy, it seemed. But after a few annoying moments, both men came to, but humiliated.

"Why didn't it work on you?!" Franky asked, his face an angry or embarrassed red. Luffy said he got possessed for a minute. "Possessed? Jeez, that's creepy." The three nodded, and Zoro was scowling furiously, very embarrassed.

"Don't worry, Zoro should be born-"

"Don't say another word about it," Zoro said sternly. Luffy giggled and nodded.

The exploding arm on Luffy will be important for the remainder of the story. Just a warning! I don't know where I came up with the idea, I can't even remember. Anyways, see you next week! (Go see Spiderman: No Way Home. I command you.)

Chapter Text

DotNotFound: Thank you! Lol definitely doesn't go that way. But it's always fun hearing fan theories, no matter how out there they can be! 

Question! If I have any readers here that write in google docs, and get past page 500 or so, does the search for specific words in the story lag? I get sometimes multiple pop ups telling me the page isn't responding and I should wait. Kind of annoying but weird it only happens around the 500-600 page range. Hmm...

They walked along, following the others' scents, though they were mixed with many others by now. But he knew his nakama's scents as well as he knew Ace's. They were easy to distinguish from the many others. But hopefully the many others hadn't hurt them!

Robin mused, "The patchwork creatures were completely different from the ghosts. Maybe someone is behind the ghosts." Sanji asked if it was a devil fruit. "Possibly." They soon came across a graveyard with a ton of awkwardly placed headstones. It was quite the creepy atmosphere, and Luffy suggested they eat their lunch boxes there.

"The food would go bad here," Sanji said. "Let's hurry up out of here."

"Scared of a graveyard, dart brow?" Zoro mocked. Sanji said, "At least I think I shoulda' been born."

"Fuck off! Don't you mention that!" Zoro snapped. Sanji sneered, and mocked him some more, getting swings from Zoro's swords. They got in a tiff until Robin pulled them apart with her arms. Now wasn't the time to turn on one another.

"They're never one one another's side," Franky said, waving his hand at the useless comment. Robin admitted that was true. Luffy looked at one grave when he heard laughing from inside it. He walked over, and stood over it when a hand came out. He stared at it when the old man came out. His close proximity started the injured man. "Heh, an old man with a big wound?" Luffy asked.

"It's a zombie!" the other guys shouted loudly.

Robin said, "Well, he does look old and hurt," reasonably. Then other zombies suddenly started making noises and came out of the ground. Was Luffy's hearing getting worse? He hadn't heard them before they moved. And he had had trouble hearing what Nami and the others were saying when they were away.

It didn't take long to quell the excited zombies, all of the pirates beating the crap out of the mob of them, all having burst through the dirt. Luffy didn't focus on his worry about his hearing, not finding any good use to worry about it. He should just keep an eye on it. If it did decrease, he would worry. But he'd try not to. They had to find Nami and the others.

Once the zombies were down, Luffy listened, and heard all the voices of the island. So many. He did hear Nami's voice, but she didn't sound upset. It was coming from the middle of the island. From that huge building. But they had come through here. Maybe he'd trust the sense of smell for now.

The zombies all gave up easily, and Luffy sat on the tallest grave stone, and asked what they were doing there. They half-heartedly said they were doing zombie things, rotting, but Luffy shouted at them to not mess around, scaring them into silence again. Scared silence of the fearless and strong people in front of them.

"Did a man with a long nose, a woman with orange hair and a tanuki that looked like a reindeer come through here?" he asked seriously, giving them all dark stares, but not giving them his terrifying aura that made even his own crew have goosebumps. Zoro had told him it was attractive to him in a weird way.

There were mixed responses. Some confirmed it while others refused to say, though that was useless when half of the group were saying they had seen the three of them. "Did you do something to them?" Luffy asked in a low voice. "Those are my friends. Did you… lay a hand on them?" they all said they didn't, but Luffy could tell all of them were lying just from their expressions. "I think you're all lying. Tell me the truth. Now." Luffy was trying to act scary, but was also angry that they laid a hand on his nakama.

Again, mixed responses, but it was clear the majority of them had done something, had tried to hurt them. Soon, they were all back in the ground, but forced back down face first, and not by their own volition.

"Their scents and voices are coming from the mansion there," Luffy said, pointing to the gate on the far end of the mock cemetery. It was for show, nobody was actually dead there. What was the point? Just to look scary? Did they really have that many people that got trapped here? So where were they, then?

Hundreds of ships missing every year. Surely there had to be a lot of people there if they went missing due to Thriller Bark. Zoro asked if he smelled Brook. "No, he went somewhere else. Or a different way. I didn't smell him in the passageway either."

"Did he even have a scent other than mold? Surely this junkyard of a place has to reek of mold," Sanji said, taking a drag of his cigarette. Luffy said it did. It was hard to pick out Brook. Especially since he'd met him for not too long. Not long enough for him to have a distinct smell. "I'm more likely to find him from his voice, but there's two of them."

"Still?"

They were nearly out of the graveyard when a real man came out behind them. Luffy scowled when he didn't hear him. He clenched his fists. It seemed he could only hear far if he focused. That was a problem.

"Hello! Please, guys… wait just a moment!" the wrinkled and bandaged old man holding a lantern called, limping over. He was really injured. Or a zombie. "I've watched you! You're all terribly strong! Would you please listen to me for a second?!" he asked frantically.

"An old man with a big wound?" Luffy asked a second time. And again, his nakama told him it was a zombie.

"Actually, I am an old man with a big wound." It was so easy to confuse them! Luffy agreed with his friends when they said that loudly. The man continued, saying, "There's someone here, who I wish to see defeated! I think you can all do it! There are many victims… if he was beaten, they would all be rescued! If my shadow was returned to me, I'd be forever grateful!"

Hearing about the shadow caught Luffy's attention. At first, he didn't really care. He wasn't out to save random people. "Really? You don't have a shadow either! Like Brook!"

Zoro asked who the hell had done that. "Is he on this island?" the swordsman wondered.

"He's on this island! His name is Moria… he's terrible," the old man with a big wound said, shaking. Robin recognized this name. Gecko Moria, another warlord, apparently. His bounty exceeded Luffy's current one. A warlord… stronger than Crocodile. Luffy was stronger than he had been when he fought Crocodile. And he was confident in his strength, even if it was without seastone, which would be for the best.

If he was beaten, would Brook have his shadow again? And was that guy responsible for the shadow theft? If he ran this place, then that would make sense. What kind of devil fruit was that? It had to be a devil fruit, stealing shadows. Luffy asked the old man why someone like Moria would be there.

"Well, I dunno, but there are a lot more victims like me that got lost in this forest."

"It's not a very big forest, right?" Zoro asked.

Sanji said, "You don't get to patronize others about getting lost, moss head." Zoro scowled but didn't bite.

"Well, the fact that you're here means Moria has set his eyes on you all. I'm positive. We hide in the dark of this forest, afraid of the zombies. But frightened to leave and go into the sunlight! In any case, this body doesn't feel like living anymore. Just one more time, before I die, I want to walk into the sunlight!" The old man was crying by now. He really looked very injured. Chopper would no doubt fret over his health and try to help him. Franky was crying at the story as well. For a big cyborg, he did cry a lot. Sometimes it was funny. He immediately said they would help him.

"Don't burden yourself so easily! You're too emotional!" Zoro scolded.

"Well, we're looking for the shadow thief anyways! If he's looking for us, too, that makes things easier! We'll kick his butt and get your shadows back. So, we'll end up helping you guys as well! You'll get your shadows back, and walk under the sun again!" Luffy said cheerfully. Other voices were around them, begging them for their help.

Luffy frowned again. How had he neither heard or smelled them? Wait… maybe it was the mist! That was making his senses foggier. Hopefully that was it, and nothing more! He wouldn't know what to do without his advanced senses. It would be terribly uncomfortable. They had gotten better on their journeys, and losing them would make life much harder for him.

It started to rain heavily, suddenly. "It's raining really hard, huh? Should we run to the mansion?" Luffy asked, the rain pouring down on them. It had come suddenly. Or maybe they couldn't tell the thick mist from storm clouds. He worried about Chopper and the others. He wanted to get inside where they were. Hopefully it really was only difficult because of the fog.

He looked up higher and squinted his eyes. There was something behind the mansion. "Hey, what's that? A mark, behind the mansion," Luffy said, his four friends turned and looked, too, trying to see through the rain and clearly fog. Not clear enough to not have it still visible, but they could see a bit further more, luckily. "Is… that a flag? A huge flag?!"

"Its… it's a sail!" Sanji said in shock. "It's massive! What's a sail doing there?" The old man still there but silent spoke again, explaining that Thriller Bark wasn't a floating island, but a huge ship, the biggest ship in the world. It had a forest and mansion, along with a small village in the middle where the mansion was.

A ship?! It was massive! Thousands of times bigger than that galleon that fell from the sky, the biggest ship they'd ever seen in person. It was the largest pirate ship in the world. The back of the mansion was the main mast, and that was where Gecko Moria was. Their new target and new enemy. To get Brook's shadow back and find their crew members as fast as possible. Well, now they knew where to go.

"We'll defeat Moria and get your shadows back. The group soon stood before the mansion entrance. Luffy set his hat back on, and asked if they were ready to enter the ghost mansion. Nobody was very afraid, with Luffy excited. As long as he wasn't possessed again. How weird. But maybe that was better than saying he wished he was a water flea or something stupid and embarrassing like that.

Luffy busted the lock and threw the door open. "Pardon us!" he said as he entered the place. It stunk like old carpet and mold, as well. Why did so much smell like mold? At least the mansion didn't smell like crap or rotting bodies like outside. And he could smell his nakama much clearer. And he also could hear better! It had been the fog! Thank goodness.

"Gecko Moria?" Luffy called.

"Such a big mansion, and not a single servant?" Robin said curiously. "We should be careful for the invisible person from before. He could be anywhere," she reminded them. The place looked kind of trashed. Like there was some fight before then. Chairs and decorations were flung around the entrance hall. It had tons of shaggy carpet and creepy paintings on the wall.

It was an unsettling place. "Why would anyone want to live in a creepy ass place like this?" Franky asked.

"They probably like it because it's creepy," Sanji said, looking at one of the paintings with a look of distaste. "I hope they didn't hurt Nami-san."

"And Chopper and Usopp!" Franky said in outright annoyance.

Zoro said, "Dart brow only cares about the girls. Don't expect him to worry over the guys on the crew."

"Hey, I'm not that heartless! I just care about Nami-san and Robin-chan more than you hooligans."

"Gee, that makes me feel so much better," Franky said sarcastically.

"Don't worry Franky, we like you!" Luffy said.

"I wasn't saying I thought you didn't. It's just annoying that he only cares about the women." Sanji said nothing. Luffy heard something start to move above, and saw something that had been still and not alive moments ago. A stuffed pig head on a plank on the wall.

It laughed, and said they were brave for saying Moria's name. Well, he called him the master. "You're courageous to enter this place!" the stuffed pig head said. How was it alive? But then the paintings and carpets came alive. The four were largely unimpressed, while Lufy was the only one openly amazed.

"Let us welcome the guests!" they all shouted and went after the unafraid pirates. They were easily defeated by the pirates, who were unafraid or unimpressed. They were all weak, and seemed to only have the scare factor on their side, though it wasn't with them. Luffy knew his nakama who came here before had to have been terrified. Without the strongest of them, they must have been really scared, even if the zombies and inanimate objects were fairly weak.

By the end of the massacre, the mess was even worse, only with the paintings injured and hanging out of their frames. Broken furniture was there now, not just thrown around. Curtains had been ripped off the walls, and it just looked like a real fight had happened. He wondered how things came to life here.

It was cool, whatever it was. What if they could make the Thousand Sunny alive! Neehee, that would be so cool! "Neh, Zoro, we should go exploring after we kick Moria's butt." Zoro said it would be fun to pick this place apart. Maybe they had some nice swords he could replace his rusted one.

"Stop thinking about going on a date," Sanji said.

Luffy pulled the pig on the wall down. It was nervous, all of its allies were out for the count or maybe dead. It was hard to tell when they were paintings or rugs and didn't exactly breathe. "Where are my three nakama?" Luffy asked, crouching in front of the sweating pig. How did he sweat? So cool.

"Ah! Those three, they came through here! They're fast asleep in that bedroom over there!" Franky asked Luffy if it was lying. It looked like it was lying, but it could just be nervous about this. Luffy said it didn't have a heart. He couldn't tell well, but suspected it was lying regardless.

"I guess that makes sense. Well, we should just take him with us. If he's lying, he'll be right there to pay for it, won't he?" the cyborg said. Luffy heard a gasp from Sanji and jerked around. He was just there! Luffy saw a hole in the ceiling with the sounds of dragging going on inside. He shot an arm into it and grabbed a foot.

"Sanji!" he shouted. He was already at the wall before anyone else noticed. His arm was stretched more and eventually was shaken off. "Sanji!" his arm snapped back in place. He couldn't fit himself inside well enough to be able to move.

Zoro asked what the hell was wrong, where was the cook. "Sanji got taken through that hole!" Luffy said. They heard the pig snicker, and Zoro had a sword to its nose, pressing against the snout. He demanded to know where he was taken. The pig wouldn't answer.

Luffy frowned. "Well, Sanji should be okay. He'd want us to keep searching for Nami and the others. Though he's definitely lying about where they are." Zoro picked the pig up to use as a guide.

"We should hurry. In the zombie mansion, we might be racing against time to rescue the three," Robin said, voice light but face set in slight worry. The pig started to taunt them. "Once your friends started disappearing, you'll be scared then!" Zoro took it in both hands and turned it so it faced downwards. Then he brought his knee up and slammed it into the pig's nose.

"Let's go."

As they were walking away, the other picture zombies started to laugh at them. That they would be terrified of the warlord Gecko Moria. They threatened Luffy's nakama, to both hurt them and make them disappear. The captain looked at them all, and said, "You're noisy with all your mumbling. Listen, you tell that Moria moron, if anything happens to any of my nakama, I'll blow you off this island! Even if we leave Sanji for the time being, he won't die." The picture zombies were shocked. "Let's go," Luffy said, and they climbed the stairs to the next story.

They were walking through the hall, and Luffy heard it before anyone else, and before anything happened. A string was shot at Zoro, and Luffy caught it in midair. His fist was right near Zoro's neck. Everyone jerked around, and the zombie pig was shocked that Luffy had gotten a hold of it, or heard it.

"I won't let my nakama disappear!" Luffy said, and yanked. He pulled the string out, dragging whatever it was until it released the rope. He pulled it out, and they saw it was the same sticky spider web from where the Sunny got stuck. At least his senses were back to normal. That was a relief.

He was hearing a lot of voices echoing around the mansion. He didn't know where any of it was coming from, as it was coming from all over the place. But he didn't hear any of his nakama's voices. It was worrying. "So, someone or something is trying to take us, one by one," Franky said, looking around.

Robin said, "Look out for any weird holes in the walls or ceilings." They nodded, and kept a watch out for them. Luffy had one arm around Zoro's. Zoro was bothered that he hadn't noticed until it was almost too late.

"I won't let anything happen to Zoro," he said firmly. Zoro gave a soft smile and apologized for the trouble. "We already lost four others, no more." They were walking back down the hall, the pig head very uncomfortable. Luffy could hear everything around. There were so many things in this place.

Luffy got distracted in one hall and found a whole knight's armor. He stood in front of it, aching to wear it. "Now's not really the time."

"But it's there. It's asking me to!" Luffy said. Zoro dragged him away. Luffy wanted to wear it! "No! I'll never see an armor like that again!"

"Yow, I can make you a suit of armor some time! It'll be a lot cooler than that one is!" Franky said. Luffy asked if he meant it. "Of course! I'm not just good at building ships and weapons."

Luffy cheered, and finally forgot about the armor. He and Zoro ran back to Franky and Robin, who were looking in a room more like an arena. Luffy looked up, hearing a clinking noise. "Neh, there's a living armor above us!" Luffy said, pointing at it. "I want it~!" He got distracted again. He should have dressed in the other one while he had the chance!

It attacked Franky, and he fought back, but it seemed there was no way to kill it. After every hit, no matter how hard, it got back up. Well, it wasn't living. Maybe it couldn't feel pain or fear. It kept attacking them.

"He's totally different from the zombies before!" Franky complained. "I went hard against the bastard."

"Hmmm, different from the other zombies?" Luffy mused, and then turned to the armor and gave it the gaze that meant death to anything nearby. The one that frightened even strong humans. A living armor couldn't be tougher than that. Even CP9 was uncomfortable about it. He took a step forward, and the armor zombie quaked before it fell on its back, and a black thing came out of it.

Luffy hurried over and poked it with his foot. "Hah! I'm so scary!" he said proudly, and more armored zombies came. He went to scare them all, but there was that slithering noise, and the white shot around his eyes, hiding the seemingly scariest part of that fear manipulating look. He grabbed at it, but then both wrists were caught. He jerked his arm, but tripped when the string was tied around his ankles.

Behind him, the armored zombies were keeping his nakama from helping him. "Ah, you're so annoying!" Luffy shouted, his fingers stuck together now. With his legs bound, he couldn't dodge based on sound and scent. He was finally kicked in the back of the head, shocking him even though it did no damage, and he was wrapped completely and dragged away, even his mouth covered.

He heard Zoro screaming his name in horror, and he couldn't even call back that he'd be okay.

Next thing he knew, he was in an open room, but completely helpless, his head wrapped in the webbing. Only his nose was uncovered. Which was a mistake on their part. He smelled deeply. There were four people there. One of them was the invisible guy, and the other smelled like the ghosts faintly had. So they were a devil fruit! That was disappointing.

There was another guy that had his three nakama's scents on him, and then one guy that he didn't recognize the smell. "Hey, let me outta here!" Luffy tried to say, but it was all muffled. He felt and was helpless. And extremely annoyed. Was this what happened to Sanji, too? He thrashed around, able to get some of the webbing over one ear just barely moved so he could hear.

"So, this is Straw Hat Luffy?" a squeaky voice said. It was a man's voice, but it was shrill.

"It's said he frightened a shadow out of a general zombie," a deeper male voice said. The others were shocked. Another guy, whose voice was also high but not as shrill as the original man, said the marines were interested in him for a reason.

"But they'd never think I'd get ahold of him!" Luffy started chewing through the webbing over his mouth, to free his mouth. He turned and ripped apart the webbing all around his body, freeing his hands only to be shot with more spiderweb and have his face glued to the cage he found himself in. His entire body was plastered to the side and bottom of the cage.

"Damn it! Let me out! Are you Moria?! I'm gonna kick your ass!" Luffy shouted, thrashing around. If only he had that ultra strong punch thing right now! But he didn't, and he couldn't bring it out willingly. Who knows when it would happen again. "Gah, this is so annoying!"

"So are you!" and his mouth was glued shut by more spider webbing. Luffy's eyes were uncovered, and he gave the scary glare to everyone there. There were two zombies. One was a big stuffed animal whose black thing he managed to scare away, and the other was a woman with blonde hair and patchwork skin. Also a zombie. Her black thing disappeared, too, and both bodies dropped to the floor.

"Kumacy!" the younger girl shouted.

"Cindry-chan!" the one with the terrible voice called. Luffy glared at them hatefully, but was also pleased with this. "Why you!" But the big man laughed, a fat round guy who was very large in comparison to him.

"We wanted his shadow for a reason, after all! I just hope he'll cooperate! Kishishishi!"

"Hey, that's too close to my laugh!" Luffy shouted angrily. "Don't steal it and make it annoying!" The guy with the horrible voice who was upset over the blonde zombie's death brought out a knife and held it to Luffy's throat. He lost his lunch box and bug catching equipment, so he had no source of blood except the people here.

And also his nakama that he heard in that bear costume! What were they doing here?! But he didn't bring any attention to them. The cage was broken apart and his eyes were covered again. He felt himself being suspended up and heard someone say, "Hit the lights!"

"You'll regret this, lemme go you assholes! What are you planning on doing?!"

"Perona, make him shut up!"

One of those negative ghosts possessed him again, and he didn't fall into despair, he started to sing "negative" again, like he had before. The people around were puzzled with him, with Moria laughing about how strong of a zombie his shadow would make. So that was it! The shadows of the people made up the zombies. That's why he heard two Brooks! Well, at least he learned of that mystery.

But he had no idea what was happening now. The ghosts kept coming into him, keeping him busy and unable to speak or do anything other than chant that stupid word. Luffy tried to fight back, and he felt his feet raise off the ground without being touched. Then there was the sound of a scissors cutting, and Luffy was out.

The shadow that was stolen from Luffy was in Moria's hand, and was thrashing around, clawing and kicking, trying to get away, but unable to. It was much weaker than the real Luffy, who was helpless and unconscious. He hoped his nakama got out okay.

"With this, we'll have the strongest special zombie in history will be born! This is the power of 300 million berries!" Luffy heard nothing more after that, swallowed by blackness completely. He couldn't move anymore.

Chapter Text

DotNotFound: Changed lots of stuff about Thriller Bark since it was honestly my least favorite to write besides Skypeia. I was dying to get to Sabaody and especially Impel Down. I think everyone will enjoy reading my version of ID. 

Luffy woke up to the taste of blood in his mouth, jerking awake. He was disoriented on the floor of the galley. He jumped up, confused. He looked down and saw his shadow was gone. That Moria! He stole his shadow! Damn it! "What happened?!" Luffy demanded. "Usopp, Chopper! Where's Nami? Where's my shadow!? Where's Moria!"

Usopp told him to calm down and listen. Luffy did, taking the already open blood bag and drinking. He, Sanji and Zoro all got caught. Zoro got caught after Luffy. Their shadows were all taken away, and put into other bodies. But Luffy's was put into a giant zombie. "A giant zombie?!"

"Yeah. He was frozen in some chamber! It's huge, bigger than Dorry and Broggy!" Chopper said, tears in his eyes. "It was so scary! But you cleansed Kumacy and Cindry! Those zombies. You scared them out!" Luffy was angry that's all he could do. Now he couldn't go out into the sunlight at all!

Nami was kidnapped to be married to the invisible man, who had the lower face of some cat, a jaguar or something. "You let Nami get taken?"

"It wasn't our fault!" Chopper insisted. Luffy apologized for accusing them, seeing both were very upset about it all. He asked what his big zombie was doing. "You can try and listen. He was noisy, at least. We ran away after that, didn't see anything after that."

Luffy closed his eyes, but the fog was interfering. He heard a sound of things breaking. "...My body...!" he heard his own voice shout, though it was deeper and sounded furious. Luffy said it sounded like his giant zombie was throwing a fit. Then he heard something come crashing to them and slammed into the spiderweb. Luffy hurried outside, it still dark out due to the fog and being night time. Of course they couldn't see the stars though.

They looked and saw it was the very top of the mansion, broken apart and in the spider web, stuck above Brook's ghost ship. "It looks like this was thrown here," Sanji said. "That's pretty dangerous. If your giant zombie is throwing a fit, it could destroy the island. Us with it."

Chopper said it was better than obeying Moria and Hogback. They then explained to Luffy everything that had happened. A lot happened to the three of them! Wow. Luffy felt bad for them, how scared they had been. "Well, we're with you now and won't let anything happen!" Luffy said firmly. "I'm sorry I got caught, Zoro. Then you got caught."

"Oi! You're not my bodyguard. I don't want you to start thinking you gotta protect me!" Zoro said firmly. Luffy nodded, but said he couldn't help but be worried about it. Well, they were all alive, though. And they could get their shadows back by putting salt in the zombies' mouths.

Luffy wondered how they got that information, and was told that Franky and Robin were saved and met by Brook after Zoro got taken soon after Luffy. Everything was explained to them, which was how they knew to come back to the ship. "Those assholes! They won't get my shadow!"

"It won't be able to come out just by you insisting," Usopp said. "They can only come out from Moria."

"I didn't need salt to free the shadows! I'm not normal, I'll get my damn shadow back! I won't be used by someone who claims they'll be the Pirate King! I'm gonna be the Pirate King!"

"Oi! Oi, calm down!"

"I lost five of my nakama to that guy!" Luffy raged. Zoro took his hand and Sanji insisted it wasn't his fault they got lost. "It was for you! I had you and then I let go!" He was so angry at himself. Five of them, six including him, had been taken and in danger. And he'd wanted to go ghost hunting and wear armor.

He felt... bad.

"You're our captain, not our babysitter," Sanji said firmly. "We won't let Moria get away with it, either. And I won't let Nami-san get forced to marry some freak!" Usopp asked them to please calm down. Luffy swallowed and took a few deep breaths, calming his anger and guilt. He sighed, and apologized for freaking out.

"I guess we should be flattered with how much you worry now." Luffy's arm started to glow again. Oh, now it happens?! Chopper asked what that was, and Zoro said they should get off of the Sunny for now. "Why?"

Robin said something new happened with Luffy while they were gone. "Luffy's markings started to glow and blink, and then his hands hurt until he punched something with some sort of shock wave or intense strength." Chopper looked worried and Usopp wary. Luffy wished this strength thing showed up when he actually needed it.

He got on the land while the others were on the dock. Robin suddenly ran back inside. He didn't want to accidentally hurt anybody with this. When his hands hurt, he slammed them both into the ground, blowing it apart into a huge crater and throwing himself away and rolling roughly. They were all quiet and Luffy got up. He felt fine now. "I'm good now."

Robin hurried out, holding the glass tube holding the blood stone. "This was blinking along with you. It has something to do with the blood stone from Sky Island," she said. Chopper looked shocked. "Well, let's not talk about this right now." They agreed, and Robin put the thing back in its place before coming out.

"So, how was Brook? Was he okay?" The crew went back onto the ship now that Luffy wasn't glowing anymore and he was safer to be around. Franky said he was good, had saved them and was going to his own shadow.

"But… that guy. I asked him a really insensitive question. When he came here, I didn't want him on the crew at all. Even though he's just a frail skeleton… the more I talked to him, he had bones. Not just a skeleton. He's a man!" Franky described his talk with him. His question was indeed rude and insensitive. Basically, why did Brook work so hard to get his shadow when he'd be shunned by the public, had no friends left, and would be all alone. He was doing it all for a friend he and his crew promised they would see again. All those decades ago, and he's planning to fulfil that promise, and see his own friend. No matter what kind of life he lived after being free, no matter how lonesome or hurtful, he just had to keep his promise to that friend and return to them. Even if he put himself through emotional pain. Even if that friend is dead or gone, he had to keep the promise and go back to that place.

"He wants to return to a whale that he and his crew left behind. His name was Laboon." The four who'd been there from the start all looked shocked. Laboon? Zoro said they met that whale. He was at the entrance of the Red Line. It all made sense now. The pirate that left him behind did die, all but Brook. Laboon still had somebody left from that crew.

"You knew him?!"

Sanji nodded and gave the story briefly. The sad story of Laboon in denial about his crew being gone forever. Well, he was holding out hope for something still there. Someone to fulfill that promise. Luffy smiled widely. Laboon. Someone was still coming for him! Franky and Robin were shocked by the coincidence.

"Not really. We couldn't avoid him. That was when Merry first got her scars. The sheep's head was decapitated. Luffy ended up ripping the mast off-"

"He did WHAT?!"

"It was for a good cause, but yeah. Luffy helped that whale, though. I'm sure Brook will be overjoyed to hear he's alive and okay. Doing better now after Luffy helped. Hopefully he has stopped bashing his head for good."

"That's why we gotta get his shadow back, too. Brook will be our nakama!"

"I agree. I want to help him as well!" Franky said firmly. The others couldn't argue. He was very selfless and determined to do such a thing, after all this time. Facing every negative aspect of his life due to his current shape to meet a long lost friend. It was beautiful. "If he joins us, someday we have to go see that friend of his!"

"That's his dream. I want all of our dreams to come true on our journey. Even if it's after I become Pirate Kingand we find the One Piece, we'll bring him back to that friend," Luffy said firmly. Franky grinned. Then he said Luffy had good eyes for crew members. "I hated you."

"Hah, very true." There was another loud crash. "Sounds like zombie Luffy is still throwing a fit."

Robin said, "You aren't human, you were right. Maybe you can get your shadow back by force. But we should at least try and get them back. We can't wait around here all night," she added. Luffy looked down at his feet. It felt wrong to not see a shadow there. Almost like he wasn't there at all. Like he wasn't touching the floor.

Luffy nodded. "We have to get Nami, and mine and Sanji and Zoro's shadows back. No matter what. We can find Brook after that and take out Moria." They left the ship, Zoro stealing a kiss before, and ran after Luffy, who was following the sounds of his voice shouting about returning to his original body. They found him, and he was huge! Red skinned and looking similar to all the other zombies. Patched up and clearly tampered with.

This one had terrible wounds all over and its face was nothing like regular giants, who looked just like huge humans. "My body!" Luffy's voice roared. He ripped off another chunk of the mansion and threw it. It slammed into fleeing zombies, squashing them completely and having shadows fly out.

Moria wasn't anywhere shouting, so maybe this didn't bother him? Was this normal? "Sanji's zombie acted like Sanji for a bit before it didn't anymore. It might only be for a little while that your zombie rebels," Chopper said.

"That's one ugly motherfucker," Franky said softly. "Loud, too. Should we try and convince him while he's still wanting Luffy's body?" Luffy said he wanted to go and try. Zoro took his arm.

"You better not get crushed," he said firmly. Luffy nodded. Luffy shot himself across the courtyard, and smelled Moria from the tower, he was watching but not dealing with the temperamental giant zombie. Luffy landed on the face, the side of an insect on him.

Luffy said, "Shadow, come back to my body!"

"Give me my body back!" his shadow said, and grabbed him. "My body!"

"Kishishishi! Straw Hat, did you think you could convince him?!" he heard Moria laugh from the tower. "He'll destroy you soon enough!" Luffy punched the zombie's eye, letting him down out of surprise and not pain.

He was on the roof of the building across the back of the mansion, looking at his zombie. He really was disturbing looking. "Come back to my body! That's what you want, right?!" Luffy shouted. Zombie Luffy didn't seem to understand that it would need to return to Luffy's body. It seemed to think it was the original body, and Luffy was the one needing to return, despite what it was shouting as it made a mess of the surroundings.

Luffy tried to let out that scary look, but it was his own shadow. It would never be frightened of its real body. It grabbed Luffy harshly, and started to pull on his arms, pinching him and trying to tear him apart to get back in his own body. It started to hurt, and he was shouting about letting him down.

"You stupid zombie, don't harm your owner's body!" zombie Luffy stopped stretching him, and punted him hard away from the area, slamming into walls, through buildings and then back where his crew was. He was covered in blood now. Having his skin cut by various rocks and sharp surfaces.

His crew hurried over, Sanji already gone to save Nami. Luffy's wounds really hurt, and some patches of his skin were raw. "Oh, jeez! Are you okay!?" Usopp shouted. Luffy sat up and then stood. But his leg was injured. "How hard did he throw you?!"

Luffy winced and said pretty hard. "He doesn't realize that I'm his body. It's like it was for Sanji. I think he acts like me but doesn't know he is," Luffy said. Zoro hurried over and gave him his arm wordlessly. They were near enough to the ship to get some blood from there, though. Zoro seemed bummed, maybe wanting to be the one to heal him. "Gotta make sure we're in good shape, to fight right?"

God these wounds hurt. They burned, friction burns despite him being rubber. He'd never been so outright injured like this. Damn, what a strong throw. It was almost impressive. With how damaged that zombie body was, to make a throw like that just fine?

He drank a blood bag, and that was enough to heal him up. "Man, I'm jealous of that," Usopp said at the perfectly fine body. "I guess it's a trade off for all the weird stuff." Luffy nodded. "Hey! Those zombies that are being killed by Luffy's zombie… their bodies are so damaged that their shadows return to the original owners, right?"

"Yeah…"

"That new attack of Luffy's! That's crazy destructive. Do you think it'd do enough damage to zombie Luffy to force the shadow out?!" Usopp asked. Luffy looked down at his arm with the marks. It wasn't glowing right now. But it was a good theory. "That would be the easiest option of how to defeat that monster."

Franky said, "If it punted Luffy like that, it'll have no problem doing the same to us. I hate to say it, but we need to be really careful. He's huge, but fast. The question is whether the damaged body can handle Luffy's shadow's agility." Luffy would need to wait for the glow to come back and get bad enough to be able to beat him in one punch.

Zombie Luffy was very strong, Luffy knew that by experience now. Though he'd be embarrassed if he was weak. "Does this mean Luffy can't fight for now? So he can recharge?" Robin asked.

"No way!" Luffy protested. "I can fight and charge up, too!"

Chopper said it was best for him not to fight. "You could work to scare the zombies out of the bodies, but you could get caught again," the reindeer said regretfully. "It might be best for you to wait the fight out."

Luffy was enraged that his shadow caused him all this trouble. Luffy swore and hated it, but they were right. "We'll try our best to kill him while you wait," Zoro said. Luffy hunched his shoulders, pouting deeply, eyes narrowed. "Your shadow sure is a dick."

"So are yours, probably," Robin said lightly. "We should go and do our best. Come back when you can," she told the poor captain. He nodded, and kissed Zoro, telling him not to do anything stupid. He said he would fight like usual, earning a nod.

"I'll be fine. Don't you do anything stupid," Zoro said, cupping his cheek softly. "Love you."

Luffy smiled and returned the sentiment before going back into the ship. He was bored almost immediately. He went deeper inside the ship and to the flask with the blood stone. He left it in its case, though the lid was open. It was in a padded box for protection. He waited for thirty minutes, not hearing any big fighting against Luffy's zombie, but fights around everywhere else. Did they get distracted or separated?

He was bored, and bothered that he couldn't help, bothered not knowing what was going on, unable to hear them perfectly, pick out who was where and what they were doing. He knew he was to wait, and was like the trump card, but it didn't mean he liked it at all. Once the arm started to glow after another ten minutes, Luffy saw the blood stone glowing too, and he ran from the ship, shooting himself to the commotion. He saw his nakama hurt and tired as he rocketed towards zombie Luffy.

"Moria!" he roared, seeing the warlord in the zombie's stomach. The man called Luffy's name, too. Luffy used one hand and slammed them into the stomach above where Moria was, and blew the body apart, blowing a hole into the stomach. He had no blood, but the eyes went white and empty as the mouth foamed.

Brook was there, too, watching from a distance. The zombie fell with a huge thud, crashing into the mansion. Luffy's shadow flew out of the mouth and Luffy grabbed it, shoving it back into his own body. He felt so much better as he bounced on the ground full of debris. His crew and some people in the broken buildings were watching. Those that came from the forest no doubt to watch the decisive fight.

Luffy still had his other arm that he hadn't stopped the punch. He entered the cockpit Moria was in, shocked by the developments. The massive zombie was ended in one punch. Luffy held up his other fist. "Ahh! Don't you use that against me!"

"Then return everybodies shadows!" Moria refused, and Luffy's hand was really cramping and hurting. Then he cramped and blew up on its own, shooting a burst out and blowing another hole into the zombie's stomach, but not Moria. It threw Luffy out of the cockpit and he rolled hard again, like before. It was hard for him to take the blows. It really was like a shockwave, not just a powerful punch.

He didn't know how much he liked it if it was so uncontrollable. What if he was somewhere where he couldn't discharge it, and it burst then? What if he was sleeping? It was concerning.

He saw the area was very decimated and the special zombie had already been damaged, but not killed. Luffy had been the trump card. Luffy could tell everybody was there. He looked down, and saw one of his arms was useless. The blast had damaged his left arm. He grabbed it, but it was numb. He could make his fingers twitch. For now, that arm was out of the count.

With Moria furious with him, he couldn't go and take a quick sip from Zoro. Besides, he seemed tired and hurt, too. Luffy wasn't out of stamina or strength now, but his arm was just no longer usable. He couldn't use a bazooka or rocket right now. Moria had been damaged by the blast, but not enough.

"Give our shadows back!" Luffy shouted, standing up tall, but his arm hanging limp and very obviously damaged.

"Kishishishi! Your own attack damaged you?" Moria said. "Even if I gave you your shadows back, even if I let you continue on your journey, at your current power level, all you'd meet in the New World is death! You're nowhere near ready for the New World! Though you appear to have gathered quite the crew, you would only lose it all! Do you understand why that is?!" He sounded manic by now, and a bit crazed. Well, he was facing complete defeat, after all.

The sun was coming up soon, and three of his nakama were now shadowless. They would die if the sun came up. The people gathered to watch and cheer on the fight it seemed, were now not happy with leaving the forest to meet the daylight, by choice or otherwise.

"My words come from experience! My subordinates… they were famed, far and wide… why did I have to lose them all?!" He then gave the reason he was making the zombies. His friends had all died because they were alive. If they were zombies, then they would still be around. Even if the zombies were replaceable, they still were nearly invincible. "With my army of the dead, I'll become the Pirate King! You fools should be grateful for your shadows working under me!"

Luffy heard a suctioning sound, and looked around to see shadows go along the ground towards Moria. They passed under Luffy without any feeling. They were the shadows already collected by Moria from that night and before. Luffy got his shadow back, but Sanji, Zoro and Robin had not.

The zombies all died, losing their life source, the shadows that Moria now possessed, fattened and with his voice deeper. Less annoying, to be honest. Luffy's arm suddenly was full of pain. Like his bones had shattered. He grit his teeth, but made no show. Chopper asked if he was okay. Luffy turned and smiled, saying he felt fine.

He couldn't lie, but he could play down his pain for the sake of his nakama's worries.

Moria counted and gloated about the shadows he was consuming, all in all around a thousand. He was now much larger than he already had been. "Kishishishi!" he laughed. He didn't look like he could move much like this, though.

Luffy was wrong. After Moria burped in an uncomfortable fashion, he slammed a hand down and barely missed them all. Luffy dodged, and the movement caused a painful spark in his arm. He winced, but nobody noticed. Moria kept attacking, seeming to crawl and punch instead of running. But at this large size, crawling still got him around pretty quickly.

Everyone ran while Moria trashed his own ship-island, hurrying back to the forest. The fog was clearing as the sun rose. Luffy didn't have any more time. His nakama and everyone he promised he would help were going to burn away! But the Straw Hats didn't budge. The others started to burn, and Luffy stood up straight.

"I'm going to go a little wild. So you all take care of everything afterwards," Luffy said darkly. This was his first test run on gear third, he didn't know how it'd go. He had one arm and two legs. He would ignore the pain in his left arm. "I'll show you a nightmare, Moria! I'm not gonna play nice with you!" Luffy turned into gear second, and was bothered that he couldn't usea gomu gomu rocket properly. But he used a pistol into his neck. He had no gatling either. Crap. He had to, though. He had to if he were to win! A pistol and rifle wasn't enough. He forced his left arm to move, and added it into a gatling, ignoring the absolutely stabbing sensation, feeling like it was coming from inside of his arm, not the outside.

He pumped his face, neck and stomach, making him vomit shadows. "Jet half bazooka! Pistol, rifle, stamp!" Using gear second made all his attacks stronger. But not enough. The sun was still rising and burning more people up. The sunlight was creeping up on his nakama. But he was surrounded by shadow bats that he hadn't encountered yet. He felt he'd missed out on a lot of important stuff when he was waiting.

It confined him, and cut off any senses until he felt the black box crunch and crush him. He was probably being stepped on or something. But he was rubber! It wouldn't kill him, even if it was uncomfortable. It seemed his arm only hurt if he was actively trying to use it. Not if something else touched it.

He broke open the box of shadows, and stood up, completely fine. He blew air into his right arm, not using his left for this, still in gear second. His bone balloon was out, and he felt shocks of pain go through him, could almost hear his body screaming at him to please stop it. He'd be better later! He had to win or so many people would die! He wouldn't let his nakama burn away!

Luffy slammed a huge jet pistol into the warlord's gut. Shadows spilled out, but he pressed his hands to his mouth to stop them. Luffy felt his vision blurring. He could sleep in a little bit. He'd be okay. He had blood! But he could barely move, trying so hard to stay standing even as his legs shook. Both arms hurt badly by now.

Everyone started to shout and call for their shadows to return to them. Luffy got one more balloon arm and slammed it into Moria one last time. He had no more energy. He shoved him into the tower behind him, already weakened by Luffy's zombie. It cracked, and fell on Moria's body, purging him of the shadows as he couldn't help but open his mouth. Before that, he said one last time for Luffy to go die in the New World.

Luffy turned into a small body, and rolled over after collapsing on the ground. He saw his two friends and lover burning away. "Z-Zoro!" Luffy shouted in horror. But their shadows finally returned, along with everyone else's. Luffy smiled in relief, and then was out completely, unable to know what was happening to him or around him. Heard nothing, and was completely helpless. All he knew was pain.

What felt like seconds later, Luffy jerked awake, and grinned, feeling great! He must have been given blood. He jumped up and down, moving his arms around just fine. They were okay! Thank goodness! He didn't like that shockwave power too much. It was extremely hard on his body.

But he was confused and stopped jumping when he didn't taste any blood in his mouth. But it smelled like blood everywhere. "Neh, what happened to me? Did someone give me the stuff?!" They shook their heads. They were all baffled at his state, too.

Chopper got angry with him. "Don't do that to your body ever again! Do you understand me?!" Luffy said he was fine. "For some fluke reason! You were completely out of it! Even when you were roughed up, you were out cold! Helpless!"

"But I had you guys!"

"What if you didn't?! Luffy, that was too reckless." Luffy said he hadn't exactly wanted to do that, but a lot of people were going to die. He noticed Sanji running off, and that Zoro wasn't around. He asked where he went before he heard shouting from Sanji, the fog cleared completely and his senses back to normal.

"What the hell happened here?! There's so much blood!" Luffy got up and started sprinting, calling for Chopper to come, too. He found Sanji and Zoro in a clearing splattered with blood, with Zoro in the middle, dripping with blood himself. It was all over him, like he'd been torn into.

Luffy was horrified, and demanded to know what happened. Zoro didn't answer, just finally passed out. Sanji caught him, biting down on his cigarette. "Sanji, what happened?!"

"I don't know." Sanji was lying. Zoro was going to lie to him, too, no doubt. For once, he didn't push. Not with Zoro so hurt. He'd ask later. Sanji hurried him back to the ship, though his legs were shaky. Luffy was in the best condition despite having been in the worst. Thank goodness his nakama were healed once their shadows returned. It was awful seeing their top halves gone and burning away!

Chopper shouted when he saw Zoro, and they hurried to the tower Chopper told them to take him to. They weren't too close to the ship, and that was nearer. Franky went to the ship to get supplies, while Nami went and got treasure from Perona's ship, the ghost girl whose negative ghosts possessed him, not turning him negative.

Once Zoro was checked out and cleaned of all the blood, Chopper bandaged him. Zoro was almost killed by whatever happened. But he would live now, it would just take a long recovery time for him to heal completely. Luffy was sad, wishing he could pass on his healing power. And he would never try to feed anyone his blood, not knowing what would happen. Like when Luffy drank animal blood and bled from his eyes.

He shook his head, not wanting to think about that time at all. Chopper assured him Zoro's life wasn't in danger. "I'll get you when he wakes up, okay?" he said kindly. Luffy nodded, and heard his stomach rumble. There was no food but cheese on the ship. And he heard Nami gushing about treasure.

Going to the ship, Luffy was interested in something in the pile. He walked to it, and saw it was a glass arm band. It was a bright red. The glass was. Touching it assured him it was only colored glass, it wasn't blood stone. He asked if he could have it, not wanting to incur Nami's wrath. "Sure. It's only glass, not a gem."

"Neehee! I wish there was a matching one!" Luffy said, and put it around his upper arm of the arm that hadn't been infected. Nami asked him what had happened when his arm blew up. "It's some new problem. Like, strength builds up in my arm and I gotta discharge it." Sanji said it was like a bomb. "And when I didn't use it, it wrecked my arm! It hurt and I could barely even use it!"

Usopp came over and punched him in the head. "Then why the hell did you attack with it! If it was already damaged, why would you make it worse?!" They all seemed angry with him, even though he was fine now.

"Neh, Zoro got a new sword right? Where'd it come from?"

"Don't change the subject!" Luffy pouted. He'd had no choice! He needed both arms for his strongest attacks. "And what if you'd lost your left arm?" Luffy said he always had blood. He said this part quieter since there were more people on the ship. "Luffy, you shouldn't depend on it like that. It can't fix everything! Remember when you were really sick, and the blood didn't heal you at all?"

The captain looked down, knowing he had a point. "I'll be careful when I can." They weren't happy with the answer, but Sanji said it was the best they were going to get. He added it was lucky Franky stocked up so much blood since Zoro could have many.

"Well, besides the blood he'd needed for the transfusion." Luffy asked what had happened with Zoro. "I'm going to lie about it."

Luffy said, "I thought so," and crossed his arms.

"Sorry, captain, this time we will keep a secret from you," Sanji said lightly. Nami and Usopp didn't know the secret, either. "Don't listen in, either. No eavesdropping." Luffy sighed. He would try not to, respecting their choices, even if it bothered him. Nami smiled, and went back to looking at the treasure haul.

They brought back food and medicine to Chopper like he asked, and Luffy heard two of the pirates under Lola, the captain of the Rolling Pirates, say they saw everything that happened with Zoro. Sanji hurried out, and Luffy covered his ears with his hands, sticking his fingers inside.

Robin saw this, and Luffy had a feeling she knew, too, as she gave a small smile. Luffy was respecting Sanji's choice not to tell him. Whatever it was, it was important to them. Probably to Zoro the most. Maybe he did something super reckless that Luffy would not approve of, and would get mad about. That would make sense.

He plugged his ears until Sanji came back, a fresh cigarette in his mouth. He smiled at Luffy and gave him a thumbs up to unplug his ears. The two who had been with Sanji when he said there was a secret, looked like they wanted to eavesdrop. Luffy didn't. It was their wish to keep it a secret. He would respect that wish. They then had a feast with all the food collected from what was left of the mansion. It was a party, too, though it felt kind of wrong without Zoro drinking a ridiculous amount of alcohol.

But it was fun enough! And Luffy had been hungry, not thirsty. He'd just had blood, and whatever made him feel better took away any need for blood. Lucky!

Everybody but the Straw Hats were enthralled with actual food after years of not having any. Luffy felt sorry for them! No good food that long. That would suck. Now that Luffy had all these different meals, he knew he could never go back to only meat like in his childhood. He couldn't wait to see Ace in the New World! He would meet that Whitebeard and let him know he wasn't going to be Pirate King, Luffy would.

Neehee, standing up to the strongest yonko, huh? It didn't sound too bad! He was beaming, and Usopp asked what he was so happy about. "Some day, I'm gonna tell Whitebeard I'm gonna be the Pirate King!"

Everyone at the table went quiet and called him insane. "He can't be that bad! My brother is on his crew!" Luffy explained. "Ace even invited me to be on his crew. Shishishi!" Usopp said he would gladly not participate in such an event. Sanji said it would be the most ballsy thing Luffy would have ever done.

"Though I'm not surprised if that will ever happen," Sanji said. Luffy pulled out the piece of paper Ace gave him from the brim of his hat, and saw it was smaller. Usopp asked what was wrong with it. Lola was there and her face fell.

"That paper represents the life force of whoever it's from. Your brother… he must be in trouble," she said slowly. Luffy saw the paper was still half full. He frowned, but he trusted Ace was dealing with the problem himself.

He said, "Well… Ace is super strong. I never beat him even once when we fought. But that was three years ago, and he's even stronger now. I think he defeated Blackbeard too. I heard this boom from Water 7, and I don't know why, but I felt like it was from Ace. I'm sure he'll be fine. Besides, he'd be super angry with me if I interfered," Luffy explained honestly.

"Even with your senses?"

"Well, back then I wasn't nearly as strong. But he got stronger too, he has a devil fruit now," Luffy said. Sanji asked if he was sure. "Yeah. He'll be fine," he said confidently, believing in his brother fully.

Usopp wished he hadn't been an only child. "Well, I was too. Ace and Sabo only became my brothers cause we wanted to. But we're still brothers anyways," Luffy said simply. He tucked the paper back in his hat and got back to eating the feast. Brook was in a great mood, too. He and Franky even started dancing on the table, much to Sanji's distaste. Well, everyone kept eating.

After Luffy was stuffed, he watched as Brook went to a piano in the room. He started to play music in the background, and Luffy recognized that song! Sanji asked if he was a violinist, and Brook said he could play many instruments! Luffy bounded over, and Brook started playing a song called "Wine In Pink".

He had heard this song with Shanks' crew! They sang many songs in Makino's bar. She had enjoyed their liveliness, and they paid a lot for all the booze, though they made a shortage of it whenever they came back to visit. Luffy climbed onto the piano and laid down, watching Brook's fingers move quickly along the keys. He wondered how someone could be so smart to do something so seemingly complicated.

"Neh, I've heard this song before! Shanks and his crew would sing it," Luffy said cheerily. Brook commented that many pirate crews knew the song. Many songs were classics for many crews of multiple generations! "Cool!"

"No matter if they're in times of joy or sorrow, pirate music will fit most moments just by how it's sung! Yohohoho~!"

Luffy smiled, and said, "Let's become nakama! Now that you have your shadow back, there's nothing holding you back from the rest of the world, right?" Luffy insisted.

Brook said he couldn't, as he had a promise to keep. "Ah, to Laboon, right? Franky told us!"

"Yes, I promised to see him again. He's waiting at the cape-" Luffy laughed, saying they knew all about that.

"We met Laboon there! He was at the cape. And he ate me! Shishishi! Then we got in a fight and made a deal. He's still waiting for you! I can't believe that the guys he was waiting for… was you! I promised him we'd see him again after our journey is complete. At least, once I become the Pirate King," Luffy explained. It was hard to tell Brook's expression, but his piano playing slowed.

"Slow down… this is surprising! You… actually met Laboon?!" Luffy nodded. They even met Crocus, the guy taking care of him. Luffy said nothing of Laboon's self harm. It would upset Brook, no doubt. "He ate you?" Brook asked in shock.

Luffy laughed. "Yeah! I landed in his stomach, and Crocus lived in there in a floating house. I learned some awesome stuff there, so I'm happy Laboon ate me, shishishi!" Luffy explained in a cheerful and amused voice.

Brook seemed to be in shock of it all. "I want to make all my nakama's dreams come true on our journey for the One Piece. If you join, you'll join that effort, and we'll take you with us to see Laboon some day! Promise!" Luffy swore, holding out his pinky.

Usopp and Sanji were there by now, and confirmed that they had indeed met Laboon, the whale as big as a mountain. Usopp suggested to Luffy that they let Brook think about it for a bit. Luffy nodded, and Brook stopped playing, looking down. Maybe lost in his thoughts. Hopefully happy ones.

"As big as a mountain… At the time we parted, he was the size of a small ship. And Crocus-san lived in his stomach?" Luffy nodded. He even painted the walls as a blue sky. They even met someone dear to them there. Though it wasn't a good meeting at first.

"I miss Vivi-chan," Sanji said droopily.

"Well, we have Robin!" Luffy said.

"That's true! Robin-chan~" Luffy laughed and Usopp looked slightly annoyed.

"Laboon loved music, and would listen to tus all the time, playing. He was a cheerful baby whale." Luffy shared a look with the others. That wasn't the whale they met, but they still said nothing of his behaviour when they came across him. They would bring Brook back to him, and make him never hit his head again. Hopefully, he had continued to not do it after Luffy and his crew left.

Finally, Brook fell apart, and his hands left the piano keys to cry loudly about his relief of Laboon still being there. "There's really no day better than today!" He promised to see him again, no matter what.

"Shishishi! Definitely."

Those in the room started to ask why Brook stopped playing. He said to wait one moment, and opened his skull like a storage compartment! Wow! He pulled out a tone dial that he got from a merchant ship from Sky Island. It was one that recorded sound, and he told them it had a song he wanted to have Laboon listen to. It was the song of his crew, all of their voices. It was so sad that his crew all died. It must have been traumatizing.

Luffy looked at his arm and huffed. "Don't play it until I get back, okay?" Brook nodded, and somehow seemed curious even with no face to show it. Luffy sort of stomped outside and punched a crater into the ground, two of them. They didn't hurt as long as he got rid of the power quickly.

He ran back inside, and Brook asked if that was how he defeated Oars. "Oars?" Apparently that was Luffy's zombie's name. "Yeah, that's how I got him." He looked at the arm with the marks. "But it's not a good attack when it can make my arm barely able to move if I don't use it in time." He didn't like it, but didn't know how to get rid of it. Usopp said he would heal from it.

"Are you a fast healer?"

"In a sense," Sanji said, blowing out some smoke. Brook didn't push. "Though you can't rely on that so much."

"It's not like it felt good. It hurt really bad! And I don't really react to pain like that, too." Usopp frowned, but they moved on back to the tone dial.

"Shall I play it now?" They nodded, and the song started. They all started dancing, until Luffy heard what they all couldn't. So faint in the background of that song, was the distinct sound of bodies falling. That's right, this song was the last time his crew ever made music. It was so sad, but he ignored that sound to enjoy the song like Brook wanted them to.

Once the song was over, Brook took his tone dial, and looked at it. "How many times did I listen to this on my own for the past 50 years? Well… now that I have a new conviction, I will seal it away." Again, he opened his skull to Luffy's amazement and Sanji and Usopp's disbelief. It was awesome, Brook's body was awesome. Such a mystery!

He went back to the piano, back to the background music, and expressed how relieved he was to hear about Laboon. "Now I have the chance to return! I won't be alone with only a song!" It wasn't the only thing to keep him sane anymore. Now, it was to be brought to Laboon. He finally said, "You know, Luffy-san… I'm so happy to be alive!" Luffy smiled and nodded. "Would you mind if I join your crew and become you nakama?"

"Yeah!"

His crew were split. Robin, Luffy and Franky happy while the others seemed bothered. Though they shouldn't be for too long once they got used to Brook. They'd already fought with him together, and he was much more likable in the beginning than Franky, and that former thug leader was now their shipwright and nakama.

But they seemed to have only been shocked, not bothered, and they all welcomed Brook happily, throwing the very light skeleton into the air in happiness.

I cannot wait to post Impel Down it was a fucking wild ride to write. I had been looking forward to writing it since Water 7, and had to wait hundreds of pages to get there lol. See you next week!

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DotNotFound: Glad you seem to be in it for the long haul! I think everyone will like how I wrote Impel Down. Super fun and changes the entire plot moving forward hehehe.

Just_a_normal_fan: Wow thank you for the long and detailed comment! I'm so glad you like it! It's been super fun to write so far, even if I had to take a break to know wtf will happen in Wano next lol. But don't worry about me dropping it. Even if I have to take a break for the sake of Wano, there's still about 40 or so remaining fully edited chapters until that point, which when it is uploaded, Wano will definitely be over. I post a new chapter every seven days, so I guess that would make it every Monday. I KNOW everyone will not expect what Luffy actually is. He's not a vampire, I think that would be unoriginal for me (I have too many vampire stories already lol). But man, if you thought that THIS story changes a lot of events, you would be baffled by how much I slice and diced the plot line in my other unposted fic that follows the timeline. I just threw shit out that I wanted changed lol. And instead of the demon/vampire/mystery thing, in that story Luffy is a half dragon and the world is infested with dragons. And there's the most adorable baby dragon character I made. God I'm impressed with myself for how fuckin' adorable he ended up being. Don't know when I'll upload that one, but hopefully you stick around!

After a short time, Brook pulled a sheet of paper from his inner coat. A bounty poster! 33 million berries, "Humming Brook" of the Rumbar Pirates.

"Hey, that means everyone on the crew has a bounty!" Luffy cheered.

"Luffy-san, from this day forth I pledge to you my life and offer you my service! I hope not to be a burden to you all!" Luffy cheered that they finally had a musician! Usopp chuckled that the first spot he wanted filled since the beginning was the one to join last. Luffy told them he wanted ten members. One more would be joining!

"Ten is an awfully small crew," Brook said.

"Well, it's more cozy this way! I don't want a lot of people under me, cause then I won't get to spend time with them all! And a small crew is easier and cheaper. Shishishi!"

Chopper hugged his legs, saying he loved him. Luffy patted his head with a smile, and the others around smiling at his words, too. "Also, it would be harder to fulfill everyones' dreams if there were a lot of us, right?"

"True," Nami said. "Some of us are already on our way, though. Usopp and Zoro are getting stronger. Usopp even beat Perona, the ghost girl." Luffy scowled. He hadn't liked being possessed.

"You did look pretty stupid. But not as bad as Franky and moss head!" Franky yelled at him to shut his mouth.

Luffy started dancing. "Negative, negative!" Usopp asked if he had actually been possessed. Luffy nodded, and said he had done that.

"You're body sure is unique, is it not?" Brook said.

"You have no idea," Chopper laughed. "Though, being part of the crew, you'll be in the 'loop'." Brook looked forward to that. Luffy knew he'd accept him just fine. After all, he was a living skeleton. Luffy's condition will not be so scary. He had been in severe pain against Moria, and the fight didn't last long, but he didn't lose control once even through that pain. He fought with his own strength for once, even if it wasn't the best fight.

He felt his control was getting better, as long as he didn't have to deal with seastone.

He at least showed that his gears were helpful in a fight, even if they damaged his body. He felt it was mostly because he'd used both at the same time. Bad idea, it seemed.

Luffy slept on a mattress in the infirmary that night since Zoro was in there. He woke up early in the morning, and asked Luffy's name, his voice rough. Like he'd been screaming or shouting. He might have, with all of his wounds. "Zoro!" Luffy got him some water and hurried next to him.

Zoro smiled at him in a tired smile. "You look really good," he said in a happy voice. Luffy said all his injuries and pain had gone away. "That's good…" Zoro said, Luffy helped him sit up enough so he could drink the water. Luffy wasn't going to bring up whatever secret he was keeping from him. He must have a reason. Luffy wished he knew, but would never push.

"You got really beat up."

"Yeah," was all Zoro said. Then he started to fall asleep again, and Luffy let him down, pulling the blanket over him and setting a half full glass of water next to the infirmary bed. He woke up, that was great! Chopper said he wouldn't fully recover for at least a month and had to take it easier.

Zoro wasn't going to be happy with that news at all.

The next day, he was irritated with the recovery period, but didn't seem surprised. "Should we take a break before going to Fishman Island?" Nami asked. Zoro vehemently said he would not cause the crew to take a recovery break. No way in hell. Luffy frowned, but understood how he felt.

Sanji said he wouldn't let moss head stop him from seeing the mermaids. Franky and Usopp left later to help Brook make a grave for all of his crew. They had many coffins with their bodies, and it was so sad. But at least the ship hadn't smelled like dead people. Brook wasn't sad to say goodbye to the ghost ship, no matter the good memories he had of it.

The majority of his time there had been miserable. So, after making a grave for their new member's old crew, Franky fixed the rudder and sails for the Rolling Pirates to be on their way. They sure helped them a lot, even if they were strangers.

Luffy spent the day with Zoro, who slept a lot from the pain medicine he hated having. It was clear he was hurting, though. But he was tough, and by the next day, the day they were leaving, he was able to walk around, if not slowly and carefully. Without crutches, though. Luffy wasn't to drink from him for at least a week, which wasn't that bad. He had more blood packs.

When they were leaving, they found out that the Rolling Pirates had been to Fishman Island, so they were telling Brook and Sanji all about it. They both had severe nosebleeds. "Why do their noses bleed?"

"They're horny," Nami said flatly with a sigh.

"Huh. Zoro shows it in a different way." Nami's face turned bright red, and she smacked Luffy. Robin laughed openly. None of the other guys said anything, but Chopper cluelessly explained the usual way a man usually showed arousal.

"Stop it!" Nami screeched and hurried inside. Zoro came out from a nap, and asked what they were shouting about. Robin said it was nothing, and Luffy had a surprise for Brook. "Hey, Brook! I got something for you!" Luffy said. Nami went to talk to Lola and say a goodbye while Luffy showed Brook what was in the corner of the galley.

"I brought the piano! It was hard to get through the door, though." Brook was touched, and thanked Luffy with a bow. "We're nakama, now! You don't gotta bow, just say thanks." Brook was very happy and nodded. Now he had a violin and a piano. Luffy was so happy to finally have a musician!

Sanji said it was no surprise, Luffy had wanted a musician from way back in the East Blue. "I'm touched, Luffy-san!" The captain beamed and nodded.

Nami came back with a vivre card, which was what Ace gave him no doubt. A paper that would lead them together no matter where they were. It was for Lola's mom in the New World, in case they ever needed help. Nami would keep it close. They were finally on their way out, then. Leaving the creepy island where they had another adventure, much different than the last. And Luffy had a new and inconvenient power. And knew what his limits were with his gears.

"Bye, everybody!" the Straw Hats called, waving goodbye and giving their thanks and telling them to be careful. They had no real destination set, just out of the Florian Triangle, finally. Once the Thousand Sunny was sailing off and following the log pose to Fishman Island, finally, they all sat on deck, and explained to Brook about what Luffy was and his symptoms. Brook's expression was hard to read, of course.

He was impossible to interpret for Luffy, as he had no heart to speed up when lying, though he didn't seem like the kind of guy to just lie. "Wow! And these stones were in the ocean, too?! That's so strange! Does blood actually taste good? It sounds disgusting, yohoho~"

Luffy nodded, but they didn't know what the stones were exactly, or if they really caused people around them to turn into what Luffy was. They didn't know if there were any on land, since Luffy had not been born around one at all, as far as he knew. And he said blood did taste good, but he drank it mostly out of necessity.

"And Zoro-san is okay with that?"

"Moss head likes how it feels, like a pervert." Nami told him he wasn't one to call anyone a pervert. He was an absolute pervert. Not Zoro, even if he did grab Luffy's butt in passing. Luffy giggled, and Zoro looked unbothered. In private he did much more than grab his butt. All the hickeys and bite marks all over Luffy's body faded when they left the private area they were in, Zoro not wanting people to see them.

Brook said he wasn't bothered by the blood drinking. "Though the reaction to seastone is quite odd. Any other devil fruit user should be weakened, not strengthened." They all agreed. But Nami proudly said Luffy hadn't lost control on Thriller Bark at all. Luffy nodded and smiled, proud of himself, too.

"I fought with my own strength. Though the fight was kind of lame and Moria just stood there for most of it," Luffy commented. He looked down at his arm and sighed. He didn't like this power. Franky said he should try training himself with it. "Where? I would be uncomfortable doing it on the ship." He could do it on the roof of the bathhouse and shoot it outwards behind them. "Well, I would have to or I'd blow my arm up, right?"

"Very true. We don't want that to ever happen again," Chopper said. "I am glad the injury faded, but I would have liked to check it out and see what the problem actually was. If it was broken bone or nerve damage. It's more likely it was nerve damage and not broken bones since you could still move it."

"If it was nerve damage, would he be able to use it?"

"Well, there's a very rare disorder called CRPS. An injury causes nerve damage that can inflame pain terribly. But you have to be predisposed to it, and I don't think Luffy is, or he'd have gotten it long ago with all the injuries he's sustained," the doctor explained. "There's no real cure or treatment for it, so it's good that it likely won't happen to any of us. It really is rare."

Nami said it sounded terrible. "It is. There are worse injuries, but CRPS usually spreads to other parts of the body and stays with you for life."

"Yikes," Franky said. "I'm super with metal bones!" Luffy was unworried.

"Still, you should practice it," Robin added. Luffy said he would. They then changed the subject. Nami asked if Luffy was sure about the vivre card. Luffy looked up at the sky. He trusted Ace. He didn't like it right now, but he was sure Ace would overcome any enemy he was facing. Brook said he didn't mind altering the course, with everyone agreeing.

"Thanks, guys. But I think he'll be okay. The card still has a lot to go, right? So he has more than enough time to turn whatever happened around! There's no way he'd be beaten by that fat jerk Blackbeard," he said firmly, believing this fully. Zoro did say Blackbeard had been a member of the Whitebeards. "He was Ace's underling, though, remember?"

"That's true, I forgot about that!" Nami said. "Well, Ace was chosen to be a commander by Whitebeard. You're right. He should be okay." The others came around and believed the same.

"Besides, when he gets better you'll know it and then we can meet him in the New World once his mission is over. If that's even why he seems to be in trouble. He could just have been eaten by a sea king or something like that," Sanji said, bringing out drinks for them all.

"Now, onto Fishman Island!" Luffy cheered. "And a toast to celebrate Brook's joining us!" he added, thrusting his fists up in the air. They toasted to his presence, nobody wanting him gone anymore. See, they got used to him quickly! Zoro looked at his boyfriend fondly. Luffy couldn't hug him roughly with his wounds still so sensitive, but they could hold hands and kiss. Zoro was also sleeping on a separate mattress for now so there wasn't extra pressure on him at night. But the mattress was next to their usual bunk, and Luffy easily had his hand stretched to his all night long.

They would be in the fog for at least three more days by Nami's prediction, and Luffy's senses were still dulled outside due to the stupid fog. So he stayed inside most of it. He liked listening to Brook's music a lot, which he could hear anywhere he was on the ship. It was really nice to finally hear music there. It felt like the ship had become… more colorful.

When he said that, the others agreed with that analogy, even if it didn't make sense much. However, they did get annoyed when Brook woke them early with the music. Well, Sanji didn't care, as he was already awake and cooking breakfast way before everyone else woke up. Now with seven boys, there were four more empty bunks. Just in case. Maybe they'd have guests or something.

The girls room only had one more bed, though. So if the final person to join was a girl, she'd have a bed. They had room for more, and Luffy wondered who the tenth member would be.

Luffy approached Brook and sat on the railing next to him on his second day there. "I'm sorry about your old crew. That pretty song must be hard to listen to."

"Why do you say that, Luffy-san?" Brook wondered curiously.

"The others couldn't hear it cause it was so faint, but I could hear bodies falling." Brook looked back out to sea, and said that was indeed how many died. In the middle of the song. But he made sure to finish it, even if he was the only one left in the end. "How long did it take for you to not be so sad about them anymore? You speak of them with fondness now and not pain."

"It took years. Sometimes when I slept, I'd wake up and see them only for them to fade when I woke up fully. But I am not there anymore, and they're resting peacefully. I no longer need to carry their remains around in the same place as I am. Knowing their bodies, bones only or not, were always there was a humbling feeling. It made me appreciate I was alive, even if I was all alone. But I'm no longer alone."

Luffy grinned. "I won't let anything happen to my nakama. I don't know what happened to Zoro, though. Or what happened after I passed out. But everyone is alive, and Zoro's gonna heal, even if it takes a while."

"I like your optimism. I will try to be optimistic, as well!" Brook vowed. "May I ask a question?" Luffy nodded. "Does it bother you? Being how you are? With unpredictability and the ever present knowledge of knowing going without blood will be a miserable end?"

Looking at the foggy sky, Luffy said, "I have people who will help me, and who accept me even with it. With the danger of being around me when I'm with seastone, the worry now about anything new coming up, I know my friends have my back, just like my brother did and still does. As long as I'm not all alone, I'll be okay," Luffy said brightly. "I know they'll take care of me like I protect them."

Brook said this was a very happy ship, and he enjoyed being there already. "Good! We like you being here, too. I think they finally realize how pirates should have music, too." Brook agreed with that statement brightly.

When Luffy's arm glowed again on the second day, he hurried out onto deck and onto the roof of the bath house, Franky was behind him in case he was thrown back from the force like he'd been before. He aimed his hands out and made a motion to quickly widen his fingers, like he was about to catch something with both hands.

It shot a shock wave out of his hands that did indeed throw him back into Franky, who caught him but ended up falling on his back. "Holy shit that's powerful," Franky said, Luffy standing up. "Does it hurt?"

"Only before. It feels fine afterwards. Though it's annoying how it throws me back. It would be useless and dangerous if I was thrown into the ocean or something," Luffy said in slight annoyance. "That blood stone still irritates me. It stabbed me and left this problem."

Franky mused that it could be quite useful later. Luffy had an idea not related to it much. "Hey, do you think you could make me a backpack or something with a tube of blood to drink from on the go?"

The cyborg said he would super do it and make it impossible to break. "Yay, thank you!" Luffy hurried inside to the log book that Robin suggested he leave the times that it came to try and find a pattern. Maybe a recurring time, or a recurring situation that caused it. He found Zoro in the hall on his way, and Luffy was pinned to the wall with both hands.

Zoro leaned forward and ravished his mouth, thrusting his tongue into Luffy's mouth, who kissed back. Zoro pulled back, and touched Luffy's swollen lips in satisfaction. Then he walked away, leaving Luffy with raised eyebrows. That was kind of odd. Not that he didn't enjoy it. He made a happy shrug and went to record the incident.

It came up again five hours later during dinner. He huffed a bit, and had to leave the table. Franky went to be his stabilization again without word or complaint. It went the same as the last time, throwing him into Franky's spread arms. "Thanks, Franky."

"Yow! You could damage the ship if I didn't catch you," he said casually. That was true. Franky sure was dedicated to his position on the crew. They went back to eating, nobody asking about it and resuming their conversation about leaving the Florian Triangle the next day. Nothing scary had happened after Thriller Bark, they ran only into strange weather.

Thriller Bark might be the sole reason for ships to come out of the Florian Triangle empty and damaged. Nami said they should also be nearing the Red Line. The other side of the world. It took six months to get this far from the beginning of the Grand Line. Nine members after Luffy set out for an accepting crew to join him on the quest to find the ultimate treasure, and become the Pirate King. He was so excited to face that wall again. Face it and get to the halfway point, the entrance to the most dangerous sea in the world. Even more than the first half.

It was nice that nobody was terrified. They didn't take Moria's words too seriously, but they knew they should expect difficulty that would force them to be stronger. The monster trio, as Nami referred to them (despite there actually being three monsters on the crew), were the most excited to face new dangers.

Thinking about this, the day they were to leave the purple and annoying fog, Luffy was outside on the roof of the bathhouse, doing what Robin suggested, and meditating. He didn't meditate, he just thought about what he wanted out of this training. He'd never trained like this. Zoro was there, since he couldn't train with his huge weights yet. He was quickly becoming furious with his body.

But, despite his anger and irritation, he was healing faster than expected. Everyone was happy about that, even if it wasn't enough for the stronger swordsman. Everyone, including Brook, knew Zoro was a more powerful swordsman than Brook. After all, he was going to be the strongest swordsman in the world.

Luffy thought about the wish for the arms to glow, and give him that annoying but promising ability. He started to sweat as he forced it out, and felt the pain in his arms. He stood up and blasted it, only it was much weaker, and made him absolutely exhausted, falling onto his back and breathing heavily, as if he'd just sprinted a whole day.

Zoro hurried over and asked if he was okay. "So tired. Forcing it seems like a bad idea," Luffy said sluggishly. Then he fell asleep and started snoring. Zoro carried him to the bed and he slept for over an hour. When he woke up, he needed some blood, and drank a blood bag. He still had over 20 left. He needed to ration better.

When he was young he only drank blood when he needed to. It kind of seemed Luffy started craving or wanting it more since he began his journey. Well, after he started drinking from Zoro. it had become a regular thing in the beginning, both doing it cause it felt good to them in different ways. But now they didn't do that much, so maybe he craved it more because of that. And he noticed something alarming with this: he needed full blood bags to heal over mostly minor damages. When had that changed?

Who knows?

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Just_a_normal_fan: Dude Luffy's punch could blow that asshole's face off. Pop his stupid bubble helmet. Oda sure is good at making gross character designs for the celestial dragons lol. We need that separation man, the angst. Regardless of whether I kill off Ace or not, Luffy would be angsty and miss his friends and lover. Poor bebe.

And with this chapter post, my endless fanfiction writing era is over. I'm starting school today, it's 12:11 AM right now, going to bed soon. I know I just sounded like it is doom, but I still have 16 ongoing or waiting stories. And none will ever be dropped, no matter how swamped with school I might get. I will always finish a story and make time for writing when I can because I love it so much. Anyways, wish me luck! Enjoy~

When he woke up from his recovery nap, the ship was anchored, and he saw the reason. They were in front of the other side of the Red Line. They wanted him to see it when they arrived. Damn it! He missed their reactions from being asleep. He looked up at the familiar, imposing wall, though this time it wasn't storming violently.

They'd come this far. Half of their journey through the Grand Line for the first time was nearly over. It made him… sad. When Robin saw his expression, sitting in her lawn chair with a book from the packed library, she smiled. "Even after we make it to the last island, we're still pirates. Plenty of islands we haven't been, too," she said lightly.

Luffy smiled. That was right! They only traveled one of the seven paths in the Grand Line, and there had to be a ton of islands in the New World! Their adventure across the most dangerous sea wasn't nearly over. Not nearly! The thought made him feel happy. He went inside to where he heard everyone and showed he was awake.

"Time to go to Fishman Island!" he cheered. They were out of the Florian Triangle, too, so he could use his senses just as good as before. Damn that fog was annoying. But they'd gotten Brook there, so he didn't hate their time in that place completely. They had an interesting adventure, at least.

They smiled at seeing him and his sparkling eyes. Sanji handed him a hot chocolate that everyone else had, as it was chilly outside, and said Mary Geoise was near. Marine headquarters was as well. They had to be careful.

Luffy scowled at thinking of World Nobles. The Celestial Dragons up on the Red Line. He hated them. They took away his brother. Luffy never wanted to see a bubble head. "Well, we'll be careful," Nami said, glaring at Zoro and Luffy. "So, how did the training go? You slept for over an hour."

"Yeah! It was really weak, too. I can't force it. And I haven't found any pattern either!" Luffy said in frustration, drinking his hot chocolate too fast, it being too hot. He spit it out on Franky across the table. He sat there with warm hot chocolate on his face. "Oops. Sorry, Franky."

"You're disgusting," Sanji said, and handed Franky a napkin. He wiped his face, not seeming that bothered. Then he changed the subject, and told Luffy he finished the backpack and would show him once they started sailing again. "Don't guzzle it! It's still hot!" Sanji said, and Luffy nodded, blowing on it first.

Luffy was happy and excited to see the backpack. "Wait, that can wait for later. We have to get down to Fishman Island, right? We should use the shark submerge to search for it. We don't know where the entrance is, and the Red Line is really long," Nami explained. Luffy raised his hand, wanting to go.

It ended up being him, Robin and Brook. He was the one to drive it as they dove and searched the Red Line. Luffy couldn't hear or smell anything underwater, or through the submarine, so they could only rely on sight. They found nothing, and watched how deep they went. Franky said the sub would implode if it passed 5,000 meters.

However, it was easy to see a huge monster coming after them. It also couldn't sense Luffy, it seemed, and tried to attack regardless of his presence inside. The shark submerge barely got out of the way of it's huge mouth and bite. They searched only a bit more, and found nothing that would clue them in onto where Fishman Island was.

When they surfaced, the news of not finding anything helpful was a dampener on Nami's mood. They went as deep as possible, but were nowhere near the bottom of the sea where the island was. Nami sighed, regretting not asking Lola more. "Maybe we'll drift down in a giant bubble!" Chopper said.

Usopp pointed out they had no way to make a huge bubble. And bubbles didn't sink, they rose. Chopper frowned. Luffy wondered if they should move along the Red Line more.

"The Red Line spans the entire width of the Grand Line. It would take way too long," Sanji said. "Damn, I wish your senses worked under water."

"Well, they don't and never have," Luffy commented easily, sitting on the roof of the submarine. But he did hear bubbles behind them, and the sea monster surfaced, that had tried to eat them only moments ago. "It followed us!" But it sensed Luffy and froze. Despite being a sea monster, it looked to be sweating.

Luffy gave it a gomu gomu rifle to go away. "Shoo!" Luffy called, knocking the thing into the Red Line and sinking below the surface. Two things came shooting out of its mouth when it gagged from the punch. It was a fish! A large one, but not that big.

"It spit something out," Sanji commented casually.

"It's a giant fish!" Luffy suggested. But it was making a girly scream. Usopp said it was a person. But Sanji and Franky thought it was something else.

"It can't be!" the cyborg shouted. Sanji had hearts in his eyes. Then it landed on top of him, slamming him into the deck hard. It was a mermaid!

She screamed, "Ahh, I flattened a human! I'm so sorry! I'm sorry, are you okay?!" she asked, shaking Sanji's shoulders. He was fine with it. He had a nose bleed and still looked and acted dazed. Zoro called him pathetic. The mermaid turned around, and was shocked to see more people. "Wah! There are a lot of humans! Wait, no there aren't!"

Luffy moved behind Usopp, not wanting to scare her off. "Thank you very much for saving me from being digested! I'm easily eaten by marine animals! This is the 20th time," she said lightly.

"Ehhh? 20 times? Man, you must be dumb, huh? Ahahaha!" Sanji yelled at him to not be disrespectful. "Hey, can you poop?"

"Don't answer! Stop asking that question, you idiot! She's a beautiful lady, respect her you damn buffoon!" Sanji shouted at him angrily. Luffy ignored him, and she looked at him with wide eyes. Nami quickly said Luffy wasn't scary, he was really nice and safe to be around. She asked what he was.

Luffy simply said, "Dunno yet."

"Oh, well I'm a mermaid."

"We could tell," Usopp said.

"I have to thank you some way for saving me! Do you like takoyaki?!" Luffy asked if that was cannibalism. "What do you mean?" Nami smacked Luffy and told him to just stay quiet. She then pleasantly told the mermaid they would be happy to have some. She said one would be 500 berries. "Wait… this is no store! I got it wrong!"

She was stupid. Zoro put his hand over Luffy's mouth from behind. He knew he was going to say something rude. Her name was Caimie and Sanji was over the moon in happiness of seeing a mermaid. Usopp said they already met a mermaid. Kokoro was a mermaid, just an old one. But she looked nothing like Caimie. Well, maybe not all mermaids were beautiful like Sanji thought.

When Sanji's face grew pale at thinking of her, Nami disapproved and called them so disrespectful. "You know how much she helped us in saving Robin and Franky?" she snapped. Luffy had moved to look at the other creature hiding from him behind Caimie. Luffy moved around the mermaid to see it, and finally saw it was a starfish.

"Hey, a talking starfish! Neh, can I touch you? Are you squishy? Do you have those suction things? What would happen if I cut off one of your limbs?"

"Ahhh! Monster!" the starfish screamed.

"How rude! I was just curious," Luffy said with a frown and crossed arms. "Hmph," he said, pouting and looking away. Usopp mumbled he acted like a child.

Chopper said, "Well, you don't know what it feels like, right? Luffy's okay with himself calling him a monster of us saying it. But that's just rude of that starfish."

"I know, right!"

"I'm sorry! You just asked me about cutting a leg off!"

"Didn't mean I was going to do it!" Luffy said and walked back to the group. Maybe all of the people of Fishman Island would think he was a monster. While Sanji absolutely looked forward to it, Luffy wasn't nearly as excited. The crew but Sanji looked at him in pity. He was too busy with the mermaid. She looked troubled, too.

Robin asked who the starfish was. "That's my pet and master, Pappag! He's a starfish." When asked about it, the starfish said that Camie took care of him, so he was her pet. Luffy wasn't looking, but was listening. The talking starfish said he was a fashion designer, which was a surprise to even Luffy. He was wearing a stylish hat, though. "Thank you for coming to our aid!"

"You're welcome. Now apologize to Luffy," Zoro said flatly. Pappag looked at Luffy, and apologized if he was rude. "You were rude. You know nothing about Luffy."

Luffy said it was fine. He expected it. His voice and tone were the picture of dejected. "Neh, what do you feel like when you're in front of me?" he asked, turning to look at Pappag and Caimie. "Be honest."

"Like I'm staring in the face of a sea king ready to strike," Pappag said. Everyone was shocked by that description. Caimie said she felt the same thing at first. But he seems nice now. Luffy looked at the marking on his arm and grabbed it. The deck was awkwardly silent. Caimie broke the silence, to Luffy's appreciation.

But was he really that scary? He asked Chopper about it. "You were scary at first, but to me you didn't smell dangerous. I just got a bad feeling looking at you until you started talking to me. When your voice was kind, it wasn't so scary." Luffy hugged him tightly and Chopper laughed. "Well, us monsters gotta stick together!" the reindeer said with a laugh. Luffy grinned and agreed, his mood lifted considerably.

"Anyways, this is really good timing! We have a problem we need help with-"

"Takoyaki first, Nami!" Luffy whined. Caimie agreed they did need takoyaki. She moved on from being scared of Luffy, but maybe she was just fearless. He wondered why they thought he was a scary sea king. He was smiling when they landed. There should be nothing threatening about him just by his appearance.

Well, he would probably never learn why. He wanted to, but he was also worried and even afraid of what he'd find. If he actually was some terrifying monster. He knew he could be scary on purpose, but he didn't think he was evil or anything of the sort. At least when he was in control. Though he wasn't evil when he killed Lucci. He tried to kill Luffy first, and it was his own fault.

He brought himself back to the present and out of his crazy train of thought. Caimie pulled out a den den mushi, and called "Hacchin" her friend who made the takoyaki! "Sorry, I got kinda lost! Where are you right now?"

But the guy on the phone, his voice familiar but not enough to be recognizable, seemed to have been kidnapped. He was asking for her help. Though Luffy wondered how she could help if she kept getting eaten. She might get eaten again on her way there! And how lucky she was for surviving 20 times.

Looking to the side, he saw Nami was thinking, too. She recognized the voice, too, it seemed. They then heard Caimie get the location of where Hacchin was. He was caught by slave traders? Well, Arlong had talked about how badly humans treated them. Maybe his hatred was just, but not against who he took it out on. Nami's village wasn't guilty of hurting him in any way.

Luffy hated him, still. Being so terrible to and talking about Nami how he had.

The location of where these bad guys were was near Sabaody Archipelago, five kilometers away from "Grove 44". Whatever that meant. But was that a nearby island? The log pose pointed down to Fishman Island, not an archipelago. The place was called the "flying fish riders kidnapping gang".

Hacchin was being beat up on the other end, and begged Caimie not to come. It was hard to listen to. Then the call was cut, leaving them all in shocked silence. All Caimie could say was her captured friend's name. "What about the takoyaki?!" Luffy asked in an upset voice. Franky scolded him.

"Sorry Luffy-chin, can I give you the takoyaki at a different time? I have to go save my friend." Luffy crossed his arms. He got his hopes up for the takoyaki! He offered to help them rescue her friend. Then they would make him takoyaki. Pappag looked surprised. After all, the "vicious" pirate was offering to help. And wanted food in exchange.

"Also, if we help, can you show us how to get to Fishman Island?" Nami asked, pointing to the log pose on her wrist. "We don't know how to get there and aren't getting any closer to finding out on our own."

She was shocked by their kindness, for near strangers. Well, they had reasons to help, even if they didn't know her. Food and directions. More than good enough payment to help out! "You'll really help us rescue Hacchin, Luffy-chin?!"

"Yeah! But who's Hacchin anyways? And how'd he get caught? Did he get eaten like you did?"

"He runs the takoyaki shop I work at! We got separated, but he wasn't eaten like I was." Luffy declared they were getting that takoyaki even if it meant death, with all but Zoro agreeing. He called the whole thing ridiculous.

"Though dart brow probably couldn't make good takoyaki if he worked at it for a year. Food is such crap-" he was kicked at and they got into a fight on deck. Nami did her usual of punching them in the heads, only this time she did it half assed. Still strong, but she didn't shout at them in annoyance or exasperation.

She was happy that they were going to be brought to Fishman Island. Well, this Sabaody place first after saving Hacchin who was off the coast. Pappag knew how to get there and where it was, and Caimie called fish to come with a sound only Luffy could hear. It was sharp and sudden, and he winced without helping it. It was just sudden and sharp.

"What's wrong?" Zoro asked, a bump on his head.

"Her fish talk hurt my ears. It was really high pitched." The others said they hadn't heard anything. Robin mused that it could be similar to a dog whistle. The frequency is impossible to hear by regular humans. "Maybe. At least it was short, though! Not like Laboon's." Brook asked what he meant. "Laboon was so loud it made my ears bleed."

"What?! I'm so sorry!" Franky asked why he was apologizing. "Well… It just seemed like what I was supposed to do."

"Don't feel bad, Usopp blew my ear drums, too, once," Luffy said casually. Robin, Franky and Brook were shocked. They hadn't been there for the fight. "Yeah." Usopp was looking ashamed. "It's bad when my senses are targeted. When we were going through Enies Lobby to find Robin, they poured gasoline on me and I nearly passed out from it."

Brook said his senses sure were vulnerable. "More than worth it with how convenient they are, though," Sanji said. Chopper glared at him, but Luffy agreed. The pros were worth the few cons. But they weren't perfect. Like how they were weakened from the fog, which was annoying. And how strong scents canceled out others.

The fish apparently were too scared to go near the enemies to go themselves, but they'd show them up to that point. Nami was intrigued over speaking to fish, and Luffy looked down. They swam to the other side of the ship Luffy wasn't at, and he ran to the opposite one, watching them go back and forth in amusement.

Sanji grabbed his face and told him to stop trying to scare the fish! "Shishishi!" was Luffy's response, even as his face was being yanked and stretched out. The fish stopped swimming away from him and went in front of the ship in an amazing arrow formation. It led them through the waters, the ship cruising parallel to the massive Red Line. Luffy sat on top of the crowsnest, looking at just how impossibly tall it was.

So tall he couldn't smell anything from the surface of it, high in the clouds. He asked Nami what living in Marygeoise would be like. "Probably very wet. And depending on how high it is, the air might be thinner. I don't know just how tall it really is," she said, in awe. "But for World Nobles to live up there, it should be a nice place."

"For them. I've heard they have slaves." Caimie said that was true. "Disgusting." The others agreed with Sanji's words. "I bet you hate them even more than any of us, Luffy." He was referencing how Sabo was killed. Franky and Brook didn't know about it, so they were confused.

"My brother was murdered by a Celestial Dragon when he was twelve," Luffy said sourly. "And the guy didn't get in trouble or anything! And when I asked Garp about it, he couldn't do anything! It's like they were his boss." Brook and Franky looked angry.

Robin said that was the gist. "The marines work under the World Government, with the Celestial Dragons being a large influence. The marines bend to their will. Your grandfather included, no matter if he wanted to or not." Franky said that was absolutely ridiculous. "That's just how the government works. There's no logic behind why a force meant to keep the peace of the world would allow slaves. That's what the revolutionaries want. To dismantle that unjust system."

"My dad?"

"Yes, he's the leader of that effort." Luffy thought that was a better profession than his grandfather's. Though one was legal and the other was not. Well, Luffy didn't care. Being a pirate and monster wouldn't be legal, either.

Pappag and Caimie were listening as they followed the fish. "You guys… are you strong? You offered to help and all," Pappag said. Luffy looked over and the starfish hid behind Caimie. Then he realized what he'd done and apologized. Luffy smiled, and thanked him for putting in an effort to not be afraid of him.

"We're strong, don't worry," Zoro said. Though he was sour.

"I think you can lift weights now, Zoro. Your muscle fibers have healed well enough. Just not the 300 pound weights. 100 only." Zoro left and scurried up the crowsnest immediately, and Luffy followed, telling them to call them when they were there. Nami and Robin giggled.

Luffy happily watched Zoro lift the weights enthusiastically. "Zoro's so strong."

"Not really right now," he said, lifting a weight above his head that was exactly 100 pounds. "I should be lifting those ones."

"Sorry…"

Zoro turned and asked why he was apologizing. There was almost a look of worry on his face, wariness and suspicion. Luffy said he felt it was his fault somehow. "It wasn't your fault. I promise you that."

"Nobody will tell me. I know you, Sanji, Robin and Brook all know, and I don't want to press and to respect your privacy, but it still bothers me. It was something so big and all. I don't even know who did it."

"Another enemy. You were unconscious and very injured when the second enemy came and took care of us all quickly."

Luffy said he knew there was another enemy. He didn't know who or what he could do, though. "I heard in passing about someone else. Nobody seems to want to talk about it with me, though." Zoro said it was nothing against him. "Okay…"

Zoro put the weights down and walked to Luffy, bending forward with his hands on the bench. "You are not responsible for what happened after you were out. You put yourself through too much to ever be blamed for what happened next. Understand? You have no reason to feel guilty about anything."

His voice was very serious and insistent. Luffy nodded. Zoro pecked him on the lips, and went back to lifting weights, shirtless but still with bandages. Chopper kept getting mad at him when he got annoyed with the wrappings and took them off. He got even angrier with them when Luffy unhelpfully said he looked like a mummy. So Luffy was pleased to see the bandages still there.

Tbh I hated writing Caimie. She was awful to read in the manga for me. I hated writing her so much so  that in my other one that follows the plot, Caimie is replaced with dragons as guides! Fuck off Caimie and your stupid face. (Lol) See you next week!

Chapter Text

DotNotFound: At least Vivi's voice actor wasn't annoying af compared to Caimie lol. I don't know why I'm spreading so much Caimie hate, sorry. I'm gonna give a spoiler so you're not too disappointed: I did not go into the training arc in detail. 

Just_a_normal_fan: I dump angst on Luffy like you wouldn't believe after the separation, especially in Impel Down hehehe.  School is very distracting just for posting for some reason. I actually have a lot of free time, as I have one class a day and they're online. I get most of my homework done as early in the week as possible so I can do stuff over the weekend. This semester will still allow me to write a lot, thank GOD!

Holy shit this is a long chapter. Well, enjoy it I guess!

Sanji called for them to come down, and Luffy heard and opened the hatch. "You guys should listen to this." Luffy hung his head out of the hatch with Zoro sitting next to it to listen. Pappag spoke about the thugs on Sabaody that kidnapped people to sell them in auction to the World Nobles. Mermaids were especially valuable. "The 'Makuro Crew', a gang of three fishmen that have been after Caimie for awhile. Since we got eaten by a beast and disappeared, Hacchi might have thought we were taken and so went to get them himself." Caimie agreed. That was the most likely scenario of how he had gotten caught.

"Why don't you just swim away?" Luffy asked bluntly.

"Fishmen are much stronger than mermaids. It's easy for the Makuro Crew to kidnap them and sell them. Plus, mermaids are weak on land, so once they're captured, there is little hope," Pappag said honestly.

"That's disgusting. Selling and buying people… it's just so wrong," Chopper said in distaste. Luffy nodded his head. Everyone else looked bothered in their own ways.

Zoro commented on the fact that the octopus fishman named Hachi sounded like the guy from Nami's island. If it was him, then he wouldn't want to save the guy. Sanji agreed, Luffy as well. All of the fishmen had been enemies of Nami and therefore them as well. Back when there were only four of them.

It was only over half a year ago, but it felt like so much longer. Pappag said Hachi could beat them easily, but they brought the flying fish riders into it…" Franky asked who they were. Luffy said it was a lame name. "They're another kidnapping gang. If those guys are after you, you're done." The leader's name was Duval. He wore a metal mask, hiding his face and searching every ship for somebody.

Luffy smiled and told Caimie they'd save the takoyaki fishman. Luffy then slipped and fell from the crowsnest, landing on his head with a bounce. Caimie and Pappag screamed when he fell, but he just bounced, and was fine. He dropped his hat though, and put it back on his black and white hair.

"Ah, I'm a devil fruit user. I'm a rubber man!" Luffy said proudly.

"But I thought you had good senses," Pappag said.

"Well, I'm a monster right? Who says I can't have more cool stuff?" Luffy asked lightly. And almost on cue, Luffy's arm started glowing. "I'll be right back," he said, and climbed up the mast and jumped to the other one and onto the bathhouse. It was his usual place. He discharged them, these ones on full blast. Really, trying to force them was detrimental in every way. He wouldn't do that again or he'd be out of the count of something and vulnerable for no pay off.

He went flying back and hit the deck hard, rolling into the wall. To the two sea folk, Luffy looked incredibly durable by now. "Shishishi! It's not any easier to deal with," he said, rubbing his face. Pappag asked what that was. "Another monster thing I guess. Well, it's from a rock that stabbed me." Caimie had her face in shock. Luffy moved his arm and pointed to where he had been impaled in his sleep.

Just that one moment changed so many things. "You're… very interesting," Pappag said carefully. Luffy took it as a complement. He looked up and said people were coming from the air. They were incredibly loud and reeked like sushi. "That's them!" But they just flew over the ship and flew away.

Luffy listened and told his crew they were targets. "Looks like Duval is wanting one of us. Well, now that I've heard them and know what direction they're in, should get there easily! Neehee." The fish that brought them that far fled, and Luffy was the new guide, recognizing the scent trails as well.

"We could be going straight into a trap, you know?!" Usopp said.

"Don't freak out, we'll be fine. I'll protect the ladies no matter what, Caimie-chan!" Sanji said, sounding cool at first but then losing that quickly. Zoro climbed down with his open shirt, sweaty a bit but not looking tired at all. He was lifting the lightest weights after all. He asked what was going on.

"We're going after the guy who hurt the takoyaki. His weird fish things came and then left. But now I can follow them," Luffy said, sitting on the railing of the second deck. "When we get there, I wanna ride a fish!" Robin lightly said they might be scared of him. "Dang it!" Luffy said, stomping his foot childishly. "But they look so stupid but so cool, too."

"Sorry captain, nothing you can do about it," Franky said lightly. Luffy vowed one day he would be able to not scare animals. "Good luck with that."

"Hey! Don't act so not believing!"

"Disbelieving?"

"Whatever! I'll improve in other ways, and that will be one of them!" Luffy vowed. "Then I won't scare fishmen and mermaids, too. And I can pet a dog for the first time in my life. Our dog at the bandit hut never once let me pet him!" They all looked sympathetic to some degree, but mostly amused.

Then he added they were pretty close now. It soon came into view. "There are a bunch of people here," Luffy said. His little temper tantrum of disappointment was over. "Where's takoyaki!?"

"We're here to save the maker of it, Luffy," Zoro said simply. Luffy said that by default that also saved his takoyaki. "Good point. I guess we're here to save takoyaki, too." Nami called both of them idiots. The place wasn't an island, but like somebody built houses on the water. But it seemed almost empty despite Luffy saying people were there. Hmmm.

He heard the takoyaki's voice. "Takoyaki is in that cage there. He squirted himself with ink just now," Luffy added. Caimie made her weirdly shocked expression. "I already told you and showed you my good senses."

"But we couldn't hear it!"

"You guys… are kind of slow, aren't you?" Franky asked. Nami hit him on the arm, but agreed by not saying anything. "Well, we should go get him, right? Hachi," Franky added. "If there are people here, then they're probably just waiting and luring us into a trap. Oi, Luffy, where are they?"

Luffy looked down and said, "People are here, lots of fresh scents. But I don't hear voices or breathing, so they're probably in the water." Robin did say they used fish. It would make sense that they were under the water and waiting. They sailed up to the cage, and Luffy knew he was at Nami's village.

He tried to get them to leave. He didn't want to see them. "How about this? How's Arlong?" Sanji called. Hachi informed them that they were all in prison and he was the one to escape.

"Oh no!"

"It is you!" the monster trio shouted.

"Nyuu!" Hachi said back, in panic and shaking the cage back and forth to get away. Half of the crew were confused, so Usopp gave the synopsis. Enough for them to all know Hachi was an old enemy. Nobody wanted to help him, now. Luffy was furious.

He shouted, "The takoyaki guy is you?! Why would we rescue you?! Damn it, I wanted takoyaki!" Caimie and Pappag were confused and getting worried about the suddenly hostile crew all around them. The people who were supposed to save their friend, a past enemy. Luffy felt bad for promising them, but the Arlong crew put Nami through a lot of traumatic experiences.

The two knew things had gotten bad for them, and were determined to save Hachi, and jumped into the water to get to him themselves, despite his constant protests about it being a trap, and that Caimie should run. The moment she entered the water, she was caught.

"Oh, c'mon, that's pathetic!" Usopp said at her sudden capture. The three fishmen Luffy assumed were the kidnappers were bragging about capturing her. Hachi swung the cage back and forth, wanting to help his friends. It was indeed a trap. Not a very complex one, but it did work.

Nami admitted that Hachi was harmless. They could save him. "Ah, takoyaki is back!" Luffy said. "Well, I guess we have no choice." Luffy shot his arms out and grabbed Caimie and Pappag, flipping onto the stone ground of the base. Sanji shouted at him to be more gentle when handling a beautiful lady. Luffy was careful with Caimie while his other arm shot Pappag into Sanji's face.

"All you really care about is the takoyaki," Sanji called with a sigh.

"Must be a reason. You clearly aren't doing it for him if he's this dead set on somebody else's cooking," Zoro sneered. Sanji was furious at his words. Nami told them to focus. When Luffy said so, they were all ready to fight. Nobody was worried, it seemed. More like interested. Zoro hadn't even drawn his swords, probably not expecting anything too exciting. Only had a hand loosely on one of them.

Luffy just noticed he'd removed his bandages after he came back down. It made sense. Seeing an enemy while covered in bandages wouldn't be the best look.

The three fishman were angry with Luffy stealing their catch, who was cheering him on, not looking like she was or had been in any danger. Caimie sure was a simple person! Kind of dumb, too. Hachi wanted the mermaid and starfish to flee. "Come and get her, flying fish!" Luffy taunted, ready to fight anyone that appeared.

Nobody was surprised when the flying fish riders flew out of the ocean and directly up at the ship. They didn't go for Caimie, and really were there for one or multiple of the Straw Hats for some reason. "Come to me, fishies! I'm not scary!" Luffy shouted, grinning brightly. "C'mon, it's okay! No!" he called when they flew away from Luffy and instead only to the ship. "Oh, c'mon!"

Caimie said he sure was disliked by animals. He moped and agreed. But he shot out his arms and grabbed onto one. Maybe it could be like when he made the yagara know he was trusted. But the moment he got on the fish, it dove.

Franky dragged him out of the water, coughing it out with tears in his eyes from getting a ton of sea water up his nose. Chopper and Brook had dove in after him, so all three were being yelled at. "I'm sorry!"

"Don't try to tame animals like that!" Nami said.

"B-But the yagara!" he protested. "It's not fair, I'm not scary," he complained. Zoro said he was complaining a lot lately. "How would you feel if you might be the reason a whole anticipated adventure is ruined for everybody?"

But they were drawn away from the very sad and eye opening statement, finally understanding truly why Luffy was so bothered by animals disliking him. And after what Pappag had inconsiderately said. Luffy didn't want to be scary all the time. And it was true. If all the fishmen and mermaids on the island shunned Luffy, they wouldn't want to be around his associates. He apparently felt like a sea king ready to strike.

The fishman kidnappers went after Caimie again, but Zoro was there and freed Hachi by cutting the bars of his cage easily. Though his face was set darkly, and he was glaring at Pappag from his spot on top of the bar that Hachi's cage had hung from. The octopus fishman took over, then, and beat up the obnoxious and arrogant kidnapper fishmen with one punch.

Hachi was an idiot, but he wasn't weak. Even after ditching the Arlong group on his own, it didn't seem he was any weaker. Though Luffy never fought him. He mostly fought Arlong while his crew went up against others while he was busy. He wished he could have seen how Usopp beat his opponent. So long ago. He smiled at the differences in strength in his original nakama from the East Blue.

The octopus fishmen hugged Caimie, but there were still the flying fish riders below. The ones that wouldn't let Luffy near at all. But Zoro was there and cut them all down once they surfaced and went after Hachi. "We'll take care of this. Just get back, you lot," Zoro said. Hachi thanked him, apologizing for the Arlong incient. They did well to fight them off, Usopp hitting some with cannons.

"Don't hurt the fish!" Luffy shouted.

"You beat up animals all the time! Besides, you'll never be able to ride them!" Usopp countered. Luffy licked his lips. "You just want to eat them, don't you?"

"Neehee!" No other answer was given. But then one of them carrying a very large guy came barreling down towards them, swinging around a huge club. If he hit it would damage the ship. The fish had its eyes closed. Luffy thought fish didn't have eyelids! Maybe they could grow them if they were scared enough.

Sanji and Luffy both acted, Luffy bouncing off the fish who had its eyes closed in a death run and the chef kicked the face of the rider in. Both he and the fish landed on the deck, bouncing once, the fish completely knocked out by the hit.

"They're big up close. It does look like it'll make a lot of food," Robin said pleasantly. But more came out, flying around the ship. Luffy was ready to scare them off, an anticlimactic end but a win nonetheless, when Brook took the charge.

"Alas and alack… what am I playing at..?!" he said in frustration.

"What's wrong, Brook?"

"My first battle as one of the Straw Hat pirates would be a disgrace if I could not even lend a hand!" He stood up fully, looking angry somehow. "I think we should reduce their numbers a bit. It isn't much… but please observe closely!" He took his sword out of his cane, and jumped off the yardarm.

In the air he somehow put them all to sleep with his sword slash. Luffy fell asleep too for a couple seconds. "Yohohoho! Music is power!" Then he slashed through all of the fish and riders who had been asleep after his last attack. Luffy's nakama were all so unique in the way they fought. Besides Sanji's. His were mostly simple but powerful kicks.

The fight continued and it was Luffy's turn again. But he didn't try to ride the fish or Nami would be mad again. He grabbed and twisted to launch onto the island town. It and Luffy slammed into a room that somebody frantically said was the leader's bedroom. Had he been hiding quietly the whole time? Seemed like it, he didn't hear people on the island before.

Luffy landed outside the room, and saw the face of the guy. His mask was off, and Luffy cracked up laughing. "You're Sanji! Ahahaha!" Luffy couldn't help it. His face was the exact picture of Sanji's terrible wanted poster! "How is that possible?!"

Zoro and Brook were on the island now, and Luffy bit his lip at the soft groan Zoro made of pain. Maybe he was a bad captain for refusing to tell Zoro to stop the fight or be more careful. It would only shame him, and he would probably still fight, defying any order to help Luffy out. He hadn't gone against any since the Mihawk encounter. Brook noticed it too on the island, sitting close to Zoro. Luffy was at another spot.

"It looks like you took some damage, Zoro-san."

"Not enough to make me lose to these fish freaks. Don't worry about it. Im fine," Zoro said firmly, believing his words. At least he wasn't bluffing. Zoro never bluffed, though.

Luffy ran from the man when he put his mask on, furious and with a huge weapon and a huge cow. He ran back to his crew on the island.

"It's the mask guy and a cow! You won't believe what he looks like-" a arrow was shot at his back that he barely dodged. "He doesn't like it."

"I can assume. By the fact he wears a mask," Zoro said calmly. Duval, the leader of the kidnapping gang, came out on a huge cow with two arrow guns. They projected spikes out of them like cannons. He told his flying fish kidnapers that they were weak and pitiful. He didn't care what happened after this fight, as long as he killed Sanji.

It made sense! Had to do with the wanted poster. Apparently Sanji's poster made Duval's life a hell of marines and pirates coming after him for a bounty that was not earned by him. Luffy wondered where bounty hunters were, since the crew was never attacked by them. Sanji, of course, had no idea who Duval was or what he'd done to make his life so bad. Nobody on the ship did.

Zoro asked Luffy if he knew. "Shhh, I'm not gonna spoil it," Luffy said, making his boyfriend raise his eyebrows. Duval got angry when Sanji was trying to figure out who he was with Usopp, and Luffy wondered who they were talking about. Maybe when they were on the sea train and went wild? But the mystery man to the others said it was more recent, and fired his poison tipped harpoons at them.

"Sanji! It's something kinda funny!" Luffy hinted. Duval told him to shut up and sent harpoons at him. He jumped out of the way laughing. But his words just threw off everybody else more. Duval shot more harpoons, damaging the ship and putting his nakama's lives in trouble. Luffy shot a sudden punch to his face, throwing off his iron mask to show them who he was.

"Everyone knows his face." Luffy turned to Zoro and grinned and pointed.

"Fine! Take off my mask and look at my scarred face! Take a good look!" He then explained how his life was uprooted by this. It wasn't him who was the criminal, but people didn't care about that. He had wounds all over his face from attacks. And he had no way to find him on his own, so he was forced to wait.

The Straw Hats were shocked, Zoro and Robin seeming to be the only other slightly amused ones. Now Luffy kinda felt bad for laughing at him, but it was just so ridiculous. How was Sanjis's drawn wanted poster somebody who already existed?

"Neh, what if it's not Sanji's fault, someone had a grudge on this guy, so he used his face?" Luffy asked Zoro.

"I doubt that's the situation. I think it's just a ridiculous coincidence." Sanji didn't give a shit about it, and kicked his face in.

Duval was less than happy with Sanji's careless reaction. "Who else is gonna take responsibility?!"

"Shut up! If anyone has to be angry at that poster, it's me!" Sanji raged. Everyone was slightly shocked on the ship, and Brook was laughing. Luffy turned to Zoro and asked where he hurt.

"What?"

"I heard you make a pained noise," Luffy said.

"I'm fine. It was just a sharp pain in my chest. Nothing on the outside. Chopper said time will fix it, nothing you can do," Zoro said, ending with a tone of kindness. He took Luffy's hand as they watched in light amusement as Sanji raged at Duval.

The cook said, "If you don't want to look like that poster, then change your face! Dye your hair, wear make up, change something! Stop feeling sorry for yourself and blaming it on somebody else! I HATE THAT POSTER, TOO!" Wow, he was really angry! And Duval was really stupid! He hadn't even thought of that option. Just dying his hair would change his look. Or shaving his head. Sanji was right. He had been part of the problem himself by not doing anything to change it. After Duval explained what his life used to be like, he blamed Sanji, still. And he had attacked the ship because they were part of the problem.

When a steel net was thrown at Sanji, planning on drowning him, Luffy grabbed on and pulled, ripping the net out of the flying fish's rider's grasps. Luffy bent open the net. "I didn't need help," Sanji said.

Luffy looked at the metal net, and bent it. "Now it looks like a ghost!" he said, showing off his bent metal artwork. Duval asked why he was so strong. "Neehee, I'm gonna be the Pirate King! That's why!" but then a flying fish rider came out of the ocean and just grabbed Sanji's leg, yanking him under and speeding down.

"Sanji! Hey, you jerk!" Luffy raged.

"Don't worry!" Caimie shouted and jumped into the water.

"Hey, is that safe for her?" Zoro asked.

Pappag said, "There's no race faster in water than the merfolk. If we're careful, merfolk are very hard to catch." Luffy asked why they got captured, then. "Carelessness or accidents."

"That's never happened to me."

"Are you sure about that?" Zoro asked. "Remember at Water 7, and when you lost to Crocodile the second time?"

"... No! I'm stupid, too?" Zoro just snorted and said he was "endearingly stupid" sometimes. While Caimie was in the water, a huge flying fish went to drop a large anchor on the sunny. It would destroy her if it hit from that high up. It was as wide as the Sunny's deck was, after all. Luffy watched in nervousness, but had hope in Franky's work to make her strong.

The Sunny's head started to spin, and worked as a propeller to force the ship in reverse. No ship had even gone in reverse before! The Thousand Sunny was so awesome.

"That's not all! Usopp, get in the head!" Franky shouted. Luffy watched in awe as the ship started to make a "piku-piku-piku!" noise before a huge blast of energy and light shot out of Sunny's open mouth. "Gaon cannon!" It blew apart a lot of the island, and most of the remaining flying fish. Luffy fell to his knees with tears in his eyes at how amazing his ship was.

"You're too impressed," Zoro said casually. The others were all amazed and cheering about it, all impressed as well. It really was a dream ship. Luffy wondered what else Franky was hiding from them for now. But it took up five barrels of cola. They couldn't use it often without running out of cola barrels too quickly.

Caimie saved Sanji, who was breathing but had a nose bleed. "God, what a pervert."

"Zoro gives me hickeys on my-" Zoro shoved his hand over his mouth, telling him to stop telling people private things! Luffy nodded. But Zoro's face was red already. Duval was angrier now that all his subordinates were gone.

He lightly commented about how all his fighters were gone. When Duval threatened Luffy with his cow, the beast tried to run before it fell and foamed at the mouth. That wasn't how it usually was. Usually they ran away, they didn't pass out. Luffy frowned. "Took him long enough to notice," Zoro said, not seeing the strange reaction.

He hoped it wasn't some new method of scaring animals off.

"Yohoho, Luffy sure has a heavy presence," Brook commented.

"Nyuuu, what are you?" Hachin asked. Luffy turned and just smiled, giving an honest shrug. "You got scarier since the East Blue."

Sanji came out of the water, his nose bleed gone but looking angrier. "I'm taking care of this myself," he snapped, and walked up to the terrible-coincidence man as he shouted at him about hating him some more. Luffy had to admit it was getting annoying a bit. He'd said the same thing over and over. Luffy looked in the water and saw a floating flying fish, he grabbed onto it and brought it to the surface near where he stood at the water. As Sanji mercilessly went after Duval's face, Luffy turned the fish on its back and inspected it.

There was nothing interesting about it, which was a disappointment. But something else was off. He turned to Pappag and asked him if he knew what the red crystals under water were. They'd seen them before, swarmed by sea life all licking it. He didn't make any reference to explain how he thought he was connected.

"I've never seen one myself. It's forbidden for fishmen and merfolk to come into contact with them," he said. Luffy asked why. "They poison the life around them. The fish they mutate are also inedible."

"Mutate? Do you know how they do that?"

"No. Everyone only knows enough to not go near them." Luffy looked away, and mused that those on Sky Island had been covered with plant life. So, then, maybe they were different types in the ocean and on Sky Island. Were there any more land ones? And how was Luffy mutilated if he was one of those?

Unless he and Ace hadn't explored all of Dawn Island, there had been no blood stone there. And Garp didn't know about its existence, or at least its relation to what Luffy could be. What type of creature he was, and what he shared in common with other life affected by the stones. Zoro simply said the mystery just kept getting more mysterious.

"Well, hopefully the New World has more answers, right?" Luffy aske brightly. Zoro nodded and smiled. They both saw Luffy's arm start to glow. It was lucky that he had a warning like this. He went to the end of the docks and put his arms out in front of them and flicked his fingers out, letting out the blast, Sanji reacted instantly, grabbing him this time, skidding on the dock to not be knocked into the water.

"Nyuu! What was that?!" Hachi shouted. Sanji said it sure was a violent burst.

"Takoyaki time! Now!" Luffy cheered. Hachi was free and the enemy defeated. Luffy grabbed his nakama and shot them to the ship, all of them screaming. The landed just fine, but Sanji hit his head and Zoro looked angry, too. "Hey! I was just getting us here faster," he complained.

Not long later, they were away from the flying fish rider's base, and the three sea folk got to work on making all the takoyaki. Luffy was thinking deeply on the figurehead while the food was being made. His legs were crossed. Nami walked over and asked if he was okay. He was surprised it was Nami and not Zoro or Chopper.

"It's just weird. We keep learning all this weird stuff. He said a mutation, a poison to other creatures. Maybe I'm not some new species, but I was just an accident at birth?" Luffy wondered. His voice wasn't sad and his shoulders weren't slumped. "I wish I could meet another human like me. The Sky Island people didn't feel like me. It's hard to explain."

"You just don't want to feel alone in the world. Maybe we can search New World islands for blood stones. Try and figure it out more," she offered. Luffy nodded. Knowing what he was was a close second to his original dream. Hachi and Caimie called them over to eat the surplus of food that made the ships smell delicious. They were on the takoyaki ship, eating there.

It was so delicious, too. He stuffed his face while the others ate enthusiastically too, but at a more reasonable pace. "I can't stop eating it! It's so good~!" Luffy said. Hachi made so much, having six arms and all. Nami was on the railing of the Sunny, the anchors lowered beside the mobile restaurant.

Hachi looked up to her and cautiously asked how hers tasted. "Don't think this means I've forgiven you for anything…"

"Of course not! I didn't mean it to sound like that-" the octopus fishman said in a hurry, voice worried.

"But it's really delicious!" Nami said. The four who'd been there for it smiled and ate even more enthusiastically. Nami may not have forgiven Hachi, but she had accepted everything that happened and was wishing to move on. Hachi looked very happy with that, and the meal continued.

The crew ate all they wanted, even if it could deplete all of the sailing restaurant's resources and ingredients. If they didn't tell the pirates to stop, why would they? Free, good food? Why would you ever pass that up? Luffy looked to the side and saw the flying fish riders hurried over, but not in a way of aggression.

They had a new guy, but he smelled the same. "That's Duval?!" Luffy demanded, pointing at the completely different looking man. Sanji smiled and said he reshaped his bone structure, and now he didn't have shit to complain about anymore.

"Heh…" Luffy said, popping another takoyaki ball in his mouth.

Duval was very happy about this change. "Ahhh! Black Leg young master! After you smashed my face up like that, when we came to we were all stunned! You've made me just so handsome~!" he said. He was like a completely different person in tone and appearance. And now Sanji was his boss? "Now the girls won't be able to leave me alone! My life is looking so rosy and peachey!

"I can't wait to get back to my lazy country life, but if you need any help just ask! We know our way around these parts, and would be happy to help you out!" Duval said, attempting to do a wink.

"Hahaha! You're wink is so stupid!" Luffy laughed. Duval wasn't bothered, his temper completely changed now, too. His cow was staying comfortably away from Luffy, though it still wasn't happy being in his presence at all. Luffy hadn't tried frightening it and yet it passed out. He frowned and looked back to his food.

Sanji told him when his arm started to glow. He jumped back onto the ship and got into position. This time, he wanted to try and focus it in some way. He put his hands forward, but pointed all his fingers straight. Franky wordlessly got behind him to catch him without complaint. Luffy forced the force out of the fingers, and the blast was so concentrated they could see the air blasted. It shot into the water was a massive explosion that rocked both ships and sprayed water everywhere.

The crew was quiet. Luffy's hands hurt now, but not too bad. He dealt with it and the aching went away naturally. Zoro was looking at him in an almost hungry way. He liked seeing Luffy be strong, just like Luffy enjoyed seeing him be strong. He pulled Luffy inside instead of with his takoyaki, and nobody said a thing about it other than Nami telling them they had a time limit.

Zoro pinned Luffy against the wall of the hallway. "Shishishi, is Zoro turned on now?"

"Maybe a bit. We do have a time limit, though. And I like making you come apart slowly. So," he turned his neck. Luffy said Chopper said not to. "I'm fine now, though." Luffy was hesitant, but vowed to only take a little bit. Lufy bit down, but Zoro winced. He pulled away.

"You act like you're all better, but you still hurt," Luffy said, pushing him away a bit. "I'm really worried," he said honestly. "We should wait to go to Fishman Island." Zoro grew angry, but not at Luffy. At himself. He punched the wall, and it was lucky it was made of Adam's wood.

"Why am I so weak?! I can't even handle this," he said through clenched teeth. "It's so annoying and embarrassing."

"You can still fight. My strength is an extreme weakness. What if we get separated? You can live on your own, I can't-"

"You think I could ever live on my own after being here?" Zoro asked sharply. Luffy hadn't meant that he would but that it was possible if he wanted to. Luffy hated how much he depended on others in that way. Zoro hugged him, apologizing for getting angry. Luffy understood his anger and frustration.

But he said, "Zoro's still super strong. Stronger than everyone right now, even hurt. You just gotta be more careful. When we find out how to get to Fishman Island, I'll choose if we're going right away. I want all my crew to be healthy enough to deal with the New World. Even the strongest one has to be the strongest."

Zoro really wasn't happy with any of this. "I wish I could give you my blood to heal, but that is reckless and unproven. Neehee, and for once I respect those words!" Zoro's face softened.

"I guess you can be smart sometimes."

"Jerk!" Zoro just kissed him. They went back outside, though Zoro was still stiff and unhappy. Luffy ate next to him now. When they got out, Duval was gone, but had given them a den den number. Usopp said he was even more annoying now.

"He thinks he looks beautiful and now they're called the 'rosy life riders'."

"Well, at least he doesn't hate Sanji anymore. Hate isn't a fun feeling," Luffy said brightly. Nami nodded in agreement with this.

Soon, they were done and out of takoyaki, and moved to the Sunny for tea and to make their way to Sabaody, where they needed to go to go down to Fishman Island. Mermaids and fishmen could just swim down there, but humans had to get there the other way. They'd die from the pressure if they tried swimming, if not before drowning.

Luffy was stuffed uncomfortably full, and listening in a detached way. He couldn't help it. He'd looked forward to going there before, too, until it became truly clear he terrified every creature that wasn't like he was. The animals in Upper Yard weren't scared of him. Even Pappag still looked stiff around him. He was sitting opposite of where Luffy was.

Caimie said there was no way for most people to travel over the Red Line, they went under it to get to the New World. It was almost directly under Marygeoise, about ten thousand meters down.

"Well that might be easy! We already went up into the sky 10,000 meters, too," Chopper said positively. Nami said the conditions were wildly different. But with this being more common and practiced more often, it was more likely safer than riding the knock-up stream.

"No, it's still very dangerous! Less than 60% of those going down actually make it!" Pappag said. Everyone was not happy to hear it. Well, there was no other option, but Luffy looked to Zoro. Zoro gave him a glare. He'd be pissed if Luffy made them take a break. Luffy was the captain, though. So even if Zoro would be upset, he would do it as an order from his captain.

Well, he'd learn what to do once they got to Saboady, which he could sense by then. "By the way, we're nearly there. There are a lot of people and different scents," Luffy said simply. "Oooh, some really fun sounds!" He took a deep breath and forced himself to digest, back to his normal size.

Caimie wore that shocked expression, and Brook said it would be the easiest to expect strange things from Luffy-san. "Right you are, Brook! Shishishi!" The island came into view fairly quickly, and they saw it had huge trees and bubbles were coming from the ground.

"Are those soap bubbles?!" Usopp asked. "Are they coming from the island?"

"Who's blowing them all?" Luffy wondered.

Caimie said, "They come from the island, all right!" Then she didn't explain further. Usopp asked for more information impatiently, but Robin brought up good questions. This was an island, so would it erase their log poses pointing down? Luffy said it smelled like plants.

"Actually, it's not an island. It's a giant group of mangrove trees that reaches to the sea floor. So it won't change if we stop here."

"Nyuu, there are 79 trees all in all, and on each one a town has been built. Those three islands are what makes up the archipelago. And it's where people go if they want to make it to the New World. The closest grove is the entrance to civilians, grove 44. But let's take the ship a little further in."

They got closer into the island through a water way between huge roots, and if it weren't from the smell, they would all would look like candy. Luffy went to Robin, and asked what the plant was that she grew to use for her face. "Aloe Vera?" she suggested.

"Yeah, that! It smells like that," Luffy said.

They stopped at "grove 41". "Make sure you don't forget the number! The island is connected together by bridges, so you'll never get lost," Pappag said. Bubbles came from the ground, amazing them. "These are special kinds of resin secreted by the mangrove roots." When the trees breathed, the bubbles were secreted and floated away.

"This stuff is all natural!? Amazing!" Luffy cheered as he climbed the bubbles, jumping from one to another and making his way up as high as he could. They were like beach balls in the sky.

Once he was high up, looking around, the island looked quite plain besides the shopping areas and a theme park! That was responsible for many of the sounds that he'd heard from afar. He heard lots of fighting between people, though. But the screams and noises of machinery of the theme part was the loudest source of sound.

"Hey! Hey, there's a theme park that way!" Luffy called back to his friends.

"A theme park?!" Chopper shouted in excitement.

"That'll be Sabaody Park," Caimie said. "Ah, I dream of riding the carousel some day." Her voice was sad. Chopper wondered why she couldn't do it if she wanted to. Luffy's bubble popped once he was above the tree, and he bounced on one below. He giggled and then started hopping from bubble to bubble before it popped.

Franky called Luffy to not do anything reckless. "Kind of pointless thing to say, Franky," Usopp said. Luffy's leg slipped and he came falling down and landed as a balloon with a bounce. Caimie had screamed while he fell, and he reminded her he was rubber. Like how he'd saved her before, elongating his arms to catch her.

"I didn't even notice that!" The Straw Hats weren't especially surprised by that statement. Zoro told Luffy to get a drink of "you know what" before they left. Luffy nodded and hurried inside, drinking two blood bags, just in case.

He contemplated bringing Franky's blood backpack. Well he just had two blood bags. He should be fine. And carrying a bag around that was made if metal and leather would be a bother. He ran off the ship and to his friends. He definitely wanted to go to the theme park. Nami asked Hachi about how coming here would actually help them down to Fishman Island.

When they heard, everyone was shocked at Chopper. "You were right?!" Luffy said. Chopper asked what they meant. "You said the ship could float down in a giant bubble! Ahhh, Chopper's psychic, too?!" Chopper was amazed and cried out that he wished he was psychic.

Zoro ruined it, "I doubt you'd want that. You'd see what happened to people beforehand. It would also ruin adventures. Seeing the future would ruin your lives," he said with a yawn.

"Way to be positive," Nami said.

"Well, he's right," Robin commented. Luffy laughed.

"Well, where do we get the bubble, then?" Nami asked the fishman.

"You have to find the right mechanic. If the job is done poorly, you can die on the way down. There's one I've known since I was young. He's a good guy so I'll take you to him." Brook said it seemed like Hachi was a good guy. But some of the crew would never be able to look past his involvement in Nami's tragic past. It seemed it was different seeing it and hearing about it. But Nami was being very forgiving.

Hachi put one finger up. "In return for taking you there, I want all of you to promise one thing." They were curious by the shift in his tone. Suddenly very serious. "Once we go into town, we are bound to see World Nobles at the place."

"Whaddabout 'em?" Luffy asked. He didn't really want to see any at all.

"No matter what may happen in town, you gotta promise you'll never defy the World Nobles. Even if people were to be killed right in front of your eyes, you just have to pretend you don't see anything." Luffy thought that was odd, but Luffy had killed before. But it wasn't meaningless to him. It seemed to be meaningless to the nobles.

"Also, Luffy-kun, you should cover yourself."

"Hah? I'm not naked," Luffy said, looking down.

"World Nobles take whatever they want. If you interest them, they'll claim you. It would be best for you to wear sunglasses and something over your arm." Luffy turned to Robin and asked what would happen if he blew up in front of them. And he didn't want to wear sunglasses. Hachi said that he would need to get away from the nobles to blow up. After all, he'd seen it multiple times by now.

Nami said it would be safest for Luffy to do what he said. "But that's stupid!"

"Just do it," Zoro said, though he was angry at the thought of someone else just deciding to take him, even if they would never let it happen. But Luffy did worry about his arms blowing up. Well, the shockwave. Annoying them meant death, apparently. How would they react to a loud and sudden noise?

But Luffy listened to Zoro and put stuipid sunglasses on and Usopp's sleeve over it. He had just a tiny portion peeking out so he'd notice if it was time. He came back out looking stupid. He didn't have sunglasses of his own, so he was wearing a pair of Nami's.

"Aw, you look so cute," Nami said. Luffy stuck his tongue out at her. Luffy and Zoro were going on a walk after they met Hachi's friend. So they were together with everyone but Usopp, Sanji and Franky back on the ship. While they walked, the fishman, wearing something to disguise his extra arms, Caimie wearing a dress to hide her tail, he explained about some of the other dangers of the archipelago.

Bounty hunters, kidnappers, pirates, slave traders. For such a happy seeming place, it sure was dark. But, Luffy would behave. If they got taken into slave trading, the law wouldn't help. "I'll just scare them away if they do anything to us."

"Another thing! You can't hurt a World Noble, a Celestial Dragon, or they can command an admiral to attack! The marines are very dangerous here as well, so close to headquarters." Luffy looked sour at the government bowing to those people. But he'd already been through this anger. He wanted to move on. As long as nothing happened to his nakama, then he wouldn't care.

If he could do nothing to stop it, then why oppose it so strongly? "Are you thinking too hard?" Nami asked, seeing Luffys face was red.

"Probably. Shishishi," Luffy said brightly. He was holding Zoro's hand as they walked through the busy area. It sure was colorful, and the people seemed to wear similar accessories, as round hats on their heads. Luffy kept lifting his glasses, only to be smacked by Nami.

"Leave then down, idiot. It's not like it's hindering your vision," the woman said. Zoro sighed and stiffly told him he thought Luffy looked nice in them. Luffy stopped messing with them after that.

Caimie told them to act like they were humans, since it was safer for them that way. They agreed to pretend Hachi didn't have his arms and Caimie didn't have a tail. "Neh, if bounty hunters come after us, we get to fight back, right?"

Robin said, "I would assume you should protect yourself without troubling others. Especially marines and the World Nobles." Nami said not to fight anyone at all unless it was life threatening. Luffy pursed his lips but just nodded. He hoped he didn't have to let out a shock while being on the island. But it was to be expected, honestly. If one thing was constant about it, it was that they were constant.

Well, what happened would happen.

They came across a shop with bikes in bubbles! So Luffy had to rent one. He was given a large bubble and forced his way inside, laying on his back in it as a cart was attached. It was solid, and he would pedal it with his feet inside the bubble. "I want to buy one for good!"

When the shop owner started to try and let him do so, Caimie told him they only worked on Sabaody. "The bubbles can't survive anywhere but the archipelago. They'll pop once they're out of the archepaglos climate. Unfortunately," she explained. Luffy pouted. Zoro would not be sharing the bubble. The bubble had a propeller that he could make move him faster or slower based on his pedaling.

Nami got on one that was seated on top of the bubble, not inside. Hachi took the rest on a larger one that took passengers. Zoro sat on that one, facing Luffy who was on the left and Nami on the right of the biggest bubble vehicle. Living on Sabaody would be awesome just for these bubbles.

"Still… If I bought a really good one, would it work?" Luffy asked, really not wanting to never use the bubble ship again.

"They mysteriously pop if they're not on Sabaody," Zoro said before Nami could bite the captain's head off.

"Oh, mysteriously. Damn it, so that's how it is," Luffy said in a grumpy voice. Nami put a hand to her face while the others chuckled.

"Well, you can use them in Fishman Island. But that's the only other place they're functional," Caimie explained, smiling lightly. "These bubbles are at the bottom of the sea, too. Since the tree reaches all the way down there." Luffy was excited to ride the bubbles again. "I'm sure once everyone gets to see you're not bad, you won't be so scary to them," she added. "Like me and Hachi!"

Luffy said he hoped it ended up like that. "Hey, fishmen are based on fish, right?" Nami sighed, and said that was correct. "Are there sea king fishmen? That can talk to sea kings?" Luffy asked curiously. This concept interested everyone. Hachi said there's never once been a known sea king fishman. "That would be so cool."

"You talked to a sea king once, too, though. Wasn't that how you got back to the Rocketman?"

"Yeah! I told it to take me back. Using that scary face. But then it left not long after," Luffy explained. He was fond of the memory of scaring a sea king into submission. Zoro thought the concept would be really hot. Luffy riding a sea king under his command. The fishmen and mermaid were shocked. "It was only once," he added.

"That's so cool, Luffy-chin!"

"Neehee, it was scary, though! Hahaha! I thought I was gonna die," Luffy said brightly. Pappag was speaking with Brook about the beautiful mermaid princess, and Luffy listened to the surroundings. Mostly normal people in the closest areas. But to the west looked like a fun place in a different way than the roller coasters. But he really didn't want to be attacked by an admiral if Garp was so strong as a vice admiral. Plus, Aokiji had nearly killed him. That wasn't fun at all. Well, his teeth were immune to a logia's power, with Crocodile. Maybe it was only that logia? He didn't try to bite Ace, though he hadn't known about his teeth being strong until after.

Smiling wide, Luffy pedaled to a stand with delicious smelling foods nicknamed "gramans". Grand Line manjuu. The lady working at the stall told them about them a bit while Luffy, Chopper and Brook just took every box of samples quickly. But Luffy bought six boxes and put them in bubble balloons to bring along with a string. "You really wasted money on that? You could have brought other souvenirs," Zoro said, though fondly. Luffy handed him a box.

"This one if for you. Shishishi."

Caimie asked, "Are you two romantic partners?" Everyone looked stunned at her not catching on. They had already kissed in front of her, they held hands, hugged. But Robin calmly said that they were. Had been since they met. "Aww! That's so cute."

"Right?!" Nami gushed.

"Don't you dare start gossiping about us right in front of you!" Zoro said. Nami gave him an evil smirk, and started to talk about how gooey Zoro only was with Luffy. But when he put his hand on his swords, Nami finally relented, though Caimie liked hearing about them. At least they stopped. Luffy thought it was funny, but also didn't like Zoro being upset, so he wanted them to stop, too.

They went through more areas, one full of hotels that were just bubble rooms inside the trees. It was all very creative and colorful. Luffy rose up to them and looked inside the windows obnoxiously. Nami called him back down, saying that was rude. "I just wanted to see what the insides looked like."

"What do they look like?" Robin asked.

"Boring," was Luffy's response, and Robin was fine with it. Soon, she and Nami left to go shopping while the remaining members continued on to the coaters. Luffy and Hachi raced up the hill, Zoro sitting on top of Luffy's bubble, balanced perfectly enough to not put enough pressure to sink into the bubble. It was quite the feat for anybody other than Zoro. Then he jerked to a stop, flinging Zoro off. "Zoro! I'm sorry, are you okay?!"

"I'm fine," he snapped. "I'm sorry. You're making it sound like I'm completely weak and helpless," he said honestly. "I get that you're concerned, and I appreciate it. But you're overly worried."

"I mean… me biting you hurt… I'm sorry. I've just never cared about someone this much that got badly hurt," Luffy said truthfully.

"Nyuu, why'd you stop?" Luffy said there was a loud commotion going on up ahead. He wanted to warn them, but ended up just stopping. Zoro kissed Luffy's forehead, telling him not to worry. He nodded. He didn't want to worry, he had to trust Zoro was okay. He had his swords, the least he could do was damage an enemy and then flee.

He got back in the bubble bike, and they proceeded with caution. Zoro wasn't on a bubble, was walking now while holding the string to the boxes of food. They stopped at the hill to look over. The man was screaming about not wanting to die. "I gave up on the New World! I just want to see my son again! Please, I don't want to die!"

Luffy asked what was on his neck. "A bomb collar."

"Bomb collar?" Zoro asked in true shock.

"Nyuu. If the person wearing it gets too far, it will detonate and kill the slave. Celestial Dragons enjoy using these the most." Luffy touched his own neck. He probably wouldn't survive that. Well, he was slit at the throat. So as long as he had instant access to blood. He was glad Zoro reminded him to get some blood beforehand. Chopper was silent in horror.

When the man started running, Luffy picked Chopper up and held his face to his chest, Luffy covering his ears as the bomb collar went off and killed the man instantly. Luffy immediately smelled the scent of burnt human skin and gunpowder. Chopper was shaking in his arms. Hachi told them to bow immediately. Brook did, and Luffy shoved Chopper under his stomach and got on all fours.

If he could hide Chopper doing this, then there was no other option. Zoro looked disgusted with both him bowing and Luffy bowing. These were the bubble heads, Celestial Dragons. Even their dog had a bubble helmet on as it peed on the dead body.

There was a huge slave, and a man and woman. The two had bubble helmets and strange outfits. They both spoke of just losing a toy. The man with a little kid that they just blew up was a toy to them. Luffy felt himself grow furious, but Chopper grabbed his hand to calm him. How could somebody do that?

He calmed down more before the bubble head then shot the dead body for good measure, insulting him. The dog also seemed so arrogant it didn't feel fear from Luffy, even when he was angry. Luffy clenched his hands. These were the assholes that shot his brother! Shot a young child with a bomb!

"Luffy, calm," Zoro insisted.

"Luffy, calm down. These might not be the ones to hurt sabo," Chopper said quietly. But the group passed before Luffy calmed down. He sat back and everyone was hurrying from the scene. He clasped both shaking hands. "Are you okay?"

"Those people killed my innocent brother," Luffy snarled. But he didn't know if they were the ones to do it. He wouldn't kill them even if it came with no consequences. Hachi, Pappag and Caimie were all looking confused.

Chopper told them that Luffy's brother was killed by those people when he was twelve. "Do they really control an admiral?" Luffy asked once he and the area were calmed down. The bubble heads had passed and Luffy could hear they weren't near. It was good the dog hadn't been afraid of him or it would have brought attention to him, and possibly Chopper.

The reindeer hugged him. "Thanks for hiding me."

"Yeah, of course. Who knows what they woulda' done if they saw you?"

Pappag said they indeed controlled an admiral. "But, what if they're nowhere near? They're marines, they can't be called out and expect to be here instantly," Luffy asked. Zoro had his arms crossed and was scowling at the direction the World Nobles had gone from.

"Don't know. Maybe they'd chase after you? Best to not even entice it, though."

"If anyone - bubble head or not - touches my crew, I'll face an admiral gladly," Luffy said firmly. Zoro and Chopper were agreeing. "We should go see the coater, right?" Luffy asked. "I don't want to be on an island with those people here, too. What makes them so damn special anyways? They're just stupid bubble heads!"

Pappag explained, "They have the blood of the creators in them. 800 years ago, a group of 20 kings came to be known as the World Government. The Celestial Dragons are their descendants. Over those many years, they have definitely come to misuse and abuse their power and status." He looked to Luffy. "It was very thoughtful of you to hide Chopper."

Zoro asked why that should be a surprise. They were friends, weren't they? "For somebody who suffers from racism, don't you think your view of Luffy is pretty unfavorable?"

"Zoro."

"He's judging you based on your appearance, right?"

"Zoro! Stop it, I don't want to bring that up anymore! I don't even want to notice it," Luffy said with a deep frown. The swordsman's face softened, and he apologized. "Let's just go to the coater." Luffy looked at his arm, and saw there was no place to discharge it. He got in the bubble cart and shot himself up enough that he could jump out of the treeline, and he let out a burst, only it was much stronger than projected, and he went way off.

He slammed into the spongy ground and bounced. He had no idea where he was. He looked to ask for directions, and found he was outside of a bar. He had no money with him and he ran inside to see somebody was being knocked out by a woman with a cigar with black short hair. "

"Hey, Lady, do you know where a coater is? I was being shown this way but then I got lost."

"Are you a customer?"

"I'm looking for a coater guy my friend Hachi told me about!"

"Hachi? An octopus fishman?"

"Yeah! Do you know him?" Luffy asked in surprise. She moved past him and dumped the guy out of the bar. She said he was most likely heading to this destination. "I got lost finding the right place? Ahahaha!" he laughed, and then heard Zoro grumbling loudly. He went out the door. "I got lost in the right place!" he cheered.

Some of them laughed but others were not amused. "It was an accident. I had no idea it was going to be that strong," Luffy said when Zoro glared at him. He sighed deeply. "At least we ended up in the same place."

"That was a very large explosion, Luffy-san. It shattered the windows nearby," Brook said. Luffy looked at his arms, and covered the mark. He took the glasses out of his pocket and put them back on, plopping his straw hat back on his head firmly. Chopper hugged his leg. "Well, you'll get used to it. It only just started at Thriller Bark," Brook reasoned, realizing he upset Luffy.

"Nyuu, well, we're all here. It's been a long time. Shakki!" Hachi said, both happy to see one another. "This is-"

"Monkey D. Luffy and Roronoa Zoro," she said, moving to be in the doorway in a way that invited them inside.

Chapter Text

DotNotFound: ┐(￣ヘ￣)┌

The instant they went inside and seemed welcome, Zoro picked the best bottle of alcohol he could find behind the counter while Luffy and Brook raided the refrigerator. Zoro sat and leaned against a wall and drank silently. Chopper was the one bothered the most, but Shakky didn't seem to care at all as she and Hachi caught up with one another.

Chopper was gifted by a sudden cotton candy, much to his delight. "Neh, how do you know what Chopper likes?" Luffy asked, a cold chicken leg in his mouth. She stored random stuff here, not just stuff you'd serve at a bar. Zoro was on his second bottle.

"I've been following you guys for quite awhile."

"All of us?!" Chopper asked. Then he was sad about his bounty.

"Well, all of you but a talking skeleton. I didn't know that was possible. I've read about your Enies Lobby incident. How much of it was true?"

"Eh, do we gotta talk about it? It was a pain in the ass," Luffy said, taking a little piece of Chopper's cotton candy. His hand was bitten by the reindeer. "Ahahaha! Sorry, sorry, Chopper."

"That's my cotton candy! You didn't even ask!" Luffy laughed and apologized again, giving him the cotton candy. "But now it's not fluffy anymore! You ruined it!" Shakky brought out a plastic tub with more cotton candy. She offered it to him. "Yay! Thank you!"

Zoro eyed Luffy with a small smile. "You've got the same name as Garp the Fist, a marine."

"That's my grandpa," Luffy replied. Shakky smiled, and said that Garp had been after her before. "Hah? Why?"

Hachi said Shakky had been a retired pirate for 40 years. Luffy wondered how old she was, but she didn't acknowledge his question. "I'm rooting for you rookies. My husband has had his eye on you, too, for some reason."

Zoro asked who her husband was. "Rayleigh-san, a retired pirate. I don't know why he has his eye on you, though. But I quite like you from your escapades well." Luffy wondered why her husband liked him.

"Well, you're really likable, so," Zoro said. "Is he not here, then?" Shakky said he'd been gone for a while, and that they should check the gambling halls. "Not necessary. Luffy, you can find him, right?" Zoro said. Chopper was still eating cotton candy.

"Yup. Do you have something that smells like him?" Luffy asked curiously, eyeing the cotton candy but not taking any more. Shakky looked very unbothered. She gave him a coat. Luffy smelled it and easily had a scent. "Neh, it might be harder if he hasn't been here in awhile."

"He wouldn't have gone too far, from grove 1 to 9. Mostly to gamble and drink at the bars." Shakky was really chill, not seeming to think this was strange at all. "By the way, the places he is mostly at aren't frequented by the Celestial Dragons. An explosion or two won't be that big of a problem." Zoro narrowed his eyes. "I heard you from inside. Broken windows at a bar or gambling hall isn't that bad. Monkey-chan, you sure are interesting so far. If he's not in those places, check Sabaody park-"

"The amusement park!" Luffy cheered.

"Well, wherever you go, be careful. My sources tell me there are 11 pirates on Sabaody with bounties over 100 million right now."

"That many?!" Chopper exclaimed.

"9 others than Monkey-chan and Roronoa-chan," Shakky confirmed. They were all from the other paths on the Grand Line, so they'd never come into contact with one another. All of the routes met up at Fishman Island, including Sabaody. Luffy was shocked that Luffy wasn't the highest bounty. The names Shakky listed didn't ring a bell for any of them. Zoro looked mildly interested.

The highest bounty was 20 million more, to someone named Eustass "Captain" Kid. "Mountains of pirates enter the Grand Line, but most die out before making it this far. As if the first half is one grand survival tournament. Each survivor from each route proves themselves just by making it all the way to the halfway point. The fittest, the elite pirates. Your crew is a minority. And all of your members are still alive, too. Quite the feat," she said.

"One of them might be the person that inspires the next generation. At the very least, these rookies won't go unnoticed in the New World. And the reason Kid's bounty is higher is because he does damage to innocent citizens. So, I'm rooting for you Monkey-chan," Shakky said. Zoro was on his third free sake bottle.

"Well, I just want to have fun. But I'm worried about all the strong guys here for the guy that's supposed to do our coating. Hachi chose him especially, you know?" Luffy said. Shakky told him not to worry.

"He's about 100 times stronger than you boys," she added confidently. "But be careful of the marines, too. They know you're all here. But you're lucky, they're busy with another matter right now. As long as you don't make a ruckus, you should pass to Fishman Island just fine after finding my husband."

They walked out into the large open space, and Luffy was frowning. "What's wrong?" Zoro asked.

"I wanna go to Sabaody Park! But we have to find the coater," Luffy lamented. Hachi said the coating job took more than a few hours. "So we can go after finding him!" Everyone was happy with this, and they walked along the groves, Luffy following the scent in almost ridiculous zigzags. It really had been awhile since he had gone to Shakky's bar, his home.

Shakky sure was a laid back wife. They went to all sorts of bars and shady places when Zoro made a small grunt of pain. Luffy turned around and asked what was wrong, unable to help the worry in his voice. "It's nothing. Just a cramp." He rubbed the forearm of his left arm. His fingers were so stiff that his hand was trembling. There was the swollen vein up his arm.

Luffy looked at his own arm, his was fine. "Zoro… are you feeling my pain?" Luffy asked. Everyone was confused but Brook. He didn't react.

"What are you talking about?" Zoro asked, slightly defensive.

"When my arm hurt, when the blast went off and it didn't work anymore, that vein right there was really inflamed! Look at your arm!" Zoro scowled, and said Luffy wasn't going to press him. He'd agreed not to. "But-!"

"Stop feeling sorry for me!" Zoro shouted. Luffy flinched, and bit the inside of his mouth. He swallowed and followed the scent silently. His face and chest were hot in embarrassment. All he was doing was showing worry. Maybe he was really annoying after all. Chopper and Caimie were angry with Zoro, telling him to not be insensitive. "But I'm fine!"

"You were not fine!" Chopper shouted furiously. "Luffy is concerned about what to do next! Do you see that?! That's the Red Line! On the other side is where the strongest people in the world are! None of us want to go to the New World in a damaged state. He's the one burdened with making that decision. I thought you woulda' been the one to understand."

Zoro didn't say anything. Luffy felt very unsure, and did look up at the huge wall. Were they ready? They had nowhere to go instead. Luffy felt his arm heat up faster than usual. He felt it grow hot and bright. The other arm echoed, too.

He sighed and got on his back to shoot upwards. That way he won't be flung back. "Luffy?"

"They need to explode again," Luffy said in a flat voice. He closed his eyes, and perhaps this was not the best method either, as the impact slammed him into the ground in a crater, dazing him. He couldn't move, felt his head bleeding, his heart hammering in his chest. He felt like he'd been hit by something stronger than the sea train.

He was gasping for breath, and Chopper hurried over, everyone running over. He sensed people around watching. "Are you okay?! His eardrums burst again," he said Chopper's mouth moving. This… this power was absolutely terrible in every way. It definitely reacted to his emotions. It got hot and painful fast. The moment Zoro yelled at him, it shot through him like a hot iron.

"Take him back to the ship," Chopper said. "No, you're not giving him blood, Zoro."

"Blood?" Caimie asked. Zoro said they could talk about it later. They were not too far from grove 41, and it wasn't a part of the island overwhelmed with bounty hunters. Zoro had his swords drawn and Brook as well when they got back to the ship.

Luffy was given a bag of blood that fixed his ears and his breathing was returned to normal. He still had the jacket. They were supposed to find him soon. Luffy couldn't even handle his own power. How would he be captain in the New World? "Luffy? Are you okay?" Chopper asked. Those that stayed on the ship knew what happened.

Luffy nodded, sitting up and taking the wet washcloth to clean the blood off his ears and neck. "Chopper… I'm excited, and everyone is excited to go, but what if I'm not strong enough for everybody?"

"You mean Zor-"

"I can't even handle or control my own body! It's like some shitty devil fruit I never asked for! I've already caused problems with it here. And then it crippled half of my attacks against Moria. I'm supposed to be the strongest one, the captain. But I'm doubting." Chopper was shocked he told him that.

He kindly said, "Well, we can talk to the crew about it." That's right, this wasn't Zoro. But he couldn't talk to Zoro about it without offending him. It was Luffy's problem, not Zoro's. He believed in them and himself. So why didn't Luffy? It felt like some added layer of panic was on him, all day.

Something happened, but he didn't know what. A huge sense of panic welled up, sudden and strong. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply. His heart was hammering painfully. Something was wrong. Deep breathing helped, and Chopper helped him out of the ship. Luffy wasn't injured, but he got out of the ship in a hurry.

"I'm not exploding," he said in a deep breath. "Okay," he mumbled to himself. The panic subsided. He wondered if it was something that meant things would go wrong, or maybe it was just him being weak. He wanted to do something productive. "Chopper? Do we have long rubber gloves?"

"Yeah…"

"Fill them with ice water. If I numb my arms maybe I won't blast." Chopper hurried inside and then came out with the gloves. When Luffy put them on, they were indeed very cold. He didn't know if it would work, but he remembered Makino once saying something about having something to fool yourself… it was hard to remember how it went. But since he couldn't control how strong they were, he was going to only depend on his mental strength. They needed to at least find the coater because Luffy said they would and it was productive. It was still barely one o'clock. They'd been there for four hours.

"Okay. Let's go find the coater. I hope Caimie and Hachi aren't too scared of me now…" he said sadly. But he pushed away any sadness. One emotion at a time. This was already exhausting. How would he be unerwat-

"Caimie-chan went for a swim. Kind of abrupt, though." Luffy looked over the side. "Hachie did, too." Luffy smelled and frowned. "What?"

"Are you sure they went on a swim? It kind of smells like those three fishmen kidnappers from before!"

"What?! Are you sure?!"

"No, not at all! And we have no way to check. Should we wait for them to come back? Neither said they were leaving for good, and they would show up there, wouldn't they?" he asked. He was thrumming his fingers.

He and Zoro hadn't spoken about the sharp outburst, but Zoro put his hands on Luffy's shoulders and rubbed gently, trying to calm him no doubt. Luffy wasn't exactly stable right now if he got too upset. Staying calm would possibly save lives.

They waited three minutes, Luffy stuck his head under the water, but unable to make out any helpful sounds. They called Nami and Robin to come with them, they were searching for them. "Caimie and Hachi said that merfolk and fishmen are enslaved and sold here. Should we search the auction houses?"

"How many are here? I can only search so many in a fast pace," Luffy said. "Hachi gave us a map of the groves, but none of them show where!"

"We know people who know their shit about this. The flying fish riders. Luffy, start searching. You can hear the buzzes of the fish. If we find her, we'll come pick you up, okay?" Sanji said seriously, getting the den den they'd gotten just that morning. Luffy agreed, and Zoro went with him.

"Zoro! If absolutely necessary, I give you permission, but it will be on somewhere other than your arms! Understand?" Chopper said sternly. "Absolute necessity! If Luffy can't function anymore!"

"I understand!" Luffy grabbed Caimie's bag and took a deep whiff, running along the shore of the island, smelling deeply. They were smart to go into the water where Luffy couldn't track them easily. Well, at all. The gloves were still cold, but once again, a single goal was focusing him, find Caimie or wait for the others to. This would mess everything up more if he got shot somewhere else. But he wouldn't.

He couldn't catch a scent of Caimie or the other two, and he worried that he chose the wrong direction, and they went to the right not the left from the Sunny. He smelled deeply, and they found themselves in the bounty hunter area. Neither could afford to fight, so Luffy stared at everyone with his disturbing expression, widened eyes, slightly open mouth with raised lips as a silent snarl.

Zoro shivered from it, and Luffy saw his cheeks were a bit red. He really thought scary Luffy was pretty attractive. "Shishishi, you're weird."

"You love me being in my bandana cause that's the scariest," Zoro commented. "Look, there's an auction house right there!" Luffy turned and ran to it, and smelled deeply. She wasn't there! "This is the closest one to the ship on this side! Wouldn't they choose the closest?"

"What about the furthest?!"

"Shit! We should have waited for a flying fish and flew over the island or between the trees." Luffy nodded, but there was no given he could have smelled her that strongly. Freshly out of the water would probably dull her scent a bit. Finding her by land would be the most reliable, but not the easiest by far.

Luffy asked if Hachi would be okay, too. If they were both kidnapped, they would be sold… "If they even make it to the slave houses or auction halls. Caimie would probably make it. Hachi and Pappag said fishmen were treated badly on the surface. That's why Hachi tried hiding himself! We need to find them soon."

"I don't understand how Hachi got taken or in trouble, too! He was once a pirate!"

"You were a pirate and I was a bounty hunter and we were pretty evenly matched. These guys might be good bounty hunters, and it's been months since Hachi was a pirate. He could have dulled." Luffy knew that was right, but the fishman kidnappers were easily dispatched by Hachi before.

So what happened to him?

He started smelling for blood, too. But ten minutes later, and they'd only found two murders and not merfolk of fishmen. Luffy didn't find her before they heard the flying fish from behind. "We found them! Well, we know where they are!" Usopp shouted. Luffy and Zoro jumped on the other two.

"Did you find either of them?!" Luffy demanded, hair flapping in the wind, the sound in his ears, though it didn't deafen him. Usopp said Hachi was missing an arm when they found him outside of Grove 3. "What?!"

"Chopper did emergency treatment, but he said Caimie was going to be sold! He got beat up and lost track of her. He's really ashamed." Luffy growled. Well, they would save Caimie. They got there quickly, flying right across the archipelago to the opposite side that Luffy and Zoro had been at.

When they landed, Chopper was with Hachi behind a dumpster, giving him pain medicine and bantaging and tourniquiting the arm. But he was only concerned with finding Caimie. "Hachi, what happened to your arm?!"

"A bounty hunter," Hachi said. "But I'm fine. It's just one arm. I have five more." Luffy nodded, and hurried up to Nami. He said they could just bust in there. Pappag that was stuffed in Hachi's shirt told them they couldn't because there were Celestial Dragons in there. Luffy smelled deeply.

"Yeah, I smell them now. And the coater is in here, too. The freshest place his scent has been. Well get him on our way out," Luffy said casually. Nami said they had to not make a scene. "But do we have enough to buy her back anyways?" Luffy asked. He smelled deeply. "I can just barely smell her, but she's here!"

They all let out a sigh, but they had to be careful. Especially if the coater was here, and if they got the place in trouble, he might be unable to coat their ship. They couldn't stay here longer than necessary. They would head to Fishman Island. A spike of that panic was there, but it was gone instantly, Luffy flipping a switch on it. His arms didn't ache.

The gloves weren't doing anything to help anymore. He pulled them off and stuffed them in his pants, hanging out the waistband. Usopp gave him the arm sleeve. Luffy thanked him and slipped it on over the mark. The sunglasses were long gone. Well, it was a dark hall. "No matter what, we can do anything to upset the Celestial Dragons," Hachi said. "Nyuu, I'm sorry. They ambushed me."

"We have a fair amount of money on the ship. Hopefully it's enough to buy her back," Nami said. She looked to Luffy and shook her head once. He knew that she knew her heart fluttered, she didn't believe they had enough, but Luffy said nothing.

"We have 200 million… hopefully that's enough."

"Nyuuu, I can never pay you back for that."

"You can pay us back by getting real treatment. That's how you'll pay us back, understand?" Luffy asked. The others nodded, and the starfish simply said Luffy's name in surprise. He was kind of sick at his constant surprise of Luffy being a decent person."You're all our friends, we'll do whatever we can to help."

The others nodded. Luffy smelled the slaves before he saw them, as they entered the auction hall. It was full of pompous, rich people, and it stunk of perfume and grime. The slaves hadn't been washed. At least, not some of them. At the moment, there were an assortment of people on the stage, all with bomb collars and cuffs on. They all looked miserable.

"Are any of them the coater?"

"No," Luffy said quietly. "He's back stage. Smells like alcohol, too. Shakky said we don't gotta worry about him. I'm not going to," he added. He slid his eyes to the side at a guy staring at him from across the entrance. Some makeup on, spiky red hair and an eccentric style. He was grinning at Luffy in a kind of mean way.

Well, he wasn't there to get in an argument or fight with strangers. There was one other person staring at him, but this one had a surprised smile. He had a white spotted hat, a yellow hoodie and spotted jeans. Some black facial hair, too. He smelled kind of off, but he couldn't pinpoint it.

Attention brought back to the stage by the horrible cries of the slaves. The women who all went to old men. The old men that went to women, and then the children who were sold to the Celestial Dragons. One earlier had said they wanted to start off easy with a child. It was sickening. Luffy felt his lips curl up in disgust.

"Calm down, we're here to get Caimie."

"I know, I'm fine. Promise," Luffy assured Sanji, who noticed the look easily. "We'll get her no matter what." It was lucky that Luffy could confirm Caimie's presence since the itinerary was less than helpful. At least it showed they had more than enough money to buy Caimie. Luffy kept his hearing on the slaves inside.

Lffy bit his lip. He could hear her voice lifelessly pleading for Hachi to save her. Well, they were there to get her. Money was just an object and you could always get more. Hachi asked how she was. "Crying. She wants you to save her," Luffy said quietly.

"Pretty sharp ears you got there," someone's voice said. He pinpointed it to the spotted hat guy. "Nice eyes." Luffy furrowed his brows at him. "Usually you'd hide something like that." This one was weird. But Luffy couldn't speak back without bringing attention. It wasn't like the hall was quiet either. People were talking all over the place, only able to hear the auctioneer by his microphone.

"Heads up, more bubble heads coming," Luffy told his crew. They tensed, all knowing what would happen if they hurt one. As long as they didn't do anything stupid… the bubble head did come in, not the one they'd seen before.

He walked in and looked absolutely stupid. Not just his appearance, but his personality. "I want a mermaid," he said simply. "I hope they have one here." Luffy's eyes narrowed.

"They said mermaids aren't caught often. It's unlikely for one to be here," who looked like his guard said. Luffy could hear marines outside. Coming from all over.

"There are marines surrounding this place, too. It's gonna be hard to get Caimie and out without incident," Luffy said. Everyone tensed, worried about the current situation. Hachi and Pappag apologized in shame. "I wish they'd bring her out already."

"They're no doubt leaving her for the end, she'll be the last to go," Franky hissed.

The man on the stage was going to be sold, a pirate captain, before he bit his own tongue off. They would kill him now. "He chose rather to die here rather than to live a life as a slave. Maybe it was the right choice," Sanji said softly.

By then, at least 20 people had been sold. Mostly regular people. "We can't make a profit off of this guy! Move on preparations for the mermaid! Take her out!"

Luffy said, "Caimie's next. There bringing her out." They all tensed, and Nami's hand holding the paddle board was shaking. She had it lifted to throw it up fast as she could. Luffy was paying attention to Caimie and the Celestial Dragons. He had the urge to hurt them. What if they were the one to kill Sabo? Granted it was eight years ago… he calmed himself.

He felt his arm pulsing, but instead of forcing it back and risking self destruction, as that was what it felt like, he imagined the painful power going throughout his whole body. Like applying pressure at all points bsides the exits of something. It was building, though. Robin asked if he was okay. "I...m fine," Luffy said, gritting his teeth. Hurry up, come out with Caimie! What if he went off and hurt all his crew? And were any of the people here innocent? Buying and selling humans like they were pets and just… it was wrong.

"And here we are, with today's prize!" the auctioneer - Disco? - said. Caimie was rolled out in a tank, a bomb collar on her neck. "Starting at 60 million!" Nami raised her paddle immediately, but they didn't stand a chance when the stupid bubble head shouted he would pay 500 million. The Straw Hats and friends paled, eyes widening. They didn't nearly have that much!

Chapter Text

DotNotFound: I don't think Luffy would do something like that. Unless it was to Blackbeard or Akainu perhaps. Welll, a CD is just as bad in a way, but they didn't help kill dearest Ace. :(

Just_a_normal_fan: Bruh Impel Down unleashes Luffy's feelings. And I just got distracted, it's not that the story isn't ready to be posted every week. I just posted late (╬ Ò﹏Ó). Dude I posted almost all of my stories late this week it's shameful lol. But thanks for your kind words!

"What… what - it happened so fast! We don't have nearly enough!" the navigator lamented, the paddleboard stuck raised slightly.

"A bubble head did it. We have to take her back, what do we do?" Usopp asked, adopting Luffy's stupid nickname. Well, it fit their appearance much better than a Celestial Dragon.

"I never expected this. We were planning on saving her with money!" Sanji hissed. "That option is out the window. And we have no time with the marines converging on this place. We should have gone through the back and taken her that way."

"No way! She has a bomb collar on. We have to have the keys first or she'll never be free or alive!" Pappag shouted. Zoro was eyeing Luffy with slight concern. By now the pressure had built so much that it could be seen along his skin. He said nothing. Luffy knew that if it blew up right now, everyone around would be dead. The worst thing about trying to stop it from going off was that it seemed to be stronger the longer Luffy forced it back, making it more dangerous later.

Caimie was screaming in the bowl and Luffy balled his fists. There was only one thing to do. He stepped forward. "We're getting Caimie!" he said, and started to run down the stairs to her. He'd sniff out the key to the bomb collar later. For now, they just had to get Caimie to safety. Hachi grabbed onto him.

"Straw Hat, we can't anger them! We can't just take her!" he insisted.

"Then what do you want to do?!" Luffy growled. Hachi was unafraid of him, much to his credit.

"Kyaa! Eww, a fishman! What's it doing here?!" He and Luffy hadn't even noticed his other three arms came out. He was still injured, too. The hall started to erupt into disrespectful and cruel words, mocking and calling Hachi disgusting. Well, it was a distraction.

"I'm saving you Caimie, just you wait!" Luffy called, sprinting down the stairs. He was grabbed and stopped by guards. The pressure was building. It felt like water was about to overflow over a fragile glass. He was going to be a living bomb soon. "You bastards, Caimie isn't someone you can sell!"

More people were treating Hachi horribly. Luffy heard Nami be in shock but then realized how fishman were treated on land. Discriminated against. It was disgusting. Pappag tried getting Hachi to leave now, he was in danger, but he refused. He needed to get Caimie! Luffy wanted to shut everyone up, but Caimie was the one with a bomb collar on.

But then the sound of a gunshot rang out and silenced everybody. He turned around almost in slow motion to see Hachi laying there on his stomach on the stairs, bleeding from his back where the bubble head who bought Caimie shot him. "Fuhuhuhu! I hit him! I finished off that fisman!" he cheered as he bounced from one foot to the other. Luffy looked at his fishman enemy turned from in shock and fury.

No, under control! If you blast now, they will all be dead and it will be your fault!

Luffy was starting to sweat. "Hachi!" Nami scrambled in horror. Luffy looked around and saw so many people glad that Hachi had been shot. He didn't even notice he was balling a fist and heading up the steps until Hachi grabbed his ankle. As the bubble head scum laughed and bragged about taking down a big fishman to his father like a child and not an adult, the octopus fishman begged him to not do anything.

"W-wait… Straw Hat! It… my fault. Don't get mad. You promised… that you wouldn't do… anything even if someone… was shot in… front of you! I'm a pirate anyways! I've done… bad things!" Luffy had told him if anybody hurt his nakama, he wouldn't stand it. Hachi was a friend, too. "I'm sorry… I didn't mean… for this to happen!"

Luffy got onto his knees next to him. "Nami! I wanted… to make it up to Nami even a little! I… just wanted to help you guys. Everything I've done… it's been a mistake!" Hachi said, growing hysterical as he bled out. He needed medical attention right now. "But in the end I just cause trouble! I'm so sorry!" he sobbed. Luffy grit his teeth. It wasn't Hachi's fault.

"You damn fish! I shot you but you're still annoying me! You piss me off, shut up!" Luffy stood up, and looked at the bubble head, feeling his furious stare go off, the slightly widened eyes.

"Wait, Straw Hat, you won't be able to get away!" Pappag said. Luffy took a few steps up to the Celestial Dragon, purposely letting out the feeling and making everyone in the room freeze.

"Hoh?" the guy with the spotted hat said in interest. The other one lightly said Luffy looked like a rabid monster.

He shot at Luffy, a shaking hand in fear. Luffy dodged, "You're pissing me off, too!" he shouted, focusing the energy not in his fist so he didn't blow the guy's brains out with a punch. But he did hit him in the face, chucking him into the stands, knocking him out. The bubble was popped, and his face was bloody and puffy.

The auditorium was silent. Luffy knew his friends had already drawn their weapons. "Sorry, you guys. I heard if you hit one of these bubble heads, an admiral will come with a battleship," Luffy said, though he knew their feelings well.

"Why'd you hit him? I was about to take care of him myself," Zoro said, putting his yubashiri back in place. Nami hurried to Hachi, and Sanji lit a cigarette. Well, this was what happened. One of them would have acted. They went back to worrying about the key like they hadn't just assaulted a Celestial Dragon, a "god" to this world.

However, the injured bubble head's family were angry, and when they got angry, people finally started to scream and flee the stadium. The father pulled a gun on Luffy. "Do you have any idea what will happen to you if you rise against us?! Against the descendants of the creators of this world?!"

Sanji was there, done with his bullshit, and kicked the gun out of his hand and then popped his own bubble head with another kick. "Move it! We have to free Camie-chan!" he shouted, Franky said he'd go get the cuffs. Luffy stood still. He'd reached his limit. He couldn't move.

"Franky! Come here right now!" Luffy shouted. Everyone froze. But he asked what the problem was. "How high can you throw me in the air!?"

"High!" he said, he shot a hole through the roof and used his strong right how Luffy used his devil fruit, and grabbed the roof, pulling himself up. "Ready?!"

"Yeah!" Luffy was still now. He felt like he was going to explode seriously. Not just from his hands. He had to be careful this time. It was no time to get lost, and he had no access to blood with things like this. But just keeping it like this felt more exhausting. One, two, three!" Franky said, pusing a coup de vent on him to shoot him high above the island.

Once Luffy was far above the treetops, he released the explosion where it wouldn't hurt his friends. It left a huge crater in the treetops, and he could breathe again! He could move! He felt infinitely better, and landed back in the auction house neartly. "Nice one, captain. Now get to work!" Zoro said with a grin.

The place was mostly bare of people. "You people dare to defy us?!" the guy Sanji kicked said. His special guards were taken out by the others.

"Caimie is not something to buy and sell! And Hachi isn't for you to shoot!" Luffy shouted.

The bubble headed man Sanji popped but did not incapacitate said, "Call an admiral and battleships! Let these pirates feel the wrath of the gods! Put them in their place!"

"Get down!" Zoro shouted. Luffy and Sanji dropped to the floor while Zoro sliced Caimie's bowl in half.

The seats right above Sanji and Luffy were sliced. "Are you trying to kill us?!" Sanji demanded, Zoro putting his sword away. Hachi told Caimie to wait for them. They were going to save her.

"O-okay, Hacchin, everyone!" she said, tears in her eyes and finally audible. She'd been screaming in the tank all on her own for the last ten minutes, everybody unable to hear her through the glass. Disco shouted at the guards to protect the mermaid that sold for so much.

"Insolent brats! The women I shall have stuffed, the men will work with no food!" the father Celestial Dragon said. Usopp shot a tabasco star in his mouth, finally shutting him the hell up. His mouth was on fire and his daughter, the only remaining bubble head screamed. Everyone was in a rush to get to Caimie and find the keys. Robin clutched anyone in their way, and Brook went all out, too.

All of these people were scum; nobody had any trouble with beating them up. They treated Hachi so badly, they wanted to buy Caimie, they cheered on Hachi being shot for no reason other than existing. Luffy had no sympathy for any of them. Those that were just chilling there the whole time were the ones from before.

Franky ran into the back to search for the keys. "The marines are nearly here, we have to hurry!" Luffy called. "Find the keys!" The cuffs weren't made of seastone, so they didn't have that really unique scent. There were many other cuffs that smelled the same. Sniffing one out would be difficult or even impossible. Searching manually would be faster, which was what Franky was doing right now.

"You people are crazy. I don't know what the marines were after in the beginning, but there's no way they thought the Celestial Dragons would be attacked," the spotted hat guy said easily. Luffy asked who he was. Robin was the one to explain his identity.

"You're Trafalgar Law. Luffy, that man is a pirate."

"You've put on quite the little show here with your crew," Law said lightly. "Then you went and exploded. I didn't expect that." Luffy jerked to the side when the remaining bubble head threatened to kill Caimie to spite all of them.

"Caimie!" they shouted, drawing their weapons, but there was now a gun to the helpless mermaid's head. She gasped, shaking in fear. She no doubt was terrified for both herself and everybody else. If anyone was in the worst position, it was Caimie, no doubt.

But then she suddenly passed out, falling back and hitting the stage with a resounding thump. "See, what'd I tell ya, giant-kun? The place is total chaos."

"Hey, that's the coater guy," Luffy said. "He saved Caimie!"

"The auction is over, I've stolen my money, time to go gambling again," Rayleigh said, an old man with long white hair and a white goatee. He was very wrinkled and had round glasses. He didn't really have the expression of an old person, more like that one Garp had. The expression but not features of a young man.

Luffy was told he was 100 times stronger than they were by Shakky. Well, they found her husband! The giant let them all know Rayleigh was only going to be sold because he wanted to steal the money they made. That was kind of entertaining.

"I was planning on stealing everything paid, but the auction is clearly over. Besides, nobody would buy me anyways. I'm just an old man. Hahaha! Oh, everyone is looking at us." The guards were questioning how they both got out of their cuffs and cages. And now they couldn't take down the giant since it was completely unrestrained. The auctioneers and staff had failed completely in every aspect of keeping the action under control.

It was a complete mess and wouldn't be getting any easier with a giant out, now. Not that he looked like he was aggressive at the moment. And with somebody Shakky said was 100 times more powerful than Luffy, things weren't going to be any easier with him there, as well. And all of the Celestial Dragons were down for the count.

The father had passed out from being unable to handle Usopp's tabasco star. "Rayleigh?!" Hachi said in shock at seeing him there.

"Ah! Hachi! It's been a while! What're you doing in a place like that? And with all those wounds?!" But then he looked to Caimie and understood the situation instantly. "Hmmm, so basically, yeah, I see. You sure have gotten yourselves in a fair bit of trouble, eh, Hachi? So, you guys saved him, huh? Now then…" Rayleigh seemed overly amused by the situation, and clearly didn't feel he was in any danger.

Then a burst of heat that made Luffy feel like a wave crashed into him went around the room, and the vast majority passed out instantly. Luffy watched with a flat face, not knowing what he did. Usopp and Sanji were shocked out loud while everyone else was silent. "That Straw Hat sure fits a man like yourself. I've been wanting to meet you, Monkey D. Luffy!"

He swiftly turned to Caimie and started to fiddle with the bomb collar. Everyone tried to get him to stop, but Luffy didn't doubt he knew what he was doing. Besides, he got out of his own restraints, too, didn't he? And he must have freed the giant as well. Luffy trusted he wouldn't kill Caimie, and it would end up hurting him, too, if he did it wrong.

He grabbed it and crushed it, pulling it off to explode in the wall where he threw it, just as Franky came out of the back with the keys. Suddenly, Luffy's vision went black, but he stayed upright and came back. "Shit," he hissed, too low for anyone to hear. Chopper hurried to him, and got his attention, opening his medical bag he bought everywhere.

There was a small blood bag. "You're the best, Chopper," Luffy said with a grin. Chopper smiled.

Caimie was so relieved, and Franky tossed the key ring to the slaves still locked away. "Oi, to-be-slaves. I suggest you run while you can." They gladly took the keys to free themselves. Lucky they were there and Franky found the keys, though he was slightly annoyed with all that searching being for nothing.

Luffy's crew speculated that he was a fruit user. "Maybe he's like, Luffy!" Usopp hissed.

"He doesn't look like it," Nami hissed back.

"Well, he could be wearing contacts," Usopp said.

"Maybe it's best not to speak so openly of it," Brook said quietly. Chopper grabbed an empty fountain drink cup and quickly put the blood inside it, handing it to Luffy, whose knees were shaking and he was about to fall. Well, he knew he could suppress the explosions without blowing his body up. It just made him very tired. But he drank the drink quickly and then tossed it under the table.

He took in a deep breath, feeling much better. He knew Law and the other guy were still there and awake, and Sanji had noticed as well and blocked their sight. Nobody saw Chopper put blood in the cup and Luffy drink it, though he felt much better. Chopper really thought of everything.

"Luffy, do you know him?!" Sanji asked.

"No! He's just Shakky's husband!" Luffy said. "We were supposed to find him, but he's here."

"I'm sure what he used was haki, but I don't know much about it," Hachi said. Chopper was already back to treating him after he went to Luffy got him some replenishing blood. Rayleigh turned and addressed the others. Including Law and his crew and the other man with the nastier smile. Law was more like mocking.

"So, you pirates are around to watch?" Rayleigh asked the other crews. "And if you were able to take my blast, then you're not amateurs, either, huh?"

Law asked, "To think, we'd run into him in a place like this…"

"Dark King, Silvers Rayleigh," redhead said. "Ain't no mistaking him. What the hell's a legend doing here?"

Luffy felt he should know who that was, but he didn't. Clearly a very big shot. A legend? And he'd knocked everybody out easily, not even doing anything! Who was he?! Shakky said he was interested in the teen, too. Why? And what was the connection to Luffy's hat? Maybe he knew Shanks.

"Here on this island, I just go by 'coating engineer Ray-san'. I wouldn't go throwing that name around. I'm a retired old man, I'd rather live my life in peace." Then he went to Hachi, and said he was going to be fine. But he was surprised Hachi was there, as he was usually careful about going around the island. He would live, thanks to Chopper's immediate treatment. "Thank you guys, truly, for saving my friend."

Luffy said, "Well, he's our friend too, so of course we would. Hey, old guy, why'd you wanna meet me?" Luffy asked.

"Mm, let's talk about that later!" Rayleigh said. "First, we have to worry about getting out of here." He sounded like he was having fun, and never lost his smile. On cue, the marines that were already outside ordered them to leave peacefully. They were surrounded. And to leave the bubble heads alone while they came out with their hands up.

"They sound like chicken-shits," Zoro commented with a sigh.

Kidd, as his friends called him, stood up and rudely told the Straw Hats that they'd take care of the problem. After all, they were listed as accomplices for the Straw Hats attacking the Celestial Dragons. Of course Luffy wouldn't take this, and went out to deal with them together. Law also didn't like that attitude about himself, either. They both went out, not taking Kidds dismissal.

"I don't need you guys here," Luffy said.

"Says the one who turned into a bomb and needed to be evacuated from the building. Besides I told both of you to hang back. Don't interfere with my fight," Kid said. Being called a bomb irked Luffy, but he wasn't wrong. That didn't mean he couldn't fight fodder marines, though.

"Next time you try to tell me what to do Eustace-ya, I'll take you out first," Law said, also irritated by his attitude. Both of the others had to be in their early twenties, so older than Luffy. Luffy heard his crew agree to meet Rayleigh back at grove 13 later. He took Hachi to safety, and Luffy wondered how, since the whole building was surrounded.

The to be giant slaves were going to take the other freed ones and run. "If we ever meet again, I'll try to repay you for this!" the giant said to Rayleigh and the Straw Hats. The other freed slaves thanked them as well. It was satisfying. Beating the bubble heads and freeing their slaves. Now they just had to deal with the fall out.

The marines were startled with facing three rookie captains, all with bounties over 200 million, Law being the lowest and Kid the highest. Luffy bounced one back with a gomu gomu balloon and took out a cannon. Kid put his hand up and shot it out and back at them. His power might be magnetism? Luffy's was easy to tell, but for the whole exploding incident before.

Law's, however, was very strange. He made a blue dome around him and one marine. Luffy said, "Whoa! Your guys's powers are weird," when he chopped off a guy's head and switched the head with a cannon.

"Says the one rubber one that explodes," Kid said dismissively.

"I don't explode. It just happened," Luffy said seriously which wasn't a good argument.

"Canons don't work on them! They're all fruit users!" a marine shouted obviously. "Mortars won't work on them, we have to hold on until Admiral Kizaru gets here!" Kid grinned, and asked if they could even hold on that long. Law chopped off another head, it being still alive and his body running around, all of the marines freaking out. It was indeed freaky, but really cool... and confusing.

Law did it to a whole crowd of them. "Just take it easy. It'll all be over soon," he said in an eerie voice.

Luffy took out a bunch by blowing air into his thumb. Using it without gear second should be just fine. He might just become little. It had happened before. He wiped out a whole section of the enemies as their weapons were sucked from them by whatever Kid's devil fruit was. It looked kind of boring. But it would be fun to be able to manipulate objects and throw them at people from a distance.

But, despite what Ace used to say, he loved his rubber body. He wouldn't change it for anything.

As Kid smashed everybody with a metal arm made of the gathered metal, Law was having fun tormenting the marines by attaching their body parts to other things. Soon, somebody's head was attached to a barrel while also sharing another's leg. Luffy laughed at it. The other pirates came out, and Luffy realized the fight lasted maybe three minutes, and it was already over.

Luffy was now tiny, though. In the body of a child. Should go back to normal soon. That's what Nami said happened after he passed out after Moria. Law looked at Luffy and said he looked "tense".

"Really?" he asked with a squeaky voice. Rayleigh was absolutely amused and it looked like their path was clear before more were coming. They didn't even have a formation, they were just there to brawl. It was time for all of them to go out. Luffy popped back to normal after maybe a minute of being miniature.

"See you sometime, Straw Hat. I'm glad I met you here. The next time I see you, it won't be so easy," Kid said.

"Hmm, okay, but I'm gonna be the one to find the One Piece and become the Pirate King," Luffy replied lightly with a smile at their enemies. This was fun! He got to see weird devil fruits. He wondered what it felt like to be a body with no head. Would the head dictate the body, or would the body panic and go running around? And what would happen if it caught on fire like that? Neehee, it sounded fun.

Kid stayed standing there, looking at Luffy with a suspicious look. "Hey, Killer." His first mate who also had a high bounty. "On the route we took here, anyone who heard that would laugh, right? Though I killed them all for it. But from here on out, those without the guts to say that won't survive. Let's meet up in the New World," the highest bounty rookie said with a mean grin.

Luffy and Law didn't reply, but went to start fighting the marines, Luffy joining his crew as the other two captains did the same. Sanji pointed to the flying fish, waiting for them. Duval was still his cheery self, sucking up to the guy who remodeled his face and future. The Straw Hats fought their way to the unlikely allies, all of them using their powers to get there.

Luffy heard, "Well, see you later Straw Hat-ya. Maybe it would be smarter to hide your eyes in the New World." Luffy jerked to turn around, but didn't see anyone speaking to him. Zoro called his name, and Luffy went back to fighting. They got back to the flying fish, name change or not, and were brought back to Shakky's bar, where they'd been at what felt like days ago.

"We're out!" Luffy cheered. He didn't feel the need to blow up, at all. He felt normal. The sense of panic was gone, too. Maybe it had built up and he had to get rid of it to be fine. Things were okay right now, as long as they didn't get caught by the admiral. It wasn't Aokiji, so no ice. But he had no idea what the other admirals were like.

Could be worse or could be better for them.

They hurried inside and got Hachi to the bed brought into the bar entry, the front door locked and windows closed. After all, an admiral was looking for them. "Neh, who are you, old man?" Luffy asked as Chopper worked on Hachi and the others all got drinks. Luffy was fine, Chopper's bag of blood left him set for now.

"I was first mate in the Roger Pirates, Silvers Rayleigh, nice to meet ya!"

"EHHHH?!"

"Wait, is it true that Roger was- y'know?!" Rayleigh asked for Shakky to go in the other room for a bit. She was fine with it and took her ashtray too. Knowing the conversation might be longer than a yes or no question.

"He wasn't human, no. Like you aren't," Rayleigh said with his all knowing smile. "You sure are more obvious about it, though. Shirtless in Enies Lobby, showing your eyes everywhere you go." Luffy asked if he should hide it. After all, nobody else was like him. Why hide if he had no reason to. "You feel no urge to hide them?"

Luffy cocked his head. "Should I?"

"Roger didn't show me until a year after we met. He said he felt the urge to hide it as strong as he felt the urge to breathe. You don't seem to have that urge at all," Rayleigh said. Luffy's mind was reeling. That was why Garp didn't know, nobody knew. He'd hidden it so well. Luffy took off his hat and touched his white hair.

Everyone was looking at him. "I've never felt like I had to hide it. My grandpa always wanted me to cover up my eyes and the marks. Heh, that's weird."

"Wait, if Roger hid it so well, and there are other animals and humans like Luffy, does that mean there are others like him out there and they've just been hiding the whole time?!" Usopp asked. The room went silent.

Rayleigh played up the silence a bit before saying, "We never came across anybody else besides those on Sky Island. Roger did smell a handful of people we came across that had that scent of blood. Maybe you were just born with zero self-preservation skills in that department." Sanji snorted at him and Zoro hit his arm.

"Did you ever find out what Luffy is? What Roger was?" Luffy put his hand up and grinned.

"I want to find out on our journey! Just like finding the One Piece, I don't want to know what I am or why I'm here by asking somebody else!" Luffy said brightly. "But now there's so much more possible! If they're all just hiding, I might not be the only one! Though going back to hiding my eyes will be annoying."

"Well, you have that choice, still. Your bounty poster has your eyes closed, right?" Rayleigh said, looking very intrigued with Luffy. "You also seem to be much more inexperienced with it all. Letting off the intimidating aura that makes animals and merfolk fear you. Yeah, Roger could control that."

Franky demanded to know if Roger could blow up, too. "That is unique to you. I assume it came from that mark? Not a tattoo?" Luffy nodded. He said the blood stone from Sky Island had wounded him and left the mark. "I see. That never happened to Roger." Usopp asked if Roger reacted to seastone. "He didn't have a devil fruit, so no. What happens if you're exposed to seastone?"

Luffy frowned. "I lose control of myself. I won my fight against Lucci because he wanted to see what was wrong with me with seastone. I killed him brutally with it." Rayleigh just raised his brows at the sudden tone change. Since Roger didn't have a devil fruit, he'd never been exposed to seastone."

Robin said, "Maybe we'll only find out about that from others that had eaten devil fruits. But shouldn't they be easy to find? With the markings?" Brook said they could always cover them with tattoos if they didn't wear clothes to cover them.

"Roger got tattoos to hide his, that's why the marines never found them once he turned himself in," Rayleigh said.

Nami laughed. "It's so weird. The parallels between Luffy's journey and the Roger Pirates. Our ship is made of Adam's wood, we went to Sky Island, Luffy is whatever they both were, and you Roger had someone who could read poneglyphs! Plus, they both have his hat."

Luffy giggled. "I met Crocus, and he said that nothing new happened to Roger. I was disappointed!"

Rayleigh looked surprised. "That man is a liar."

"What?!"

"Knowing him, he probably didn't want to spoil everything. I think you've probably seen that Luffy had skills that aren't just from his devil fruit. Roger was able to frighten people into submission, though he never used it." Luffy said he scared a sea king into taking him back to Water 7. "Heh, I see. Well, since you want to uncover the truth yourself, I won't give too much away.

"Luffy-kun, you will or already have abilities that only your kind has. You're not a human who just has to drink blood and looks different. You might not, and Roger never had, found any sort of title for his kind or anyone like the both of you. Another hint is to be wary of blood stone. Don't touch them again. You've already experienced the troubles that come from touching them."

Luffy asked how he knew whether bloodstones were bad. The one he had never hurt or poisoned him. Plus, the people of Sky Island were fine. "Roger got sick by accidentally ingesting just a bit of the stone. He was going to die because of the stone, but chose to turn himself in when he had little time left. The stone was what made him ill."

Everyone froze, and their eyes went to Luffy's arm. "It seems the blood stones are all different. Roger touched more than a few before and was fine, but one of them carried a disease. We found out it was the blood stone afterwards. Just do not touch them again."

"We'll make sure that never happens," Zoro said seriously. "How can Luffy control the explosions? Do you know how to help with that?"

"I can help with multiple things besides that. It has no parallel to Roger." They all frowned. "Everything I am telling you could just be something only for Roger, since we know of nobody else like you two. There's nobody else to reference. The Sky Island people were different from Roger, and were therefore little help in the unsolved mystery."

Luffy took off his hat and smiled at it. This hat was like a shared secret between him and Roger. Their crew and his crew. "Did Shanks know?"

"No. Only Crocus and myself knew. The both of us donated him blood. Nobody else knew." It definitely wasn't hereditary since Ace was normal. Luffy wondered if Rayleigh knew that Ace was his captain's child. Well, he would never ask and reveal his brother. Luffy asked if he knew anything of the animals with similar features. "They might be part of the same branch of life as you are, but there's little known by those creatures. We never found any on land, and if they were there, they could have just been hiding from humans."

"Luffy was born broken, then," Franky said. "Makes sense. "

"Oi, shut up, Franky!" Luffy snapped, cheeks red. He really didn't ever feel the need to hide other than not wanting to be teased. Though it was more likely Luffy was broken than Roger. After all, he was the only one he knew of, that the Roger pirates knew of.

Robin asked if Roger ever lost control of himself. "Once. but I wasn't with him. He was fighting a very powerful pirate crew, the most powerful said to have existed in that time, and with some allies, they defeated them singlehandedly together. After that incident, the enemy captain and a whole island disappeared.

"I don't know how much of that victory was due to Roger's 'fade out', but it could be part of it. He fought with another figure, but I won't spoil that. It'll be fun for Luffy-kun especially to find out."

Usopp asked, "But what happened?"

"Roger had extreme power put into him." Nami frowned. That wasn't what happened when Luffy went out of control and went too hard. But that meant that there could be some stronger form of him going out of control. They all knew that. What would happen if he "faded out". Rayleigh added that Roger had been ashamed of that fight. He didn't know how much of it was his strength or the surge of power.

Then he added, "But I always told him that any power that came with being what he was, it was still part of him, even if it wasn't his fighting style. It wasn't cheating, or like he was taking a drug of some sorts. I can't speak of the seastone incident, though. He also had great senses like you do, Luffy-kun."

Luffy smiled lightly. He was learning so much! "So, why did you want to see Luffy? How did you know, his eyes were closed and it didn't show any close ups of his markings on the poster," Nami said.

Rayleigh smiled brightly. "I didn't want to meet you because of that. I wanted to meet you long before you became a pirate with a bounty. Shanks spoke of you. That hat was given to you by him, and it was given to him by Roger. I met him ten years ago on this island, and you can imagine I was surprised he wasn't wearing the Straw Hat. He said you reminded him of Roger. I can't go running my mouth and tell you things Shanks didn't, but I'm sure he's waiting in the New World to see you."

Luffy grinned. "I wanna see Shanks, too! And he didn't give me the Straw Hat just cause he thought I was the same kind of thing as Roger."

"Nope, he gave it to you based on your personality, nothing more, nothing less." Luffy wondered if he should hide his stuff. After all, maybe being obvious would show others to him! He could have others like him approach him.

"Who knows whether they're there for some negative reason?" Usopp asked. "What if it's just putting you in danger?" Rayligh shrugged. He had no answer. After all, Roger knew of only one, himself, down on land. Luffy grinned.

He said, "I'm not hiding." He looked at his arm and rolled off the arm band. "I'm not hiding anything anymore." Zoro grinned proudly. Robin did say he might be targeted because of what he is if anybody knew about it, even not the government or marines. "Well, I'm targeted for being a pirate. Already, people want me dead."

"Very true. You have a good point," Robin said with a pleasant smile.

Usopp asked how he could be so sure of things. "I'm not sure of anything! Nobody but Roger's crew knows if the One Piece exists, but I still want to find it. Who knows if anyone other than him and me exist, but I want to find one!" The others were smiling.

Yup Luffy fucking exploded in front of his fellow Super rookies lol. See you next week! 

Chapter Text

Just_a_normal_fan: I didn't want Luffy to blast apart the guy's face lol. I think doing that would fuck with him while he's in his right mind. Amazon Lily is right around the corner and then it's Impel Down and Marineford! Big question: will I kill off Ace and keep the angst dripping or will I save him and warp the timeline completely? Hmmm. We will all know that answer on chapter 56. 

Dot_Not_Found: Lol, too angsty? Me? How could you say such a thing, I ALWAYS write happy things! 

Rayleigh looked very happy with the conversation as well. Shakky came back, unbothered by missing a big chunk of the conversation. She was so laid back, and not even angry with her husband being missing for months and selling himself as a slave to get more money to gamble away some more. What a cool lady. Though Nami clearly didn't agree with this. She didn't say anything, though.

"Well, you needed your ship coated, right?" Luffy went and sat with Zoro, and they spoke of how to get the ship coated and then down to Fishman Island. Today was a good day. They just had to wait out the admiral finding them, and continue their adventure.

"Wait, Rayleigh-san," Robin said. "I have a question. "What exactly is the 'Will of D'? I found an inscription on the Sky Island poneglyph, and it had his name on it. How did you write that there? Is it possible you know what happened in the void century 900 years ago?!" She was desperately wanting these answers, like how Luffy had felt.

"We sure do. Truth is, we found out the entire history." Robin's face went blank in shock. "But my girl… don't get too heated up. You should all keep on going, one step at a time. I'd say that we, and the people of Ohara, may all have been a bit too hasty. Even if I were to tell you everything right now, you would be able to do nothing as you are now. You take a good long look at the world, and who knows? You may even reach a different conclusion than we did. If, however, you wish to know regardless, I'll tell you everything."

Luffy was smiling, knowing Robin's answer. Her face softened into a smile. "No, I'll continue on my journey."

"Our journey! We wanna know, too, you know?" Luffy said brightly. Zoro took his hand in his.

"One day, you'll know the truth. It was a real shame, what happened to your hometown of Ohara. But don't go thinking Roger was able to decipher those texts. We were mere pirates, could never hope to match the geniuses who deciphered and understood those texts. Roger had the power to hear "the voice of all things". That's all there is to it."

"Heh, maybe it's magic," Luffy said.

Zoro snorted, and said, "Maybe. Who knows? Well, Rayleigh knows, but he's not tellin' us anything."

"Don't want 'em to."

"Exactly."

Usopp said, "You really don't wanna know if the One Piece even exists?"

"No! Who wants to go on a boring adventure like that? If he told me all about all this stuff then I would never set sail again. I want the One Piece, but I also want to have the best adventure on my way to becoming the Pirate King!"

Rayleigh said, "If you keep sailing along the Grand Line, things will only get harder, people will only get stronger. Do you have the will to conquer the Grand Line ?"

"I don't wanna conquer anything!" Rayleigh looked surprised. "It's just the person with the most freedom in the whole world is the Pirate King!" Luffy said with a bright laugh. Shakky laughed and said she was on his team, too. Luffy sure was good at making friends. And enemies, but friends a lot, too.

The coating would take three days, and an admiral was looking for them. So, they were to separate and keep the guy away from their ship as Rayleigh coated it for them. Three days to just mess around and avoid authorities. Should be interesting for some and terrifying to others.

"I'll be taking your ship somewhere else to coat. Take this. It's a vivre card. We'll meet up in three days in the evening. It'll take that long for quality work."

"What about my blood? It's all on the ship."

"You have three today, right? You should be fine," Usopp said.

"What if I explode again?"

"Just take moss head with you." Luffy didn't like it seeming like Zoro was just there for food.

"It's fine. Again, only if necessary, okay? If Luffy wants some just for waiting some, then no. Only on scheduled time. Understand?" Chopper said sternly. They both nodded.

Hachi, Caimie and Pappag all heard it all, and so they all knew more than most, and they moved on easily from Luffy being what he was. They might still have had some reservations, but they had all talked about both him and Roger going out of control, so probably. They would wait for their ship to be coated and would then lead them down to the underwater island.

It was a great day! They'd all learned so much, and met new and interesting people. Luffy had a true hope for both goals, and couldn't be more excited to learn and experience more. Luffy's group was Luffy, Chopper and Zoro. Chopper for Zoro and Zoro for Luffy. Usopp was with Franky and Robin, Brook with Nami and Sanji.

But before they even split up they ran into someone. A huge guy in a black and gray outfit. His chest was the larger part of his body. He had bushy hair similar to Usopp's under a hat with teddy bear ears. "Luffy, get back!" Zoro shouted, surprising him. "It's a warlord!"

"WHAT?! How do you know another one?" he asked in shock. The warlord took his glove off, and Sanji told him not to touch it or it would send a shock wave. Luffy backed up. They all jumped out of the way when a bright light shot out and blew up the area it hit. "That's not a shock wave! And that's not a person!"

"The hell do you mean it's not a person?!"

"It's a machine!" Luffy coughed out. "It smells like metal and wire."

"Kuma was part cyborg," Zoro said. "No, something else. It was called a 'pacifista'."

"So it is Kuma, though! You did a real number on us, asshole!" Franky shouted, and shot a coup de vent at him, caving in his stomach and internal organs. That must be very painful. But he wasn't dead yet, and they hurt his nakama and Zoro while he was out of commission. He seamlessly entered gear second and shot a jet pistol at him.

They were surprised at how fast he'd moved. "I know you're strong, so I'll go 100% at the beginning!" Luffy said, body steaming. They all got ready to fight, but Luffy didn't smell he was anything human. But they were sure, and Zoro said he was a cyborg. That's why he smelled like machinery.

It still felt off, but he was an enemy regardless of what or who he was. He tried to hurt them. They'd fight regardless. And they all attempted to attack, but it didn't once respond, and only sent beams. It wasn't a human. They waited for Luffy's impromptu and lucky attack. "Zoro, Sanji, hit him one more time!"

They did and moved out of the way for him to explode. It really was affected by stress and strong emotion. He hit it in the gut and blew out the back, machinery coming out only. Luffy's arms fell limp. "Did we get it?"

"Is the burst the number one weapon from you?" Sanji asked, all of them catching their breath. Luffy fretted over Zoro, but he acted fine.

"I don't know. I don't want it to be. It's only based on complete luck for the right timing," Luffy said. He could hear carnage around the island. "This isn't the only thing going on on the island. Screams and explosions are coming from everywhere. Is this how an admirable attacks?"

"Kuma wasn't an admiral. And now we know that wasn't Kuma," Zoro said, his swords in his lap. "How embarrassing. Took all of us to take down that thing. And it's a machine." He sounded disgusted.

Nami said she hoped Rayleigh was okay. "He was taking the Sunny somewhere else, she should be fine with him there. Especially considering who he is," Sanji said, Franky drawing comfort from it. "Should we run or hide? Spread out?"

They all stood, Chopper and Luffy eyeing Zoro apprehensively. He scowled and insisted he was fine. They decided to run to an area that wasn't so open, since that thing was good at long distance shots that did a lot of damage. What Luffy was hearing was awful. The sounds of explosions were everywhere, the scent of gunpowder and burnt things. Blood was not heavy in the air, but that didn't mean people weren't being hurt or killed.

"This way!" Luffy said, pointing to a compressed area. But there was one there, another Kuma, smelling like the previous. "Are you sure this is the warlord? What if that old one was a robot- oof!- too?!"

They had trouble beating it because it was so fast and didn't take damage. They went all out on it again, but Nami's clima tact was useless on it. Anything that wasn't hard and sudden was useless. Franky ran out of cola for many bursts, Sanji's leg was already aching and Zoro was starting to grunt with every movement.

The big problem was depending on Luffy's finicky power. But that was the only way they could escape this one, too, but it was really only an ace of cards because it only went off well on one. It took two shots of lower power to destroy the head. Luffy's arm tingled, but he hid it. "Captain, are you okay?" Robin asked. He nodded. "Where now?"

"We should hide for now. Down there," Luffy said, pointing to a grove with a lot of huge roots. They could hide under them. Franky said it sucked to hide. "Well we can't escape. We don't have the Sunny and even if we did, there's nowhere to go but down," Luffy said. They were hiding in the tunnel right now. Hopefully they couldn't be found this way. At least for them to recuperate.

They got a good ten minutes of peace before another one came!

"Guys, give Luffy and Zoro a break!" Franky said. "We'll take care of this one."

"I'm the captain-!"

"And we're your crew!" Sanji said. Zoro was angry he couldn't help either. They stayed behind and watched as their not-close-combat members worked tirelessly to take out this pacifista. Luffy watched in awe and pride as his crew worked together with their attacks to seamlessly but tirelessly defeat the Kuma robot enough for just one more hit to need to happen.

Luffy jumped out and used a giant rifle down on its head from above, crushing it and making it explode. Luffy bounced hard against the ground, in mini size. He sat up, and said, "There's still more. There's more than just four." His voice was resigned but face showing true worry and concern.

Looking at his crew, he saw how tired they were, Zoro was sleeping, trying to recharge in any way. Luffy didn't need blood. He had enough motivation to replace that. He couldn't be a tough captain when he had to recharge. Nami asked what they should do, then. "We can do nothing but try to live," Robin said. They were all tired from running and fighting. "Whether that's running, fighting or hiding, living is not shameful."

"All of the other tough guys are going through this, too, and none of them sound triumphant," Luffy said. Chopper was checking them out. Zoro wasn't hurt on the surface, it was inside that was the problem. Chopper could give him no bandages, no medicine, nothing. Luffy was terrified for his nakama, but Zoro especially. Maybe punching the bubble head wasn't the right thing to do. Hachi was a friend, but he'd been an enemy! Did he sacrifice his crew over a former enemy and brief friend? What kind of captain does that?

They waited there for only a moment before more showed up. "Guys. I'm sorry I punched the World Noble," Luffy said, standing up.

"I attacked him, too," Sanji said.

"We were all going to. This was a crew wide choice, and maybe mistake," Robin said. They all stood to face the newest pacifista, which had a mostly naked man carrying a huge broadaxe. They were bruised and tired, but nobody was giving up.

The guy said, "Oi, look what you did to PX 3 and 4! It takes the funds of a whole battleship to make just one of these guys." His voice was showing irritation and a general lack of disrespect that Zoro caught the attention of angrily. He looked sick. They all looked sick. Luffy glared at him. These were machines, he couldn't intimidate them away.

Sentonmaru was the half naked guy's name. He seemed annoying already. Luffy tried to get him to go away, but him being accompanied by a pacifista meant it would be useless to try and scare him away, too. He shot a jet gatling at him, but he put out both hands and then repelled him into a tree. He climbed his way out quickly and saw the mechanical monster was shooting beams at his crew again.

Luffy had no build up in the force that came from the damn blood stone mark. He didn't want to have to use that or rely on it for its chance nature, but that was the only single hit that got one out. Without it, it took work from multiple of them. "He's strong, too!"

"And I don't have a devil fruit."

"Guys, we have to run! We have to split up," Luffy called. He ended up going with Chopper and Robin, and this was one of the hardest things he'd ever had to do in his life. Turn his back on his crew because splitting up was the best thing to do. He physically hurt at running away from his frightened crew.

"He went that way! Are they alright?!" Luffy called when the pacifista went after Franky's group. But Sentonmaru was in front of him again, and slammed him in the face, rolling hard multiple times until he crashed into a broken building.

"You shouldn't be worrying about others!" the enemy said. He didn't seem especially strong. And he felt his nose was bleeding where he'd been punched.

"This guy's fighting is weird!" he said, wiping his bloody nose. He stood up to attack, and told Robin and Chopper to run. But then Luffy smelled somebody else that made him feel the way Aokiji did after he turned hostile. "The admiral is over there!" Luffy shouted.

Sentonmaru said, "Finally, Kizaru! They've damaged three pacifistas! You took too long." Robin went pale at hearing his name but they all froze when they saw Zoro laying in front of him, breathing heavily and helpless. He was bloody. In just that small time of the admiral being there, Zoro was beat. He was in shit shape before, but now they had to get Zoro away while fighting at the same time. Oh, he would be so ashamed later.

Luff screamed his name. His vision went black and he knew he jumped, but then he found himself thrown to the ground hard by a warm hand and instead of him being in front of Kizaru, Rayleigh was there. Luffy was trembling and dizzy. He'd blacked out and lost control, but Rayleigh acted instantaneously to stop him. It was so fast. And Luffy had been stopped so suddenly and easily.

Robin and Chopper were the only ones to see it all.

"So, now you take the stage?" Kizaru asked Rayleigh, his voice sounding painfully bored and disinterested. "Dark King Rayleigh."

"Don't go plucking fine sprouts! It's only the beginning of their era!" Rayleigh shouted with a grin. He had his foot stopping Kizaru's logia attack

"Old man!" Luffy shouted, tears in his voice. He couldn't hear when Kizaru and Rayleigh were saying, his heart beating and that fresh sense of panic settling over him. Luffy only saw Zoro there, bloody and breathing heavily. Luffy wasn't there for him. "Usopp, grab Zoro and run!" Luffy said, "Everyone, only run! Only think of escaping! Only think of getting away! Right now, we can't beat these guys!" he shouted, running away, too. He was clenching his teeth hard enough that anyone not rubber would shatter them.

He couldn't run straight and only think of himself when the frantic noises of his nakama were easy to hear. Nami was crying while she ran, Zoro was cussing hatefully about being useless. He kept hearing his lover apologize to him. "I'm sorry I'm so weak, Luffy!" Luffy wanted to run over to him, but he was the captain, maybe if he didn't go to him he'd be spared.

Zoro had a huge bounty, too. If anyone were the least safe besides Luffy it would be Zoro. Could he have done anything different that wouldn't have ended this way? Going all the way back, maybe he could have not hit that sea rabbit. Then Caimie wouldn't have come out, she wouldn't have led them to Fishman Island, wouldn't have gotten kidnapped, it wouldn't have happened.

Maybe if Luffy let the bubble head laugh and dance, this would have happened. What could he have done differently? What could he have been better at? He should have been firmer about Zoro going on the island. He should have… done something different!

As they ran, Luffy's sense of sound was so overloaded, listening to the breathing of twelve people, including Rayleigh and the enemies. "Thank you Rayleigh!"

"Sure! I'm praying for your safety! Good luck!" Kizaru moved to attack them again, but Rayleigh was there faster, with a sword that somehow stopped his light beams. It turned the light solid. What let him do that to a logia? Was that what the New World was? Rayleigh was strong, he was keeping Kizaru busy. They just had to deal with Sentonmaru, the pacifistas, and their very tired, panicked and demoralized bodies.

Luffy was being chased by Sentonmaru, and felt the pressure in his arm building. Nobody knew about it yet. It hadn't been used anywhere other than Thriller Bark. He turned and pressed his hand to Sentonmaru, and let it burst, ripping apart one of the man's arms, blood flying everywhere. Luffy had one more arm to go, but he ignored Sentonmaru and went after the pacifista, but he waited too long, he was too frantic and torn that it went off, and his arm was useless.

Next chapter is the end of the split (lots of beautiful angsty internal thoughts to come) and the Amazon Lily adventure begins! 

Chapter Text

Just_a_normal_fan: The story will end once Wano is over. Whenever that happens lol. No way can I wait 4 or so more years for the ending to come. 

Sentonmaru was screaming at the pain, and Luffy now couldn't move his left arm. One enemy was taken care of, though. "Run! Zoro, Usopp!" Luffy screamed. The pacifista was out of control now, Luffy had no finishing blow. It took out most of their fighters at once. Chopper screamed and tried to help, but ate too many rumble balls. Like Luffy, he overdid himself to try to help, but only caused more harm.

"Chopper! No!" Luffy shouted. He would be useless after this! But Sentonmaru told the pacifista to only focus on Luffy. After all, Luffy just destroyed one of his arms. The one that didn't hold the axe.

"What did you do to me?!" he shouted. Luffy had never been more afraid. He could die and let his crew try and get away, or he could fight as a distraction. But one arm was gone, halving all of his attacks. "PX-1, kill him!" Everyone screamed his name before the pacifista shot a laser through his left arm, blowing him away.

Luffy shrieked at them to run as he rolled. Now he was bleeding in multiple places. How could he have prevented this? But then another presence appeared. This one was another pacifista, but it wasn't, it was the real one. The real warlord. Was that better or worse for them? Luffy clawed his way up so the pacifista couldn't get him. Luffy held his injured arm as he ran to them, wanting to go something against the Kuma.

"So, you're still alive, Roronoa Zoro?"

"Thanks... to your mercy."

"Zoro!" He was awake! "Zoro, run away!"

"If you were to take a trip, where would you go?"

"Luffy! I'm-"

Zoro was gone once Kuma touched him. The world went silent. The pacifista was still after Luffy as he was in shock. A laser shot through his stomach, a burn straight through his gut, and bleeding badly. He needed blood. But his friends came far ahead of his own health. And everyone was panicking about Zoro. Good, they didn't notice him yet. Luffy put his bleeding arm in his mouth and sucked. He was able to fool his body into thinking he was drinking blood, and the wound in his stomach closed only slightly as the one in his arm worsened.

He could manage the damage if he tried hard enough. But where was Zoro? Everyone was screaming about Zoro. They didn't notice the state Luffy was in. He hoped they didn't. He didn't want them to worry about him. "Run! Zoro would want all of us to run!" Luffy said, tears in his voice.

What could I have done differently?

"Get out of here!"

"What about Zoro?!"

"We'll find him when we're safe!"

"Oh, no you won't! He's long gone!" Sentonmaru said. He was aiming at getting Luffy now. Couldn't he get his arm fixed by the guy who made the pacifistas? Luffy stood to fight. He demanded to know where Zoro went. "His paw will send you flying to the ends of the world for three days! He'll probably land in the ocean far from here! PX-1-"

"Don't interfere," Kuma said, and the pacifista threatening Luffy was gone. Now there was only an arm-less Sentonmaru. Was Kuma on their side? Where was Zoro? Chopper slammed his hand down on Luffy's back.

"Chopper, let me go! I'm on your side!" he tried reasoning, but he was weak and tired and thirsty. Robin managed to wedge him out from under Chopper's massive arm.

"What are you playing at, Kuma?!" Sentonmatu asked. Thank god, Rayleigh still had Kizaru. Maybe blasting off his arm was a mistake. Another mistake.

Everything was happening too fast. Luffy couldn't keep track until he heard one less voice, one less scent. Brook was gone.

What do I do?!

Usopp was gone.

What do I do?!

Sanji rushed when Luffy managed to shout at him not to, and Sanji was gone.

What did I do?!

Three of them in the blink of an eye. They didn't even make an exhale before they were gone.

What have I done?!

Luffy got up and ran at Kuma, but was bounced away painfully. The warlord went up to Rayleigh, and said, "Dark King Rayleigh" and Luffy heard "his son" and then Rayleigh asked, "Do you expect me to believe that?"

What did he miss?! Whose son? Why was Kuma doing this? What should Luffy do? He could barely move by now. Maybe out of bodily damage, maybe emotional turmoil.

"That is up to you," Kuma mumbled. Luffy forced a surge of energy from himself and pumped out as second gear and went after the warlord. But Franky sent a strong right. It was weak, he was far past being out of cola.

"Franky, no!" And he was gone.

I should have done something better.

"Damn it!" Luffy shot again as Kuma reached for Nami. "No!"

"Luffy!"

"Nami!"

"Help m-!" and Nami was gone.

I should have been a better captain!

All that was left was Chopper and Robin. Chopper, who was too big to help at all now. "Chopper!" Robin was shocked into silence and still. "Chopper, run!" Chopper roared and Kuma got closer. "Stop it! Please, stop this!" Luffy shouted, pleading to leave him Chopper, the one on the crew that knew what it was to be a monster. But he was gone.

I didn't do it right! Something went wrong!

Ace's young face went through his mind. "I'm sure you'll be a great captain, even if you're weird, too. Haha!"

I'm not… I lost them.

"Chopper! ROBIN!" Robin was all he had left. Please, don't let him fail one more person! Let him have somebody left! He didn't want to be alone! He didn't want to lose everyone!

"Luffy!" Robin screamed in fear. She reached out her hand as he rushed for hers. She was gone.

Garp's face flashed next, standing in front of him, so much bigger. You're better off staying on the island. You'll just cause trouble for yourself and others if you go off on your own.

An image of all of his friends together, all of them happy, flashed through his mind. Monster. Failure. If it hadn't been YOU they would be fine.

Any other normal captain would have done better.

I wasn't strong enough.

Luffy fell to his knees, and started to bang his head on the floor, panting and sobbing. "I couldn't… even save any of them! They were for me…. E-Even when I'm not!" Maybe the others watching could understand him, maybe they couldn't.

He only looked up when Kuma finally reached his hand down, leaving him last to die. He glared hatefully at him, but didn't fight back. Couldn't even if he tried. "We will never see him again. Farewell," and Luffy was gone, too.

The Straw Hat pirates were defeated completely... Under their captain, Monkey D. Luffy.

-x-

Luffy remembered mostly the pain of the three days and nights in the sky. Both of his arms blew up nineteen times. Unable to move to dispel them and in too much pain to try and focus them on other places to relieve the pain just a bit, they went off. Maybe the physical pain was better than the emotional turmoil that would have replaced it.

He was also extremely starved with all three fuels: food, water and blood. It was amazing that he didn't become a flying dead body. So when he landed, all of him jolted in pain, and he cried out.

He'd landed. On an island. He didn't smell anything familiar, and sat up with a deep sigh. Luffy looked down and saw the horrific shape of both arms. Could they both be fixed? He couldn't even move them, so he had to pick up his hat in his teeth by the brim. He could hear people. His shirt was gone, too. Everything of him that wasn't normal was shown. His marks, hair, eyes.

Should he really proudly be showing that stuff? He was a monster who couldn't even protect just one of his crew members. He couldn't even protect himself.

He needed blood. He followed the scent of people, and came across a large group. He was covered in blood and dirt, burns and holes. And then the mangled arms. If he just was able to take one of these women and have her blood, then he'd heal.

But he wasn't a monster. He could be a monster without being a beast. He needed blood but that didn't mean he had to kill them. He took a step before he collapsed. He was too sick and starving and thirsty and in pain. "Oh my, what's wrong with her? What happened to her?!"

"What happened to her arms? Where did she come from?!"

Did they think he was a girl? He didn't even have a shirt on. Well, whatever. He let them put him in a stretcher. "Help me… please."

"Hang on, we'll get you help!"

"Thank… you," he sighed. He didn't know or trust these women, but he wasn't going to die alone, at least. He couldn't die and leave his crew. "Wait… be careful. M-My arms can… explode. Keep me out doors." They looked shocked, and stopped outside of a village. They didn't take him inside, and instead put him down and got him treatment while he laid outside in the heat.

He didn't recognize any familiar scents. A crowd gathered around him as they tried to treat his wounds. He was washed off with water, and his simple wounds were taken care of. The scratches and gashes along his chest and face were treated. They seemed unaware of what to do with his arms. They looked impossible to heal.

"What are you doing all the way out he-?" the old woman was shocked when she saw Luffy. A very short old woman with a snake cane. They all seemed to have snake bows and arrows, and very little clothes. Sanji would love it here. He'd never want to leave.

But Luffy had to get them all together again. He desperately wanted to look at the vivre card, make sure he still had it, but his arms were unusable at the moment. "What happened here?!"

"This child came out of the forest in this state and asked for help. But she told us to keep her outside. Her arms are somehow explosive, which is what seemed to have happened to her. What do we do, Elder Nyon?" the blonde girl asked, the first to help, named Margarete.

"First of all, this is a man, not a woman. Second of all, what on earth happened to him?!" They were all hung up on the fact that Luffy was a man. "Explain, man. Before we cast you out."

He was rested enough to speak. "I was with my friends and we were attacked. Someone with a devil fruit sent us all in different directions. All because I hit a Celestial Dragon. I-It's all my fault. They're hurt cause of me." He managed to not cry along with the shame and hatred in his voice.

They were shocked he hit a Celestial Dragon. The old woman walked next to him, and leaned forward to look at his tired eyes and the markings. "Get Giselle now, please. And leave him to me." The women treating him ran off. "Boy, what is wrong with your body? How do we fix you? Is there a way? If not, we will put you out of your misery here."

"Why help me?"

"You share things with our Snake Princess. Tell me, what do you need to eat and drink?" Her face was set and angry, maybe determined. He finally admitted that he needed blood. It might be the only way for his arms to heal.

"I'm not gonna hurt anyone. Donated blood? I can't even feel my arms anymore," Luffy insisted. "Not animal blood! That will kill me."

"I know," she said. Luffy wondered what the princess was like. If she was like Vivi, then she wouldn't need any help or information from Luffy…. Wait. She shared characteristics with him? And the woman wasn't shocked that he needed blood. And wasn't horrified or disgusted at the thought. A woman came out, looking like royalty, really. A pretty head dress and looking less rugged than the other women who'd rescued him. "How much blood is left in the supply?"

The woman looked at Luffy and Nyon in disapproval. Maybe nobody knew about the princess? Was he really going to meet somebody else like him? Right after learning they could possibly exist? All he wanted was his arms back. He'd rather have his arms back than meeting anyone like him.

Without his arms, Luffy could do nothing in life. Nothing he wanted. Even trying to twitch them didn't work. They were useless and unusable. He eventually fell asleep, exhausted from the flight. He didn't know how much he actually slept. His crew should have ended up the same. Sentonmaru was being cruel when he said that. He was probably lying. Kuma saved Zoro once, and he saved Luffy. His life, not his sanity or soul. Just his life. So maybe he wasn't evil. Well, he was, but he wasn't evil evil. He hadn't been on the side of the marines, even taking out their own weapon, keeping Luffy from death.

Luffy had to trust this one thing keeping him sane. The option that his friends were all alive. They just had to be in safe places. He had to hope they were lucky. When he woke up, he was in a courtyard of a sorts. Someone came over and put a block up behind him so he sat up. "Man, what are you?" Elder Nyon said. "Answer honestly and we'll heal you."

Luffy answered honestly. "I don't know what I am. I've only ever met people of another nation like me, and sea creatures. I'm the only person I've met like myself. The arm problem came from being impaled by a red stone that left those marks and a disorder where I have strength build up in my arms or other parts of my body. If I don't let them go manually, they'll go off on their own and damage my arms."

They didn't seem like they expected all that information. He was given a cup of blood. It wasn't enough, so they gave him three more. They all watched as his wounds healed and as Luffy's arms untwisted themselves, the gashes healing over and the fingers going back to normal shape. But he was still hungry and dehydrated. Why would his arms heal from so little blood? Why couldn't it be consistent?

"Thank you!" he said. And sat up. His hat was there, and he pulled out the vivire card. It still was there! Everyone was pointing their arrows at him. He bent over to bow respectfully.

"We have to kill you now."

"What?! But you just saved me!"

"To prove a point. We had to find if your information was valid," a woman with a very high ponytail.

"But I have to find my friends! I don't even know if they're alive! I can't die here!" he said, growing confused and angry. "Where is this? I can just leave!"

"There's no way off for you. This is Amazon Lily. No man enters and no man leaves."

"You could just pretend I was a woman. Before, you guys didn't know I was a man, go back to that way!" Luffy insisted. He could tell they weren't going to let him go. They wanted to hide him from the princess and kill him secretly. He wasn't dying there. He had to see Zoro again, had to meet his crew.

Weak. Too weak.

He would think about how to fix that later. He got his hat on and immediately fled, zooming out of the courtyard and onto the roof, fleeing even as people shouted about him leaving. He ran over the wall of the large city with the bay, and went into the forest. Best to try and lose their trail. Then he came across a huge slab of blood stone inside the mountain wall.

They used it as decoration, it seemed. It smelled bad. It didn't smell like the blood stone on Sky Island. He didn't touch it, didn't get close, but heard voices coming from the sea, and many coming from the city. His stomach roared, and he needed to eat quickly. He found the nearest animal, expertly roasted it and ate it to the bone.

Luffy was full of blood and food. He was back in tip top condition. He had come from an area at one side of the city. The big building, no doubt where the princess lived, was on the opposite side. He waited for the ship to go, staying silent and completely still, tucked under a rock on the cliff top, until the princess went into her castle.

He only knew where she went based on the constant screams of her name. She was adored by her country. She must be a nice person, then, like Vivi. Once she was in the castle, he jumped on the roof. He fell, through not expecting to fall in. Was the roof that unstable? Where was this island anyways?

He ended up falling into the water on his back, and freaking out before he jerked back upright. He was still shirtless. His shorts were there, but his shirt was gone. At least his hat was still there, thank goodness.

Luffy had seen Makino naked when he was little when she let him take baths with her, but he didn't remember it. He was only five years old then. Bless her heart for accepting him even when Garp never wanted her to know. She found out when Luffy brought a sippy cup to the bar without his permission, and it had blood in it.

He'd asked for some warm blood, and it wasn't exactly easy to explain away. She ended up accepting it, yet Garp never saw other people could be that way, too. But then he remembered the baby book of him, and his apology.

Brought back to the present, the Snake Princess was naked in the bath. "A man? I knew I smelled something off!"

"You really are like me!" he said, pointing at the black marks around a tattoo that looked kind of familiar. She jerked around and said, "You saw it?!" He wondered why she was angry.

"Yeah, but-"

"Now that you've seen, you can't be allowed to live." Luffy frowned and crossed his arms.

"I finally found someone like me but she wants to kill me!" he said in irritation. She finally looked over him, eyes narrowed. "Why do you all want to kill me so bad? It's not like I came here on purpose!"

"Who are you?" she asked coldly.

He gave his name and dream. "Neh, old lady said you drank blood, right?"

"Why would she say that? I'm going to have her executed!" He heard the voices of those outside the bathhouse. He was completely unphased by the naked woman. He thought Zoro looked a lot more attractive in the bath. He missed him… he hoped he was okay. He had to hope so. If he didn't have hope, he might as well have these people just kill him here.

"She told me because I do, too. When I got here my arms were all dead. Hey, do you have a place off this island?" Luffy asked. "I have to get back to my friends."

"What's going on here, older sister?!" a very fat and muscled woman with orange hair asked. The other girl had long green hair and a long tongue. The Snake Princess said she didn't know what the situation was, but wanted to preserve the man.

"Mero mero beam!" she said. Luffy stayed still, not knowing what to expect and not feeling any danger. He just stood there, nothing happening. He put his hat back on his head and pursed his lips. Was what supposed to do something? On a second try, nothing happened. "What are you?!"

Luffy shrugged. "By the way, you know having a blood stone can be dangerous?" The women didn't know what to do. The biggest one asked if he really drank blood. "Yeah, I think they gave me some of your stash. I was really hurt and couldn't feel my arms at all."

"Why?"

"My crew got attacked and sent flying everywhere. It was all my fault… my friend got shot by a bubble head so I punched him and an admiral came after us. Anyways, I have to get back to my crew!" They were shocked.

"What do you mean, a 'bubble head'?" the princess asked, sounding funny when she said it. Luffy sourly said what he was meaning. "What's your name?"

"Don't you wanna get dressed, aren't you cold?" They seemed to only just realize she was butt naked, covering her breasts or not. Luffy wasn't much bothered, but it was kind of weird. Not that he was affected by it. They got her a robe immediately. "Get Elder Nyon right now. Man, follow me," the Snake Princess demanded. Nobody offered him a towel even though he was soaking, too.

Luffy commented on her house. It wasn't like any castle he'd seen before. "Be quiet, man. You're annoying me."

"Hmmmm," was Luffy's response. He wanted some way off this island and back to Sabaody, so he didn't want to piss her off. She already seemed pretty cranky, but at least she wasn't threatening to kill him anymore. The people here were violent. He really hadn't seen a single man. Or smelled one. They smelled distinctly different than women most times.

And we meet the first other person confirmed to be like Luffy! Poor baby, too, though his insecurities. See you next week!

Chapter Text

Just_a_normal_fan: Definitely be hyped, Impel Down and Marineford are fun arcs. At least they were for me to write. Yeah, in Wano Toei actually cares about the animation of one piece lol. 

Thee_lazzzy_reader: I think Luffy would be super cute if Zoro was jealous and either say something really stupid or super adorable and fluffy. 

Elder Nyon came hurrying in, looking baffled at Luffy's presence there. "Nyon, why did you give a man blood from my supply?" the princess demanded in a furious voice, sitting on her snake like a throne. It was a huge snake, too, not like the rest of them.

The old woman replied, "Because he claimed to need blood, and has all of the traits that you do. We've always thought you were alone with the sea kings." Maybe that's why she was called the Snake Princess. "Knowing there are humans out there. Maybe it would make you happy."

"So, you were doing it for my happiness?" the princess mocked. She flipped her hair. "I am happy as long as I get what I want." She seemed like she had an even worse attitude than Nami did. "Because I am beautiful. I don't need to know I'm not the only one like myself." She wasn't telling the truth.

"If anyone knows you're lying, it's myself and that man."

"Silence!" She turned to Luffy and demanded him to tell the truth. Where he came from. Luffy already told her. But he did again. He was sent flying by a bear man after he got in trouble with a Celestial Dragon. "I don't believe you. Who punches one of those people? You must have a death threat if you do such a thing!" Her voice was strained. "Execute him. I never want a man on my grounds again."

"But you're the only other person like me I've ever met! Why do you gotta be an enemy?! What's it like to have to hide from a kingdom? Do you go off this island?" She looked baffled. "How does everyone treat you that know?"

"You may never have this chance again, Snake Princess. To talk to somebody who understands how you feel about the matter." Snake Princess faltered, and licked her lips. Her sisters looked wary.

"Sister-sama, Elder yon is right…" the green haired sister said. The one with a long tongue and wide face. The other was surprised. Both names were Sandersonia and Marigold.

"My name is Boa Hancock. I'm a warlord. Who are you?" Luffy's jaw dropped. He just dealt with two warlords in the last week. Hopefully she wouldn't attack him or try to kill him, like Moria and Kuma. Luffy leaned forwards with a bright smile and gave his name and occupation. "Straw Hat Luffy?"

Elder Nyon said he had attacked Enies Lobby with his crew, and then caused a disaster on Sabaody. "What are you still doing here?! You've served your purpose! Shoo," Hancock said dismissively. It pissed off the old woman. But she left. Hancock turned and asked Luffy how he was treated.

"Well, my grandpa hid me away from everyone. I had my two brothers, but a Celestial Dragon killed one of them. I was supposed to stay on my island because my grandpa never wanted anybody to know about me. But I left anyway! And I made a crew that all accepts me. But I don't know where they all are. We're supposed to meet back at Sabaody by now." Luffy couldn't help it. He wanted to talk to Hancock about this.

Talking to Rayleigh was enlightening, but it wasn't talking to the one that was like him. And now Luffy knew there really were others out there like him! Hancock was wearing contacts, he saw. The marks had been hidden, and her hair was all black. She looked startled when he asked her excitedly about herself.

"I see. I'm sorry about what happened to your brother. And about how you were hidden away. Being in an isolated country has helped to keep me hidden most of the time, though of course I go out many times. I was named 'Snake Princess' partially because of this. Our founder of Amazon Lily was the same as I am."

As she spoke and saw the complete interest in Luffy's face, she opened up more, and spoke about her troubles with it. How nobody but her staff know of the fact she drinks blood. They only knew about the other traits. The blood drinking was expertly hidden. "Why don't you hide it? I would never be brave enough to be obvious about it, even though I am not a coward," she said, flipping her hair.

Luffy laughed. "I think there's something wrong with me. Shishishi, I've never felt the desire to hide! I used to wear glasses and then contacts for a short time. And my hat hides my hair. I haven't been hiding this, though," he said, looking at his arm. She was so interested, too. He felt he made a very unlikely friend! She asked what it was. "A blood stone from Sky Island impaled me, and left this mark.

"The only thing to come from it is that my arms sometimes cramp and get really strong and then blow up. It's hard to explain, but it hurts really bad if I do it wrong, and I can't get them to go away. It's really inconvenient since it only depends on random luck. I tried to save my crew with it, but one of my arms got wrecked in the process.

"When I was flying, I lost count of how many times they blew up. They were useless by the time I landed. Thank goodness for blood, right? Shishishi," Luffy said brightly. "You shouldn't touch that stone, by the way."

She flippantly said they already knew that. The blood stone, not that they called it that, caused diseases to the inhabitants if they didn't drip salt water over the whole thing daily. Interesting! They found a way to stop it from doing anything bad to them. "Wow, you all must be so smart." He added, "This place is super cool. Where is it, though? I don't hear much but on the island."

"Amazon Lily is in the Calm Belt. It's safe for us to sail with our ship both because it's drawn by two sea kings, and I frighten all the others away if I wish," Hancock said confidently.

"One time I scared a sea king into letting me ride it through a storm," Luffy said, and laughed about it being an interesting experience. She let out a real smile, her cheeks pink. She asked what his crew were like. He listed their names, and about how he and Chopper were the two monsters on the crew, while they also had a living skeleton. "I guess I'm the proper monster, they were both affected by devil fruits."

She smiled, and asked if he was okay with that. "Well, I don't like it when outsiders call me a monster. I'm bummed because my crew is supposed to go to Fishman Island, but all fishman are afraid of me, so I know it won't be fun at all. Are people scared of you, too?"

"Not because of what I am. I am quite intimidating on my own. If any man has desire for me, I can turn them to stone instantly." Luffy said that was a scary power. "It didn't work on you, though." She sounded irritated.

"Why?"

"Were you not attracted to me?"

"I guess. You're pretty, but I have somebody else."

"Oh… Nami and Robin?" she asked, surprisingly sour.

"No, it's Zoro." She blushed, but looked almost relieved that it wasn't another woman that he liked. "I love him a lot. But I miss him. We got in a fight before we got separated. I kept worrying over him because he was badly injured, and we were going to the New World. He was angry. I was so worried over him and yelled at me."

Hancock said, "I see. I'm sorry about that. Well, maybe I could help you get back to your crew. Though this conversation has been short, I have enjoyed it. And… you really hate the Celestial Dragons?"

"I hate them! I always have. Why do they get away with being the way they are? But then innocent people get screwed over by the marines?!" he said heatedly.

"I see." They both heard the old woman from behind. "What do you want?!" Hancock demanded. With their hearing, they knew she hadn't been there long, but had probably heard the last part. The women came through the curtain, and told the Snake Princess that she should tell him. "Tell him what?"

Elder Nyon said, "You know what I mean! This man has proven he is different, he has a heart and understands you more than anybody! Let go of your burden to somebody who will understand it!"

"Silence! You left the island, you have no right to tell me what to do!" She was back to being cranky, even though she had a bright face when speaking to Luffy. He hoped and had a feeling he had a new friend. Somebody like him. The timing was amazing. His crew would be amazed by the coincidence when they met up. They would.

"Who was it that took you in in the first place?! Lay your heart out and tell somebody the truth! You know you will feel so much better afterwards!" Elder Nyon shouted. "If anyone could understand how you feel, it's him."

Hancock stood and left, glaring at Elder Nyon. Luffy waited in the room, not knowing what was happening. He could hear Hancock speaking to her sisters. They weren't like she was. After all, it wasn't genetic or anything. They were going to tell him something? But they were hesitant about it. He looked at his virve card, so glad he still had it.

He felt his arms start to burn and the mark started to glow. He went back to the bathhouse and rocketed out and above the palace, shooting the burst from all of his body. It made his bones rattle, but it damaged nothing, and he landed back in the building just fine. Sandersonia came running in demanding to know what he did.

"I exploded, but I didn't hurt anything," Luffy replied. "I went into the sky to do it, don't worry!" he said with a grin. She looked so uneasy and skeptical about him, and told him to come with her. "Is it food, by any chance?" Luffy asked.

"No. it's not food. If you laugh or do anything of the sort, I will kill you personally."

"I don't really laugh at people's problems as long as they're not enemies."

"Be quiet." They sure could be grumpy here. "Come."

He waited outside of a curtain where he could smell Hancock inside. He wondered what she was doing. "You may come in, man." Luffy walked in. He asked why Hancock was naked again. "So impertinent. You said you recognized this mark, right?" she asked, turning around to show him her back covered with her hair that she moved aside to put in front of her, over her shoulder.

Luffy looked at it closer. "Well, the marks around it I see are like mine… somehow I can tell. But your other tattoo looked like my friend Hachi's mark. I don't know what that one was."

"I assumed so." She hurriedly put her robe back on, covering it and hunched over a bit. She was breathing a bit quickly, and Luffy asked if she was okay. She seemed really scared all of the sudden. "But you know of the Celestial Dragons… correct?" Luffy nodded. He'd talked about that a lot already. "I… I shouldn't be telling you this. Just because we're similar. But… I feel I can tell you. I don't know why, but I will tell you… our dark past."

Luffy didn't know what to expect, but felt they shouldn't tell him if Hancock was so bothered and upset by the prospect of just speaking about it. "You don't have to-"

"Silence. I will, even if it might be a mistake! Tell me once more. If you lie I will tell and kill you. Did you truly assault a Celestial Dragon?"

"Yeah."

Hancock's face crumbled and she put her face in her hands. Had she not believed him before? He hadn't been lying. She should have been able to tell. "To think someone exists in this world… who would lay a hand on one of them! Such a fool! A man to challenge the gods of the world! And not fear death! Like him!" She was still hiding her face. Luffy really didn't know what to expect. She hadn't acted like this before.

He saw Sandersonia and Marigold looking disturbed, too. He didn't know them much, but he felt bad for their expressions. Hancock brought his attention again and said she would tell him everything about the mark, and Hachi's tattoo. "This is… the hoof of the flying dragon. The crest of the Celestial Dragons!"

She explained in heartbreaking pain and fear, shame and hatred, that she and her sisters had been slaves, and it was not a tattoo, but a brand. It would never go away. They hid them from everybody, or they'd never be able to live on Amazon Lily ever again. She didn't just hide her back because of he black marks she shared with Luffy. It was all for the brand.

She said she could care less about the other marks compared to the brand. "I was twelve when we were taken. It was because of my beauty, and then the strange appearance. They thought I was… interesting. As I got older, it got much worse…" Sandersonia started to cry and scream about the memories.

"You don't have to tell me!"

But Hancock kept speaking. She explained the horrors they went through. Luffy wondered if that happened to all the women who were taken. The only relieving thing was that they never knew Hancock needed blood. She would feed off her sisters in secret at night. With all their usual wounds, bite marks went unnoticed.

Luffy was horrified and furious with the World Nobles even more now. How could they do this to anyone? Why were they allowed to?! They should be no more special than regular people. They didn't rule over a kingdom, they enslaved everyone they wanted with no consequences for any of their actions.

Punching that Celestial Dragon didn't sound so bad anymore. If he had been stronger, maybe they wouldn't have been separated. All of them deserved to be beaten and turn to slaves themselves to feel the pain they inflicted on so many people. It was hard to hear the pain in their voices.

When Hachi spoke of the treatment briefly, and Luffy saw how they treated that man on the street in Sabaody, he didn't think it was this bad. He was naive to think it wasn't this bad. "We wished for death that day. But one day, a man came, a fishman came and climbed the Red Line to free the slaves. He didn't discriminate, though he had no love for humans. He freed us all. He later became the captain of the Sun Pirates. Fisher Tiger.

"He saw me, and wasn't afraid at all. Even though the fishman had always been wary of me. I felt like a freak to them. Always avoided. I was a monster and was treated just the same. Everyone was treated like trash, some worse than others. I remember… They cut off limbs and fed them to their dogs. They are brutal, and horrible.

"Ever since we were freed, we've hidden our scars, trying to be perfect and composed. To never let anyone know. I'd rather everyone find out about what I am than what we've been through." Luffy shocked her by taking her hand.

"Don't let them win! You're all free! You dealt with that all and now you're a princess and your people love you!" he said firmly. "If you were what they made you think you are, less than human, then why would anybody respect or admire you?!"

Hancock burst into true tears. "The mark on your friend, he might have been a slave, too. The mark was a brand put over the one he might have had before. I don't know why I told you! B-but thank you fo-for listening," she sobbed. Instead of the strong woman that she was for being a warlord, she now looked like a terrified little girl.

How she must have been for so long. But… though Arlong did wrong, he had a good reason to hate humans. Luffy would never forgive him for what he did to Nami and her village, but he understood the hatred in a sense. Not all humans were the Celestial Dragons, though. Obviously, when humans were treated as trash and toys just as fishman were.

The sisters were more composed now that the worst of their life story was over. "But thankfully, they fed us devil fruits, where we can deceive our people and pretend we're normal, that we hadn't been through all of that. We can fool the world, but we can never fool ourselves. It will alway stay with us, no matter how much time passes.

"We are as strong as we can be, and will continue to be. They… broke us, but we've taped ourselves back together good enough for now, to live like this. Don't ever tell anybody what we told you, or we'd never be free again! We will never be taken again!" Luffy swore on his life that he'd never tell anybody any of their secrets. Not even that Hancock was like he was. "Thank you…" Hancock said quietly.

She wore a small smile, though her eyes were still a bit red from crying. Elder Nyon was smiling sadly. She said, "Ah, it has been a long time indeed that you expressed your true feelings. Recently I had begun to fear our Snake Princess turned to ice!" They got in an argument, the old woman apparently having left the country, but being the one to take them back to the homeland. Hancock looked to Luffy, who smiled and said he still thought they could be friends.

She blushed and said, "I like you! You said you needed a ride, where do you wish to go?" She had a true smile on. A bright one, different from the previous ones when they were talking before. He felt they clicked. He did have a new, unlikely friend, it seemed. And now he had a way to get back to Sabaody!

"Really?! Thank you!"

I'm too weak. I lost them all.

Be quiet.

Hancock said they would leave in the morning, so he should get some rest. He was given a serving of blood even if he didn't need it, before there was a feast that night. Hancock and her sisters didn't come, but Luffy got to see the women who took care of him, and many of the others, who didn't know why he was accepted, but trusted the Snake Princess on her decision to welcome the man.

He got to know them, and they were all fascinated by his rubber body. He had a new shirt on, which he was thankful for. Hancock offered him colored contacts, but he didn't want them. He was a monster, he should hide it, should try to act normal, but he just couldn't. He did, however, take a nice sleeve to cover the mark.

Seeing the glow was no longer necessary to feel when he was going to burst. It had happened again, and it was in front of many. He had shot himself back into the sky to do it, and everyone was amazed, thinking all men's bodies were like that. Luffy didn't correct them. He thought it was kind of funny.

But he had a delicious meal with food he'd never tried before. It turned into a party, where he actually got them to do the chopstick dance. He could forget about his problems with his crew over food, and would be seeing them soon! They had to have been to the island by now, right? He hoped they still believed in him, even after he lost all of them.

Maybe they wouldn't be there, but he'd wait for as long as he had to. Even if he just was cooped up on the ship, or staying with Rayleigh. He would wait for his crew forever if necessary.

He did get annoyed with them all stretching his body without his permission when it was getting hard to eat. "We can't help it! Everyone wants the chance to touch a real man! We might never get this opportunity again!" Then they tackled him to stretch his body. He heard Margarte call to him on the roof, and he escaped the banquet hall.

That was uncomfortable. "Thanks!" Luffy said. Margaret smiled, and said he looked a lot better with his arms normal. "Shishishi, I sure do feel a lot better. Everyone is so nice here, now." She asked how he healed, and he said it was a secret. She respected the secret, and nodded. He was thankful. It seemed nobody really knew about the Snake Princess's necessary diet.

Only the doctor lady, her sisters, and Elder Nyon. Luffy was really lucky to land here! It was unbelievable! Margaret took him to Elder Nyon's home for a break, which was much appreciated. "Old lady! Thank you so much for everything you've done."

"You're welcome. You've helped the Snake Princess, so I should thank you, too. But there's still the problem of her losing her title. I hope that expressing herself to you will spur her on to accept the warlord summons," she said holding a newspaper.

Luffy was still surprised he met another warlord so soon. Three in a row. Four out of seven when including Crocodile. There were that many, right? "A summons? What's that mean? Why would she lose her title? What is she a warlord for anyways?" Luffy asked as he ate a huge chunk of meat.

"The Kuja Pirates are a huge influence here. Having her as a warlord protects the island. Even though we're in the Calm Belt, we could still be targeted by the marines and government. So, for the protection, she holds the title of a warlord, the Pirate Empress. It protects us. But she's possibly going to lose it by refusing the warlord summons like a spoiled child." Elder Nyon wasn't happy with Hancock's choice, obviously.

He was impressed that Hancock had a bounty of 80 million. Though Robin's was nearly that much, too. But the Snake Princess was strong, Luffy could tell. "Pirate Empress" sounded quite fancy, to be honest.

He wondered why she was being summoned. "To fight in the war against Whitebeard. The marines and seven warlords will be fighting against the Whitebeard Pirates and their countless allies. The Snake Princess must take part or be stripped of her title." Luffy's jaw dropped. weren't the Whitebeards super strong?

Did that mean Ace would fight against them, too? "Whoa, whoa, what?! They're gonna go against Whitebeard? That's crazy!" Luffy said. "I never heard of that!"

"How did you not hear of that? The Whitebeards would only fight the marines over one of their own being harmed. With the execution of Fire Fist Ace, of course they'll fight to get him back. After a man named Blackbeard turned him in for warlord status."

I kind of want to do a poll of who predicts me killing Ace in the name of continuing the angst or keeping him alive because I love him as a character? Hmmm. See you next week! Only 10 chapters left until you find out that answer.

Chapter Text

Thee_Lazzzy_rreader: We shall see.

Just_a_normal_reader: Even if Ace dies or doesn't die, Marineford I think will be fun to read. And don't worry, I have about 80 chapters finished editing already so I won't take any breaks or need to. Plus, I haven't written any new content for months lol. Still waiting for stupid Wano to end so I can finish the story up. 

My guys, I might have to completely rewrite the raid on onigashima arc. 60 pages done and I am caught up to the manga at chapter 1043 at the time of posting and fuck, the way I changed the plot pretty much ruins any continuity. RIP 60 pages. But I can't believe Oda gave us a fucking cliffhanger like that and then took a week break in between! Evil man. Enjoy, we are finally at impel down.

Luffy felt his entire body go cold and numb. Ace… was going to be executed? He didn't know what to think.

"Ace, will you miss me?"

"Of course! I'll worry, too. Don't do any stupid shit, understand? You gotta be a pirate captain as good as me, and then maybe we can fight on even terms! Until then, you better get stronger like I will."

"I promise I will!"

"I'll hold you to that, lil' brother!"

"Shishishi!"

"Wait! Granny! That's my brother! Ace is my brother! Are you sure it's him?!"

"What?!" Elder nyon and Margaret said in shock. "He's your brother?!"

Lufy started to breathe quickly. "I… I didn't even know he got caught! No… No!" He pulled out the vivre card of Ace's and saw how small it was. It was his fault. If he'd acted, he could have helped! "When will he be executed!?"

"Well, the Whitebeards are strong, they could get him back possibly," Nyon said, though she looked bothered. Luffy repeated his question, more of a demand. "It's at the Marineford plaza, the marine hq, in one week's time. From today on, it would take five days."

"How long does it take to get to Sabaody?!"

"No doubt longer than a week." Elder Nyon looked sympathetic and Margeret had a hand over her mouth upon hearing Luffy's brother was going to be executed. But… Ace couldn't be executed! He was his precious brother! If he had done something to help, if he had done something sooner. It was so long ago that his vivre card started to burn. And he'd done nothing!

But how did he get defeated? He was so strong! What kind of power did Blackbeard have to defeat him!? Luffy was going to kill him and rescue Ace! He couldn't get to his crew in time. There was no way, no time at all. And though he hated the thought, they probably wouldn't all be there. And they'd all be wounded.

Luffy was only okay because of the blood. They might all be injured still. Going with them would be a death sentence for some of them, no doubt. It could be a death sentence for Luffy. He already failed his crew. He couldn't fail Ace, too. He would save him, even if it meant death.

No matter how he did it, he'd do it! Even if he somehow paddled himself to the hq, he would never let Ace die. He loved him, he was so important to him. He loved him despite having to help him find sources of blood, helping keep his existence a secret while still showing he cared deeply about him. Nobody had ever understood Luffy like Ace had, even Zoro.

Ace meant more to him than the world. In a different way from his crew. They were very important in different ways. Ace had been his foundation, what had made him who he was today. He felt he'd done the same in return, but still! Ace couldn't die! He wouldn't let him!

What could I have done differently? That question was haunting him too much lately. And now he had another reason to think that. If he lost Ace right after losing his crew, Luffy would never forgive himself. He'd hate himself for the rest of his life.

"How long would it take to get from here to Ace?!"

"He's no doubt at Impel Down, the great prison. It would take maybe four days to get there by marine vessel."

"That's barely any time! Are the marine ships faster than normal ships?" Elder Nyon nodded. They could ride that current that Kororo told them about. That was between all great marine bases. Those huge doors would only open to a marine ship. Enies Lobby, marine hq and Impel Down. He already broke in one, what was one more?! He'd done crazy shit before. But this time he'd be alone. But how would he get there in the first place?

Unless he somehow learned to fly, he'd be screwed.

"What do you want to do?" Elder Nyon asked.

Luffy looked at the tiny vivre card. "Ace has his own adventure. Me saving him would make him angry. But that's what I thought before. I… I want to save him. Even if I lose myself in the process, I won't let my last brother die! I won't let it happen! Even if he doesn't want it, I'm not letting him die! Granny, how do I get to Impel Down from here?!"

Luffy pictured his friends, his nakama. As if they were smiling, beckoning him to come back to them, resume their adventure. But he had to save Ace. Even if he died. He loved them, he loved Zoro so much, but this was something he must do. If he did nothing, Luffy would never forgive himself. Even if Ace ended up saved by Whitebeard, knowing he didn't try at all would eat at him for the rest of his life.

"I'm sorry guys. I'm going on a detour! Granny, help me get there!" he said firmly.

"You are aware, I hope, of just how reckless and endeavor like this would be… just what kind of scale this war will be? You would be leaping into a strome as if you were an ant. You may be useless and die on the spot!"

"I'll be whatever monster I have to be to save him! I can't do nothing when I should have already done something!" Luffy would do anything to save him, even if he completely lost himself in the process. Last time he fought a truly powerful opponent, he had seastone and had prevailed easily. Even if he had to cheat to do it, he didn't care. He'd throw away his pride and rely on an outside source if he must.

He would do anything to save him. He already failed his crew. He wouldn't let that happen again.

"You must get to him before he's taken to headquarters or you'll never save him. Do you know the kind of place Impel Down is?!"

"A very bad place. But I don't care what I'll see or go through if I can get to him. Please, how do I get there?" Luffy begged.

"You can't do this by brute force, you need a plan. There is no hope for you unless you get on a marine vessel. The Snake Princess is being waited on by a marine ship. If she answers the summons, she may be able to sneak you aboard. But it's a long shot, truly. I don't know if she'd help you, even if she truly appreciates how you treated her."

Margaret hadn't been there, so she was out of the loop completely. He would ask Hancock right away. Even if it seemed rude, he'd do anything to get there. They ran there, Luffy carrying the old woman on his back or she'd take forever. When they got there, a woman came out and said Hancock had collapsed with an illness!

"What?! At a time like this?!" Luffy lamented. She told him to wait outside. "But I'm in a hurry!" he said, panicking now. This was the only option. If Hancock was sick, he was screwed, and Ace was screwed. Luffy's heart would be broken. Why couldn't they just give her blood to cure her? But if she was sick like Luffy had been, unable to ingest blood to heal him, then she definitely couldn't take him to Impel Down.

She came out quickly, looking like she had a fever, but asked what he needed. He explained the situation frantically, and his huge request. He wasn't asking to be taken somewhere simply, but she'd be risking her life for him to save Ace. He had little hope, but that hope was all he could hang onto. Every other option was darkness.

It kind of felt like the hope was a little lamp he was carrying in a pitch black space. The panic he'd had at Sabaody even before everything went down, it had to be due to him somehow knowing about Ace. There was no other explanation he could come up with.

I should have done something different. What could I have done better?

Hancock was surprised by the fact Ace was his brother more than his request. "You wish for me to answer to the warlord's summons?" she asked in a flat voice. Sandersonia and Marigold were in the window, yelling at him angrily for using her kindness and vulnerability for his own gain. He didn't like being accused of that because it wasn't his intention, but it could come across that way. He didn't respond to them, only focusing on Hancock, his only hope.

"Please, you're my only hope in this, I don't know what to do about it, I have to save him!" Luffy pleaded.

"If that is your request, I would take you anywhere!" Hancock said, her expression bright. How it had been before, when their disturbing and heavy talk was over. Luffy's face lit up, and he felt that lantern glow just a bit brighter. Now he had a chance. Hancock would be his ally in this. Maybe his only one.

Her family and the old woman were shocked. Incredibly shocked. "What on earth is going on here, Elder Nyon?!" they exclaimed.

"Her sickness is love sickness! Yes! It was love that killed her predecessors! It's just as they say in the east! Love is always a hurricane!" Hancock had a crush on him? That was weird! Luffy had said he loved Zoro. Well, one sided love… you couldn't help that, right? He could respect Hancock's feelings, even if he didn't return them. She knew that.

"Thank you so much!" he said.

He slept in Elder Nyon's house, and then got up early in the morning. He was given a large helping of blood, since they wouldn't get to bring any on the ship. That would weaken Luffy, but when he got to Impel Down, he would secretly find somebody and feed off them. Even if it might be wrong, again, he was throwing out all pride and decency. No matter if everyone finds out he's some blood drinking monster…

He didn't give a shit.

Never had he felt more determined, not even to save Robin. Not even to save Nami. Not even to just do anything else. Not even more determined to be the Pirate King, which he never thought was possible. He was shocked but also not at all surprised by this. Ace was part of what helped him form that dream, solidify it, after all.

Luffy said goodbye to the women who saved him, thankful for their help in getting him treatment, and bowed to Elder Nyon for her help that could never be repaid. Just like the help from Hancock could never be repaid. Even if it failed, she was still risking her life for him. He was so happy to have an ally in this.

They got onto the ship by going onto the sea serpents. "They aren't scared of me?"

"They are used to my presence. They won't fear you or myself." She smiled lightly, and it seemed she rarely did that around her subjects, as they were shocked by it. He said goodbye to all the women, some who were still complaining about not being able to touch his rubbery body, and promised to visit them again some day with his nakama.

"I'd like to meet this 'Zoro'," Hancock said in a weird voice.

"I'm sure he'd think you're really interesting!" Luffy said cheerily. Hancock kind of didn't look happy about this. "And Nami would think you're really pretty, probably. She likes fancy clothes and jewelry. Robin would be interested, too. And all the other guys would probably annoy you."

"And you feel nothing for the women of your crew?"

"They're my nakama! I love them all," Luffy said. Hancock turned away, and muttered that Luffy thought she was pretty.

On their way there, Hancock drilled into Luffy's mind that he must be careful. He couldn't get caught or he'd live in hell for the rest of his days. This didn't deter Luffy from his one man mission. Hancock would get him inside but help no more, which he was just fine with. But he was going to be careful. He would be completely sneaky for the first time in his life, using his senses to his advantage.

Hancock didn't know what exactly went on in the great prison, but told him to be prepared for anything. Luffy nodded. When they got onto the marine ship, Luffy was pressed to Hancock's back and butt, holding on tightly. Her cape concealed him. She was strong and it was lucky she was very tall.

He couldn't see anything, but he heard a man affirm they could go to the great prison, it had been approved. It was only the current circumstances that allowed her to go there. Normally pirates, not even warlords, would ever be allowed. It was so lucky.

Ace, I'm coming!

She turned around to face the Kuja ship, and said goodbye. They all shouted goodbye and to be careful. "I leave the country in your hands," she said. Sandersonia and Marigold agreed confidently. Hancock had petrified everyone on the ship, and undid her devil fruit power. It was suddenly full of the smells of humans. They really had been turned to stone.

If Luffy had found her attractive like them, he could be stone right now. He thought she was pretty for a girl, but it wasn't the same as being attracted to her. Zoro was the only one that made Luffy drool at seeing naked. He had trouble not giggling at the thought and completely blowing his cover.

He got in easily, and Hancock was given her own room, of course, being the only woman, a guest and a scary pirate warlord. Luffy climbed out from under her once the door was firmly locked. "Heh! That was suffocating," Luffy said. "Neehee, but we're here. Neh, are you gonna be okay? Without blood?"

"I'm in the same position as you. But will you be able to control your arms?" she asked in concern, sitting far from him near the door, not even looking at him. Luffy said head to be. There was no other option. "I see…" Hancock said shyly.

"You're really awesome to let me come with you! Now I can get to Ace before he's e-executed," Luffy's tone fell near the end. Then he brightened. "Well, as long as I get there, I'll pull it off somehow." Hancock asked what his plan was. "Well… try and be sneaky and get him out that way. Once he's free, we can both break out easy.

"Have you ever worn seastone?" Luffy asked slowly. She nodded. "Did anything weird happen?"

She said it just made her weakened. "Why do you ask?"

"Seastone just messes me up. It takes away my devil fruit powers, but I'm like… rabid. I can't control myself. I brutally killed a government guy with my hands cuffed alone," Luffy said lightly. "I don't know why it does that to me," he added. "I'm going to get a pair though. Somewhere in Impel Down, I'm going to find one. I don't care if I cheat and use it in desperation. I'm getting Ace out no matter what I have to do."

Food was coming, both hearing the rolling cart and smelling the plethora of food. When it came in, Hancock quickly locked the door behind her. Luffy devoured it. Might not be blood, but meat still helped him get lots of energy. It was delicious! Good food was the best, though it didn't have the flare that Sanji's meals had.

He missed them all. He'd do better next time. He had to.

After he was done, he was stuffed. "Ahh! That was so good! Neehee!" Luffy said loudly. Too loudly, and there was a banging on the door, demanding to know if Hancock had someone else in there. Luffy hid behind the door and Hancock rolled the cart of empty dishes out. She made a fake burp and said, "Ahh! That was so good. Heehee." She made the last part the cutest for the men, and it got them to shut up, even though they were in shock that she supposedly burped, and did a nice imitation.

"Luffy, you must be more quiet," she said.

"Sorry, sorry," Luffy replied with a laugh. "Thanks for covering for me, Hancock." She turned red and put her hands to her cheeks, turning away.

Later, the first wave of need to explode came. Maybe "release" was better to call it. Or relieve pressure. He sat on the bed, eyes closed as he tried to imagine putting the pressure all over his body in an even layer. It took a lot of concentration, and Hancock left him alone for it. She'd seen the blast on her ship, him going up high in the sky again.

His hair and clothes ended up moving a little bit under the mystery power. Like it was flowing around him. He would store this pressure for the next four days. If necessary, even longer. The moment he let the blast out, then he was screwed. He would only use it at the right moment. If he ejected it from all his body, he should last longer than if he let it out from one area.

Meditating was boring, but he had to focus on this. He got thirsty on the third day, and was so cooped up it was uncomfortable. Hancock had to go longer, but she could go much longer than he could without blood. Based mostly on her age. She was over ten years older than Luffy. Had more experience in desperation to hold out back when she was a slave.

When he slept, he had dreams about his crew. Luckily, no nightmares, which was surprising. Hancock watched him most of the time. She was very patient and nice. He didn't want to share the bed, Luffy sleeping on the couch even though she offered him the bed. She was already doing enough for him.

He barely slept the night before they'd arrive. He was worried, and his heart wouldn't stop pounding. He was thirsty, the first thing he needed to do was find blood. When they came into view of it, the thing was huge! And it reached the sea floor. There were dozens of marine battleships there.

"Ace is in there? There's more marine ships here than a buster call!"

How am I going to find him in there?

Shut up, you have to.

Ever since losing his crew, a little person who liked to hurl doubts at him had taken up a space in his mind. He couldn't get it to go away, and it was annoying. "Well, this is the most secure place in the world. They have to protect it to keep that name. He's probably deep under water here. Now quickly, hide in my robe," she said. He took a deep breath. "I believe in you," Hancock said firmly.

Luffy thanked her. He needed to hear that. He definitely wanted Hancock to meet his crew! The captain crawled under her robe again, clinging to her butt and legs. When they got out on deck, Luffy was trying not to tremble. Ace… He wasn't this nervous before going to Enies Lobby, but he also had had his crew with him.

Maybe it was better to only have him here. Easier to break in and then out. But he wanted their support. He was all alone. Knowing they were there for him at the end, once he defeated the bad guy, had been a constant help that he never noticed until he didn't have it.

There was quite a lot of noise outside from all the marines on the other ships around. They all fawned over Hancock, who was annoyed by it. "How noisy. May I petrify them?" she asked coldly."

"Please refrain," Vice admiral Momonga said. He put up with a lot from Hancock since the beginning, when she petrified all of his men and left him hanging. "Your condition is still to see the central character, Portgas D. Ace, correct?" She must have nodded, but he couldn't see. "As I said, warlords are not allowed here, but for this exception, you must wear seastone handcuffs and have a full body check. You will not pull any stunts, understand?"

"I'm not a fool. If you think I am, I shall petrify you, too."

"Good, you understand," the vice admiral said.

"Luffy, they're going to do a full body check," she warned, speaking so low only he could hear it. He replied just as quietly that he'd deal with it. Even though she was part of this very risky task as well. She was very confident, though, that she could get him inside. Just not out.

"Let us go in already," she said shortly, and she followed the man to the huge doors that opened. "Here we go, Luffy," she hissed, and they walked inside. Instantly, he smelled blood, thick and disgusting. He heard so many screams of pain and hopelessness. It sent shivers down his spine.

There were also the sounds of beasts and animals. Hopefully they'd leave him alone here. It seemed the vice admiral had never been here before, as he disliked the aura of the place already. It really was hell. Well, Luffy wasn't any less determined. Especially when he smelled Ace in the entrance. He had come here, for sure. He already knew it, but now he had concrete proof for himself.

But the place was so thick with the smell of blood and shit that he couldn't hope to find Ace by his scent. He still had the tiny piece of paper of the vivre card, though. Maybe he could find his voice, too. He would find him, even if he had to tear the place apart. I will triumph here. He thought that constantly so he actually believed it now.

A new person came. "Welcome to my Impel Down!" an annoying voice said. "My mistake, I was being too ambitious to say 'my'!" What an irritating person this seemed to be already. "I am still vice-warden, Hannibal! Nice to meet you. I've heard this is the 'empress' Hancock-dono? My… empress Hancock-dono! Sorry, I'm being too ambitious again!"

He said the warden Magellan was in level four, good information to know. A woman named Domino was introduced, going to be the one to do the full body check. It was explained on their way by Domino that the prisoners were boiled alive when they first entered. The most recent additions, Ace, Jinbei and Crocodile barely flinched.

So, he was there? Luffy was glad he wasn't dead, that he didn't drink him dry. He barely remembered that time. His eyes bleeding… Robin had a strong stomach to not be haunted by that image. Must have been horrifying. He'd sure learned his lesson about animal blood.

Once they were in the private room, Luffy wasn't sure what to do. Hancock was silent. Apparently there were camera den dens everywhere in the prison. To be expected. Luckily they had a certain smell. Maybe he could find his way through by avoiding them.

"Please, take off your robe so we can finish this quickly." Hancock also needed seastone cuffs.

"Please, be gentle," Hancock said in a sweet voice, and then the smell of a person immediately disappeared into stone. "You can come out now, Luffy." He let out a sigh. He thought he'd have to make a break for it at the beginning! "It looks like I can't help any further. I had hoped to be of more help, but I won't be able to use my abilities from now on," she apologized sincerely.

"What are you talking about?! I would never have been able to come here without your help! Even if battleships surround this place, this is enough," he said brightly.

Hancock frowned and once again pleaded for him to be careful and stay out of trouble. "If you're caught, you're doomed. You're strong, but promise me you won't be rash," she said in desperation, really worried about him.

"Okay! I promise I'll be careful! I'll try to repay you someday! I'll never forget this! Thank you so much, Hancock!" he said, holding her hand. Her face went bright red and she nodded frantically. Luffy climbed the rafters and the body check went fine, and now she was locked in seastone cuffs.

It was so lucky she didn't react how Luffy did or it would all be over. She wasn't like Roger, she had a devil fruit. And Luffy had reacted to seastone that way long before he touched the blood stone. Back in Alabasta, the seastone cage had caused that problem. It had always been there, it seemed. It was something only having to do with Luffy. Well, so far.

He hung to the ceiling as Hancock got in the lift, going down to the floor with Ace. Luffy gave her a grin and a thumbs up, hanging upside down. She smiled and swayed, but caught herself when the others asked if she was alright. "I'm fine," she said coldly. The lift lowered, and Luffy's major task began.

Chapter Text

Just_a_normal_fan: I've shocked multiple people by not doing anything about the training arc. I just wasn't interested in writing it. And there will def be a reunion since this story stretches to Wano. (Stupid Oda giving a massive cliffhanger and taking two weeks off!) I'm having a very relaxing time with this semester. Well, as relaxing as it can be with covid around. Mask mandates were removed on my campus. 

sulongmirko: As they should be.

First, to find a source of blood. Ace was supposed to be at the bottom. He didn't know how deep, but as long as he headed down, it was the right way. But he couldn't start looking for Ace until he was strong again. He followed the sounds of prisoners, the closest of them. There was a whole hall of them. Without any questions asked before he shot a hand into the cage gap and yanked an arm out, biting down.

They were already very loud, so more shouting was nothing. He drank enough to function in tip top shape, wiped and his mouth, took out the tiny vivre card and followed it. He took his shoes off, sticking them in his waistband before looking for any source of seastone. He smelled it in multiple places, but didn't find any up for grabs.

He had a time limit. If he couldn't find it quickly, he couldn't spend the time searching for it directly. Prisoners asked who he was, but he ignored them.

He came across a big door, but it was a dead end. He had to be more careful. He should be able to smell fresh areas of air, but the place was so permeated with blood, sweat and shit it was hard to make anything out that wasn't near.

Hearing voices talking about a prisoner outbreak, he got up against the ceiling. His rubber powers sure were helpful. Seastone was the very last resort, as he'd lose his power to stretch and bullets could get him that way. Well, Luffy planned on not needing it, but that didn't mean he wouldn't consider it as a last ditch effort.

At least the door opened for him and he swooped in by the ceiling, following his brother's vivre card. He heard a very nearby scream, but didn't pay attention to it much. He passed more prisoners, and they whisper-shouted. "Hey, kid! How'd you get out!?"

"I came in from the outside," Luffy said.

"No way, you're lying!" another said. They were really packed inside these cages, weren't they? How stuffy and smelly. "Are you a jailer? How'd you get out? Hey, unlock us, too!" Luffy ignored their words and asked if they knew where Ace was. "Ace? Fire Fist Ace?"

Luffy nodded, "I want to save him." They laughed at his effort.

"But, if you are looking for him, he gotta be on level five. That's where they keep the guys with bounties over 100 million," a helpful prisoner on the other side of the hall said. "But instead of that, can't you go to the jailer's room and let us out?"

"That's right, nii-chan, let us out! Yeah, we'll help you!" Luffy didn't believe it.

"Hmm, level five?" Luffy asked. Was that the deepest part? That was the bottom of the prison. Only five levels? Maybe that could be quick. They kept begging him for him to let them all out. Then they all heard a ruckus, Luffy hearing it first. He got on the ceiling, pressed flat to it as a familiar voice passed below, screaming as huge monsters followed him.

But even with them not seeing Luffy, they stopped and skidded to a halt. They were not human, they were afraid of Luffy. Luffy dropped down, taking this chance to get away from them before they caused a commotion. He found himself running next to the familiar face. And scent. The smell of lipstick mostly. Buggy was running next to him.

"Haha, the blugori are too scared of me! Ah, Straw Hat?! What are you doing here? Ah, did you come to save me?!"

"Shut up! Of course not, I came in here myself! I'm supposed to be sneaky and you ruined it! And it's me the monsters are afraid of," Luffy said. He followed the vivre card down another hall and then staircases. There were some more monsters coming for Buggy in front of them, Luffy could hear them.

When they came into sight or smell of Luffy, they ran the other way. "Hell yeah, I'm sticking with you!" Buggy said. Luffy wanted him to go away.

"Then you're coming with me to the bottom! I'm finding Ace!"

"Ehhh?! So touching! But no way am I going that deep!" Luffy hoped he'd go away, then. More blue guys came, and Luffy yelled at them to go make noise somewhere else. They fled, making whimpering noises. This sure was useful. For once, he was truly glad animals didn't like him! Buggy demanded to know what was so scary about him.

"My eyes," Luffy said simply.

"They're just red, that's not scary at all! Ahaha! I have the greatest bodyguard ever!" Buggy boasted. Luffy asked if they were the strongest force. Buggy said there were much stronger creatures than them. Hopefully they'd be afraid of Luffy, too. Luffy asked what they were. The blue things.

Apparently they were strong martial artists. "Are they human?"

"No way, fool! But that's lucky for us! Dahahaha!" Buggy cheered. He was going to use Luffy as protection, but that only meant he was going deeper and lower into the prison. He wanted to find Ace and save him. "Ace?"

"You know him?"

"Yeah, we were drinking buddies once. He's way better than you! Manners are a lot better! I was bummed when he got caught. To think they're layin' a hand on one of Whitebeard's guys! Fools. Listen! You should just give up on saving him, the Whitebeards'll do it for you." Luffy said he was saving Ace no matter what happened to him. "Ah, so touching!"

"I'm going to level five. What are you doing?"

"I'm breaking out!"

"Even though there are a ton of warships outside?" Buggy didn't know this information before, and went pale. Then he focused his gaze on Luffy's arm, eyes widening. Luffy assumed it was the tattoo, as the cover had slipped slightly. The energy was stored more inside him. It was a bit tiring, having to focus on not bursting every second, but he was able to do it just because he must.

Luffy started to run away. "Wait, Straw Hat!"

Luffy told him to shut up, but they were found already. "There they are!"

"You asshole! Stop following me, you're ruining everything!" Luffy snapped angrily. Buggy ruined it already and they were only on level one! Why'd he have to run into him here? He was so irritated, truly.

"Give me that armband!" Buggy shouted, attracting more attention. He refused, as Nami had given it to him and it looked cool. "I know where level five is! I can lead you there if you give it to me!" Luffy didn't care if he was lying, he didn't care about the armband.

"Deal!" Buggy wanted his protection. Maybe he thought he could tag along with Luffy when he broke out, too. Well, as long as he led them to level five, then he could come along. Making a ruckus was better than not finding Ace, even if he went quietly. He had to make a compromise.

Buggy told him to grab onto his feet, which he separated from his body with his devil fruit. Luffy grabbed them and Buggy flew above him, leading him to the entrance of level two. "I want level five!" Buggy said you had to go through levels 1 through 4 to get to 5. It was layered all the way to the bottom. One level at a time, it seemed.

"Some say there's a level below level five, but I don't know that for sure! That's where Ace would be! He's a strong guy, though he somehow lost?"

Luffy snapped that Ace was stronger than anyone. "Then how'd he lose?"

"I… I don't know. But he won't be beaten again! The guy who did it was named Blackbeard!" Apparently Buggy knew the name, knew it was who Ace had been searching for after they met and were drinking buddies. How could someone as charismatic as Ace end up here? Only bad people should be here, like Crocodile!

But it was run by the government, so they threw fairness out the window. Though Ace was a criminal. He just didn't want to believe he was here. Even though he was counting on it. "Anyways, I can lead you to level four!" buggy bragged, but then covered his mouth. He wasn't lying, but Luffy should stop focusing on that. It didn't matter if he was lying, Luffy would make it there.

More pressure built, but he forced it down. "Hey, you turned into a nice guy, now!"

"No way! I just want that arm band you have that can lead me to a huge stash of treasure!" Buggy looked regretful that he said that, but Luffy was unbothered. Give and you get, right? Luffy asked if he was there because he was weak. "Shut up! Don't say that!"

Luffy wondered if it really led to a big treasure. He had no idea! "Damn it, you heard it! I have no choice but to take it by force!" Buggy shouted,and took out the axe he'd stolen from one of the scared monsters. He didn't hear anymore coming from behind them, but did hear shouts at what they were doing. Still cowering it seemed.

The teen just held out the armband. "Here you go! I want to save Ace over some treasure," Luffy said with a genuine smile. He had some hope. Buggy pointed out he could just take the arm band and run with it. "Yeah, but I want to trust what you said to me!" Luffy replied. "I'll do anything to get to Ace!"

Buggy ran into a wall, and Luffy said, "That way? Right!" he couldn't hear anything especially dangerous through that wall, but he did luck out and smell seastone. It was actually a guard's room that he broke into. Buggy was freaking out, but Luffy snatched a seastone cuff and shoved it into his pocket. It made his pants heavier, but it was worth it. Since his skin wasn't touching it, he was fine.

Better to have this just in case it was needed later. But, he burst right through the other wall, no easy exit in that room. "Stop, Straw Hat!" Buggy begged as they were soon falling over a huge red forest! But they weren't trees, but spikes. The leaves on them were razor sharp, and the red color of them was all blood.

That was easy to tell as the room smelled of old blood. It was repulsive. "Don't touch the blades! They're not just sharp, they're crawling with poisonous spiders! They and the guards chase around the prisoners, slicing them from all directions!" Buggy explained. Luffy screamed that they were going to fall and get skewered.

The prisoners begged for help, for death. It was horrible, but he didn't let any sympathy or pity bloom in his chest. He needed to focus on one thing. Getting through here, down to level two, level three, level four and level five. He had five goals that were realistic. That would do. Buggy proudly said he couldn't be sliced, and Luffy landed on his back. "Just be quiet and throw my feet down!" Luffy did so, and buggy flew above the blades of red, crusty and wet with new and old blood. "Kyahahaha! If my feet are on the ground, I'm laughing!"

At least he wasn't freaking out about the danger anymore. At least not right now. This was level 1: crimson hell. He hoped Ace didn't go through this. If he did, Luffy didn't think it was recent as he didn't smell his blood, even as they were so close to the ground. Flying past everyone. Maybe running into Buggy was lucky! Even though he was a moron.

"We're going down a floor, but we don't need stairs! There's an escape route, it goes to level two! To escape the crimson hell, you gotta go to the next hell! Even though nobody uses it!" Buggy stopped at the precipice of a huge, pitch black hole. It was very deep, but the scent coming from it wasn't blood, so that was an improvement.

He said a lot of people wanted to escape this level, but nobody was supid enough to go in. So it was unused and useless. "Good! Then we can just fly down there! Hup!" Luffy called, jumping. "It's deep! I wonder what's at the bottom!?"

He heard Buggy scream, so he ended up going down, too. Luffy heard the echoes of roars, the sounds of beasts bigger than the blugori thingies. Luffy landed with a bounce, Buggy landing on top of him. They both hopped up at the sounds of beasts. Looking ahead, Luffy smelled and heard something coming towards them, something huge.

"Run, Straw Hat!" buggy screeched. Luffy stood his ground, and glared at the creature when it came close. It froze, and started to sweat. Luffy took one step towards it and it fled, making quite the ruckass. "You are terrifying! What's wrong with you?!"

Luffy just said, "We're lucky! Let's keep going!" There were shouts from the prisoners on each side, begging to be let out.

"Good job scaring them away! Hey, why don't you guys let us out?! They keys are over there! Right there! C'mon, please!" the prisoners shouted, again all shoved into small cages, so crowded they barely could stand up together. This place was horrible on so many levels. Literally and figuratively. Buggy then let out the prisoners, all of them flooding from the nearest cells. Lufy dragged him along. "Take me to level three already! You said you would take me to level four!"

"Idiot! I don't know the layout of the whole place! I just wanted the arm band! I'm gonna cause a huge prison riot and escape during that!"

"Then have fun with the monsters on your way out!" Luffy said angrily. More beasts surrounded them and the prisoners voluntarily went back into the cages. "You liar!"

When Buggy realized the prison riot wouldn't work, and that the beasts were coming in hoards, with the safest path being accompanying Luffy, he agreed to take the Supernova to the next floor. "You just said you didn't know how to get down!" Luffy shouted. "You stupid big nose!" He was getting annoyed.

He couldn't smell Ace anymore. He probably took the lift, then. So, Luffy would have to listen to anywhere that was an obvious exit, which would be hard. He wished he had a map. Buggy clearly didn't know the way.

"If you're having trouble getting through this floor, why don't I help you?" a familiar vice said. He was easy to recognize by scent much more than voice. A guy he nearly one shotted on Little Garden!

"What's with that guy?!" Buggy asked.

The guy laughed. "Fufufu! Long time no see, Straw Hat! But I'm free and it looks like I have you to thank! I am a man who repays his debts! I'll help you out!"

"Three!" Luffy said. "You're the guy back from the giant island!"

"It's mister three!" Three said in irritation. "I'll help you out!"

"Kyahahaha! We'll take it!" A few moments later, and they were being chased by lions with human faces, saying stupid things. "Straw Hat you liar! You said animals were afraid of you!" Luffy shouted back these gys were too stupid to realize the danger.

"Probably!"

"You're not scary at all!" Three shouted as they battled the beasts that just kept coming, saying random things that had no reason to be said in a prison. Buggy said he scared the blugori away. "What?! That was a coincidence!"

"No, it's not! Gahhh, just when I want animals to be afraid of me!" Luffy shouted in irritation. "Stupid lions, go away!" Luffy complained. They were just complicating things. When he heard Luffy wanted to go down and not up, Three ditched. "Wait! Tell me how to get to the stairs to level three!" Luffy called.

The candle man stopped, thinking something, and then suddenly reversed his decision to help him out. Only they ran into a dead end. He was useless, too! But they turned around and saw a huge lion with a big face, this one with feathers on. It was massive! It looked down at Luffy with that stupid face. This one was too stupid, too!

"Why isn't it scared a'ya?!"

"Just look at it, it's stupid!" Luffy replied. The sphinx, as Three called it, slammed its paw down, nearly getting them and breaking apart the floor beneath them.

"Gah! This thing is dangerous! Straw Hat, scare it away like you did before!" Luffy snarled at it, but it swatted at him. For once, Luffy was kind of embarrassed for not being intimidating. It was a weird feeling! It kept swatting, and Buggy and Three were planning something as Luffy tried to stop the sphinx that was screaming different types of ramen in Luffy's ears.

He punched its head from above. "Shut up, ya dumb beast!" Luffy said angrily. It had a huge bump on its head, but wasn't down. How was this guy stronger than oars, Luffy's zombie had been? But it wasn't a great enough threat to release the pressure he was continuing to keep inside. Not yet. It wasn't time at all, not nearly this early could he go out.

When it got angrier at the hit, Luffy had his hands tangled into its mane as Buggy flew out of the way. It seemed his devil fruit could be quite useful when it had seemed so lame before. Well, desperation fueled progression sometimes.

"Not fair! Why do you guys get to get outta the way!" Three complained. But then he made wax figures of himself. Luffy could tell which ones were fake completely, but the beast really was an idiot, and swatted at the wrong ones. "Haha! Dumb beast! You fell for my trick!" Luffy was hanging onto its mane still as it whacked at the wax statues.

"Ha, that looks fun! Like whack-a-mole! I told you it was stupid," Luffy called to Buggy, who was floating at the corner of the ceiling, his feet hidden around the corner. But the sphynx seemed to be having fun, too. What a strange situation. Three, also, seemed entertained by mocking the beast. But Luffy heard a deeper crumbling.

Perfect! An easy way to level three! He hung onto the mane tightly as the ground gave way and they fell to the next level. Buggy and Three got caught up in it, too, screaming as they fell deep, deep into level three.

"Ahhh!"

"Not good!"

"Noooo! Not level three!"

But there was no stopping falling. None could actually fly. Buggy would have to leave his feet below to fly, but now he couldn't fly out of the level as his feet were now plummeted towards the surface of the next level.

Instantly, Luffy was sweating heavily. "The hell?! It's so hot!" He smelled cooked meat and was happy to see a roasted bird. "Food! Haha!" He ate the free food, and looked around. He could see the mirage of heat coming from the ground. He put his sandals back on, finally. The other two weren't happy at all with being dragged down with him. On level three, there was no reason for him to be any more help without monsters.

Three was melting, being a candle man and all. But all three were soaked in sweat. The former Baroque Works number agent explained that the heat came from the level below being so hot it went up through the ceiling and into the level above. The next level was hotter?! How?

"All these people dead in their cells, these guys were all once notorious criminals with a bounty over 50 million! Now they're just husks from the heat."

"Damn you, Straw Hat!" Buggy screeched. These people never got food and water. They died of dehydration and heat stroke, even in the shade of their own cells. How was it any form of torture when they just die? But despite them not moving or making any sort of show they were alive, he heard shallow breathing. They were alive. So sick and dehydrated that they were unable to pant. They were on the edge of death.

Level three was starvation hell. "If we don't get outta here, we'll end up like these guys," Three said. Luffy told them to get out of that area. There was a net beneath them! Of seastone! The moment they jumped out of the way the net raised. Luffy wouldn't expose his unique reaction to seastone yet. He didn't want to lose control yet. They had to move on. For Luffy, it was how to get to the level below, and for the other two escapees, they wanted back up. They had no hope of escaping with all the marine ships, though.

Luffy couldn't hear Ace or Hancock yet. Not close enough. Ace had also not been to this level, there was no scent of him. At least he wasn't starving and dehydrated. But the levels below had to have worse treatment. I'll be there soon, Ace! Wait for me!

They were surrounded by people, and blugori. The blugori were shaking. Really, what were they? Were they really gorillas? A little guy came out. "You're fast. How did you know it was there?" Luffy didn't answer. He didn't want them knowing about his senses because maybe they'd try to target them. He stayed silent.

"Very well, don't answer. You're lucky to be caught by me. There was never anywhere you could run. Come quietly. You're better off here than facing the demon guards below." The sphynx was thrashing around, and roared as it broke the net, making everyone scramble to get away from the angry and defensive dumb creature. Still yelling ramen.

"Time to run!" Luffy said.

"Blugori, stop them!" They cowered.

"Blugori, attack your people or I'll eat you!" It worked! These ones were smart. "Run, get to level four!" Luffy shouted. He looked up to see Buggy and Three had made it up the net. Crazy guys they were. They were ditching Luffy, laughing about it. "Well, okay! Thanks for helping me this far!" He ran off, followed by jailers.

The blugori were following his orders. Too scared of him in the now to think of what would happen to them once he was gone from there; once they were offed for their traitorous actions. They were animals, and were smart to know Luffy could rip them to shreds if he lost control. More pressure built in him, but he pressed it down. Not yet.

"After him!" Saedeth called as he attempted to round up the blugori that stopped their attacks and fled the scene. Luffy was still sweating as he used a gomu gomu gatling at them all, and sprinted away and out of sight, avoiding the den den cameras by smelling and hearing their little "gyuuu" noises.

He climbed onto a cage, and then hid below a ledge to catch his breath. The floor was crawling with guards, though many were injured from the blugori's desperate betrayal. He was unseen and he could hear everyone getting frantic about him and the danger he posed, being able to manipulate the blugori.

They knew his power was a rubber fruit, but they didn't know about anything else, or why the creatures would side with him. Or at least, be so afraid of him. It had been just a hope that they'd listen to him, as they could take orders. He was just lucky they did what he said, truly lucky.

He was starting to get really hot and thirsty for water. There were guards everywhere, and the sphinx was mad at him, probably for being the reason he was in this hot place. Well, maybe he was giving the dumb shit too much credit. He saw den den cameras everywhere, heard guards setting traps up.

They were all seastone. He still had the cuffs in his pockets. He already exposed his strange relationships with animals. He couldn't do the same for his enhanced senses and the seastone issue. He wanted to seem as normal as possible. Still hiding his arm mark. Who knows if it was glowing? He knew the inevitable blast from his body would be devastating to anything around.

He felt like a ticking time bomb. He would go off eventually, when the time was either when he wanted, or in the worst situation. It was always that way with him. Things either went his way or the complete opposite. This felt like the opposite. He had no more allies, Buggy and Three had left. Right now, the young captain was the main target, the more threatening one.

The sphinx found where he was, and Luffy spirited away, no longer even bothering to look at the vivre card. He was just trying to stay alive. The sphinx caught him under his paw, slapping him into the wall with a crash. Guards gathered around the exhausted teen.

Then he heard Zoro's voice. But he was horrified he was there! Until he smelled him. Definitely not Zoro's smell. "Who is it?!"

The Zoro imposter kicked the sphinx away in the face, throwing it off. He then went after all the guards, freeing Luffy from the paw and danger. "Long time no see, Straw-chan!" Bon Clay! Luffy hugged him, old friends reuniting.

"Bon-chan! Man, I thought you died for us back there!" Luffy cheered. He had saved them and let them escape in Alabasta! He saved their ship before and then let them escape. Such a good guy! Both had tears, and Luffy finally had a good ally who cared about him. And who he cared about, too.

"Ngahaha! Stop joking around, Okama's never die!" Bon Clay said. "Is that true?!" he shouted to himself. Luffy was so happy to have a cheerful guy here. Even if he wasn't going to help him, finding out he was alive lifted his mood a lot. He seemed unharmed and still energetic despite where he was.

More guards came, the blugori nowhere to be found. "Bon-chan, I have to get to level five! Will you help me?!"

"I already knew! Mr. Three told me! So, of course! I have someone I want to see there, too!" Luffy was ecstatic. "Let's take down these guys together in the name of friendship!" Bon Clay shouted and laughed. They both beat up the guards, and Luffy started pulling down the camera den dens when he smelled them as they ran. Luffy was following Bon Clay's direction.

"Bon-chan, I'm so happy to see you!" Luffy said. "It was getting really hard, but now I feel so much more energetic!" His friend laughed, and was ecstatic his mere presence could help his friend. "I finally have an ally with me!" Luffy laughed, cheering.

Bon Clay was grinning, and wondered where the blugori were. Luffy said he scared them off. "Neehee, I can be pretty scary if I want to be," he said proudly, rubbing his finger under his nose. His friend laughed, saying he was full of surprises. Now there were four prisoners out of their cells, running around.

Impel Down now had more people broken out, and their main force, the blugori, were too scared to go after the ringleader. Luffy had hope he'd make it down. And that the remaining beasts would be smart, too. Not like the stupid manticores and sphynx. They were a pain in the ass, but at least the stupid sphynx got them down a level easily.

"Straw-chan, you seem stronger! You must have been on a lot of adventures since I last saw you." Luffy grinned and nodded. He asked if he went to jail for them. "Ngahaha! No way! I wasn't caught then, I was caught helping my fellow number agents away after the marines came after us! But seeing Mr. Three here made me sad! I worked so hard to keep them out of trouble." Luffy said Crocodile was here. "Zero-chan, I knew he'd be here!"

They ran into a problem on their way to the staircase down. A large and intimidating beast. It approached them, and Luffy stepped in front of Bon Clay. It would be better to get this guy to run away than to waste energy fighting anymore. They would only be going deeper and hotter, he wanted to conserve energy as they were both dehydrated, Bon Clay much more than Luffy. Though he was used to this.

Luffy wore that crazy look, adding a sadistic smile. The okama behind him couldn't see. Luffy showed his longer teeth, and even made to lick his lips. "Do you want to be ripped to pieces, now? Or do you want to help me out?" Luffy slowly walked towards it, and it started shaking. "Show us to level four," he hissed.

"Straw-chan…?" The minotaur turned around and hurried away. Luffy grinned. He called for his companion to come with him. "How'd you do that?!"

"Neehee, I've been practicing my scary look!" The minotaur swatted away any guard with his spiked club. Now Luffy had become an even bigger thorn in their sides. He just hoped this wouldn't come to bite him in the ass again. They were led to a wall, though Bon Clay knew this way already. The minotaur bowed its head, still shaking.

"This is the easiest way down! We just go over this wall. That minotaur led us to the quickest way, not the stairs!" That was great! Time was of the essence after all.

Yup! Luffy forced the beasts of Impel Down to do his bidding! Will be super fun later!

Chapter Text

Just_a_normal_fan: I'm glad you found some of my other stories! I have quite the variety lol. My fav One Piece moment... it's hard to choose. Probably when Luffy meets Whitebeard at Marineford. That attitude to the strongest man in the world lol. Or when Katakuri stabs himself to make the fight fair. My man, I love him so much, best antagonist so far! 

There's a shit ton of angst in this one, it was glorious to write! So beware of sadness and possible OOC for Luffy's mental state. Enjoy~ (sorry about being late!) Also, my dudes, I finished a story I started six months ago. I killed off soooo many characters and mcs everyone is gonna hate me lol. Don't know when it will come out, but look forward to it!

"Neh, is there food down there? I'm hungry and thirsty." Bon Clay said the kitchen was on the next level. Luffy sniffed, but the stench of blood was thick. They climbed the wall, the heat burning Luffy's hands and feet. Bon Clay seemed immune to everything unpleasant about this level so far.

They looked into the steaming, boiling pit below. "It smells horrible!" Luffy said, plugging his nose. Bon Clay said it was the stench of boiling blood. This was the level that made level three so hot. Below was a boiling lake of blood and a sea of flames!

"Well… we just gotta jump down, right?"

"Doing this will mean certain death! Ngahahaha! If we're not lucky, that is! And I feel very lucky today!" Luffy grinned, and said he felt pretty lucky so far, too. Luffy wondered who he wanted to see down there, enough that he would risk his life to do so. "They call him the 'miracle worker'! His name is Iva-san! He was captured without rhyme or reason! He rules over the pink island, the queen of okamas!"

"Wow! He sounds amazing!"

"You got that right, Straw-chan! The queen of Kamabakka Kingdom! Idol of okama around the world! The greatest okama queen that has ever lived!" He was so excited about it that Luffy looked forward to helping him find his idol as they searched for Ace. They were alerted to noise when the minotaur came running back down the hall, chasing Buggy and Three.

The creature came to a halt at seeing him again. "Straw Hat! Not you again! Wait, it stopped chasing us!"

Bon Clay said that it was thanks to Luffy. "No way! That thing is afraid of you and the manticores weren't?" Buggy screeched. Luffy said it led them there. It continued to just stand there. It was waiting for Buggy and Three to run off, where it could attack them again. It actually charged them and completely avoided hitting Luffy and Bon Clay. It was surprisingly graceful as it jumped around and attacked Buggy and his partner while avoiding the one it was afraid of.

It slammed its club down on the stone, like before with the whack a mole game with the sphynx. Buggy somehow had a small bomb in his foot. "Call him off! Call him off!" Three begged. Luffy picked his nose. "Please!"

"It's only gonna help me," Luffy said. The bomb from Buggy's foot did nothing really, and Luffy finally asked the minotaur to stop it. It was annoying him. It froze and started to sweat. It had no real face that could make an expression. "Neehee!" Luffy said. "Now, Bon-chan, let's go get Iva-chan and Ace! Buggy, Three, are you coming, too?"

"No way in hell! Why would we go somewhere even hotter?" Luffy heard the cracking from before, and the floor fell out beneath him.

"Ahhhh!" they all screamed.

"It's all your fault for not calling it off sooner!" Buggy screeched.

"You're the one that sent the bomb!" Bon Clay responded.

"Now's not the time to argue, we're gonna die!"

"I'm gonna melt even more!" Three sobbed. But they were lucky, and landed in the boiling blood on the stone, and jumped onto the scaffolding that seemed to be over the pot of blood. The minotaur was above, looking down at them unbothered before hurrying away. Luffy hoped it wouldn't get into too much trouble for helping him out.

He sure was glad at that moment to be a monster. But down here was even hotter, and even breathing it in made his lungs burn. He needed water. God, he was parched. And hungry, his stomach rumbled painfully. Another spike of energy came, and he pressed it down. Was there a limit to it? Or could he compact it forever?

He wondered just how big the explosion could be when he finally released the last four day's worth of build up. And he hoped Hancock was gone. She must have already seen Ace. His brother probably already knew he was there. He was gonna be so pissed.

"This sucks! Why did I come with you Straw Hat! Kyaaa!" Buggy complained. Luffy shouted back he'd never forced him to come with him this deep. "It's still your fault!" Bon Clay called him weak. He seemed fine with the heat as long as he twirled. Luffy tried, but it just made him more tired.

"Bon-chan, you said food was near, right?" Luffy asked. "And water?!" He nodded, and pointed to one side. It was that way. Food! Bon Clay stopped spinning for a moment. "Are you okay?!"

"IT'S HOT!" he finally shouted. They were all wearing thin shoes, and their feet were burning. The sandals were burning and Luffy knew he'd have no shoes soon if they stayed there. They all ran for the kitchen, desperate for anything to eat after their ordeals deeper into hell. For a treat, something. Luffy wanted to stock up more as they had this floor and then at least one more level until Ace.

How long had he been there? At least three hours by now. Maybe? Who knows? He had more than enough time to get to Ace. If things went according to plan. Who was he kidding, Luffy had never had a real plan other than save Ace and then get out safely. Anything goes at the moment.

He suddenly wanted a kiss and hug from Zoro. It was sudden and overwhelming. But he pressed it away. He didn't want to think about Zoro right now. He had more important things right now, like surviving.

Guards showed up in front of the kitchen entrance. "This level is hotter than the previous… but if I get food, my strength will get 100 times stronger! Out of my way! I want FOOD! Gomu gomu fireworks!" All his limbs shot out to hit everyone around him. The okama was fighting as well, but Buggy and Three ditched. Looks like they didn't want food, after all.

Luffy ran forward until he smelled something from above and dodged. It reeked of chemicals. Like cleaning supplies times a billion. "What the? Jelly shit?" he asked, plugging nose at the terrible smell. Bon Clay screamed in horror, "Straw-chan! Above you!" and a huge man landed in front of him.

This guy reeked, too. His nose was burning just being in front of him. He was huge, wearing a fancy outfit. He had black bat wings that were unable to fly by their size and shape, and horns. Luffy was sure they were not real and just there to look scary. Was he a high ranking guy? He seemed strong. Luffy didn't like the smell of him, either.

"MA-MAGELLAN!" Bon Clay freaked. That was the warden, Luffy heard his name said before! This guy was the strongest one in Impel Down?

"You mice!" he shouted, glaring at Luffy. Buggy and Three left just in time it seemed. Luffy plugged his nose again when the warden started to drip the smelly stuff. Like he was melting into it. The guards all ran, begging him to not start fighting yet. If his devil fruit had anything to do with the stink, Luffy needed to fight and win quickly.

If he hadn't gotten blood from that random prisoner, he'd be long dead by now. Could he last on that much for a fight like this? Already tired and hungry. Well, he couldn't doubt himself. He must win. That was all there was to it.

"Damn it! And I was so close to reaching food!" Luffy complained, panting lightly from the heat. Bon Clay screamed at him that he couldn't fight. "Eh?! He's a poison guy?!"

"We gotta run, Straw-chan!" Bon Clay screamed.

"He is right, Straw Hat Luffy," Magellan said darkly. "To think you would actually break into the world's greatest prison with all its history of impenetrability! As chief warden, I take personal insult… I am aware of your goal. I will not allow you to reach Portgas D. Ace!" Magellan said, angering Luffy, who narrowed his eyes. "I do not know when or how you got here undetected, but I assure you I will have you tell me!"

"I wish I could be of more help." Hancock's kind voice drifted through his head. Good, she wasn't caught!

Luffy said, "I'll never tell anybody that!" with a hateful and determined glare at the strongest man in Impel Down. He was a devil fruit user. Clearly. Luffy still had the cuffs in his shorts. They were heavy with each move, but stayed.

Bon Clay begged him to run. How would he fight somebody completely made out of poison? He said they had to escape somewhere else. Luffy didn't like the panic in his voice. He felt now wasn't the time to release the bomb and risk being knocked into the boiling blood water that was below him, along with a sea of flames. Any explosion output would damage the floor he was standing on and mean certain death for everyone around, him and Bon Clay included.

How would he fight this guy? Maybe if he cuffed him immediately… maybe. He would have to hope he was in control when he touched the cuffs. It all depended on that instant. But there was nowhere to run, it seemed. Magellan said he'd blocked every exit and entrance of this floor.

"Noooo!" Bon Clay said, accepting this as their doom. Luffy wouldn't give up so easily.

What could I have done differently?

He wasn't going to die here. "Hydra!" Magellan shouted, and three purple, gooey dragon heads came from his back. He felt his sinuses burn and blood drip out of his nose already. He wiped it away, but it was visible. "Sensitive nose, huh?"

Luffy plugged it tightly. "Is this all poison?" he asked, looking at the serpent heads. Luffy ran when the heads attacked, slamming into the ground with a horrible sizzle. The burning made it even worse for his nose. It was like jelly, and it covered even his own men. He was taking out his own workers? How sick!

Bon Clay helpfully or unhelpfully told Luffy that this poison causes pain so bad that it would kill you quickly. If Luffy was going to die, it would be with those he loved or fighting for them heroically. Not in a clump of poison and dying just by the pain of it! No way!

"Antidote!" the poisoned men cried. Magellan just told them to get out of his way. Luffy was so hungry, but he'd make it to the kitchen after he either escaped or won the fight. Escaping didn't look realistic right now, but he'd try. He wasn't in this to be the toughest in the prison, he was in here to get to his brother no matter what.

"Try following me now!" Luffy shouted angrily, grabbing onto a hanging piece of machinery and swinging on to it's top. Everything burned, and his hands were red and hurting now. "Too hot!" he cried. One head of hydra had been burnt in the fire. Though Luffy's nose was too burnt and sensitive to even register the smell. His sense of smell was gone.

He couldn't smell a single thing, not even the poison bubbles coming towards him. Well, the pain wouldn't bother him or distract him at least. One of the bubbles hit the fire and burst, and it exploded. Luffy jumped out of the way and back on to the ledge across from the one he had come from.

Whatever poison gas it was, was what made everyone around sneeze and cry. It didn't work on Luffy. No sense of smell may be a good thing. Nothing bothered him, though his eyes did start to water.

"I see, your sinuses are so damaged you're not registering the poison gas all around you!" Magellan shouted. But Luffy's eyes were watering badly, and wiping them didn't work at all. The hydra came up, but didn't attack him. Instead, Magellan came flowing through it, saying "venom road!"

Now was the moment. When he appeared, Luffy jumped and pulled the seastone out of his pocket, slamming it into the side of Magellan's face, knocking him over. Luffy didn't lose his mind, but the effects of fast breathing and rapid heartbeat was coming. Magellan was shocked by him using seastone as a weapon.

Luffy shoved it in his pocket and ran, dodging the venom and poison streams shooting at him from the warden's body. Luffy swung the seastone again, and hit him in the arm, making him grunt. "You little rat! No matter what you do, I will not let you leave here alive! And you will not save Portgas D. Ace! His death is set in stone!"

His arms were caught in the poison, and he let go of the seastone. "Sh-shit," Luffy said, biting his lip at the searing pain in his arms. He shot a kick at his head, but it was bounced off, and into the fire. "Ahh!" he screamed at the burn. He turned and ran, jumping back onto the scaffolding and off of the poison covered overhang.

When he landed, he was surrounded by gas that he couldn't smell. It didn't mean it wasn't damaging him even if his nose wasn't working anymore. He started to cough. He threw a jet bazooka at his stomach, and made him fall to his knees.

Luffy felt the poison in his arms as if they were melting. But the purple poison only covered them, his arms weren't disintegrating. He then realized Bon Clay was gone. Luffy was alone. He left and Luffy didn't even notice. Hopefully he was safe, but this was 100 times worse, now. All alone. Nobody was even around to see him fight, possibly see him die.

What could I have done to avoid this outcome?

Why do I mess everything up?

Ace's face drifted into his head. "I really love my life with them. But I miss my crew." He would see that smile again.

"I'll save Ace, even if it kills me!" Luffy screamed. The gas around him was making his throat bleed.

"Your struggling is pointless. Your weapon is gone! Somehow you wielded seastone, but that is gone, and I am inevitable! Even if you had made it further, Ace is weak and injured! He would have been a burden and you would both have died!"

"I won't die!" Luffy shouted, spraying blood everywhere. "J-Jet pistol!" but it was weak, and his vision was blurring. Now was the time. He attempted to release the explosion, but nothing came. All of his body was weakening. If only he'd used it sooner! But now he couldn't at all!

I messed up again.

"Damn it!"

"You are only causing more pain to yourself." Luffy ran at him and tried biting at his neck, wanting to do something now that he couldn't feel his arms anymore. He was knocked down, and poison got into his mouth. "Foolish brat. A cornered animal sure is fearsome. But your fight is over." Luffy clawed at his throat, trying to dig the poison out of his mouth. He felt it burning him from the inside.

It… it hurt! More than anything he'd ever felt before.

"Ace will live!" Luffy managed to say, standing and trying to run only to fall, his legs numb and burning at the same time. He couldn't even walk. He couldn't feel any of his body but pain. Well, he felt his left foot, but with no leg to move it, it was useless.

"He will die, and so will you. You'll writhe in agony for the next 24 hours and then die, going to hell, where you belong. You'll see your beloved brother there, soon. Then you can rot together!" Luffy screamed a final "fuck you!" and was covered in poison. All he knew was pain. His eyes rolled back in his head.

Luffy couldn't feel his body or what was happening around him, only pain. He felt it get cold suddenly, and that brought his vision back. Everything was swirly and distorted, but he was cold. He couldn't smell anything, it felt like his nose had burned away and there was nothing left. He was breathing, but every breath burned. Like his lungs were full of magma.

Luffy gasped for air, but the cold was worse than the hot, as he felt his skin freezing over. He missed Zoro. He wanted a warm hug, he didn't want to die in pain and in the cold. He was scared. He could tell there were people around, he could see them and hear their jeering. He was too weak to even crawl to them and attempt to get blood.

He rolled onto his side, but he felt like his eyes were melting in his skull. He couldn't tell if that was actually happening, which was so scary. He tried to move his hands to his eyes, just to make sure. But his hands felt like they were burnt to nothing.

What did I do wrong? Do I deserve to die this way? Is this what I get for what I am?

It would have been better if he had never shown his face to anybody, if he'd stayed on Dawn Island. If he hadn't hurt so many people, his friends. He'd had a family, and he was leaving them. He could hear the people around him jeering as he cried. This pain was agonizing.

"Am I a monster, Luffy?"

"You're asking a monster that?"

"Well, you're a cooler monster, little shit head."

"Ace isn't a monster, he's the best!"

"Ace, I'm sorry," Luffy slurred. He was going to die because Luffy failed. What did he do wrong? He was so confident! He thought he could do it, and now look at him. "It's all my fault," he cried. If he had killed Blackbeard then, if he'd gone after Ace when he first saw the burning vivre card. He always did everything wrong! He was a failure.

"I don't wanna die…" he cried. He wanted the pain to end, though.

"Straw-chan!" he heard a voice say. Someone was there to be with him while he died. He didn't know who, he couldn't see anything. He was blind, but could hear.

"Zoro…" Luffy moaned.

"I'll save you. I'm so sorry!" he felt the cold move, he felt himself be lifted up, able to feel his left butt cheek press against something different then what it was before. "I'm so sorry I ran!" Oh, it was Bon-chan. At least he wasn't dying alone. He didn't fail this one in the end. There was someone there for him when he died.

The cold was biting at him, it was stabbing him. "'M sorry," he said. Bon-chan asked what he meant, it was his fault for leaving! "'M sorry… I was born… 'M a monster."

"Don't say that Straw-chan! I'll save you, I'll get you hope! You can't lose hope! You have to save your brother!"

I've failed in everything I've ever done. But he couldn't gain the energy to say that. He imagined his brother being executed, alone, scared and hating himself. What Luffy was going through. No… Luffy didn't want to see Ace in death! He didn't want to see Sabo! He wanted Ace, he wanted Zoro!

His face flitted through his mind. Giving small smiles, kissing him, nuzzling his hair. Always there when he was being stupid. He and Zoro left with an unresolved argument. Luffy couldn't let it end that way. He couldn't let Ace be executed, especially not when he thought Luffy was dead. Because he was caught, even though it was all Luffy's fault.

What could I have done differently?

You can't do shit to change it. It happened, make it not happen again!

"B'n-ch'n," he slurred. "Don'... lemme die."

"I won't!" Bon-chan said with tears in his eyes. Briefly, he had the sensation of standing, doing something, but he didn't know if that actually happened. When he came back to consciousness, he was laying on the cold ground. He looked up, and could hear voices. He heard Bon Clay's breathing ragged. He writhed and turned to the side, seeing Bon-chan bloody. He couldn't lose anybody else.

Someone who tried to save him like he tried to save Ace. He wouldn't let him die for his ambition. To save Ace was his idea. If Luffy hadn't been there, maybe his friend could have found who he was looking for. He looked up and begged the people to save him. "I… cn't… lose anyone else!" he said, the poison scratching his throat. "Saved… me! Help… him! M… fr'n..."

Chapter Text

IIRoxaII: Yeah. :( Luffy's going through some rough shit. Then there's the war that's coming real soon... 

Wishfull-star: (*￣▽￣)b

Next chapter shit GOES DOWN. I make a HUGE non-canon change. It made me happy to write it, I'd been  looking forward to writing that moment for dozens of chapters. So, look forward to a damn good time. Enjoy~

He passed out again, but could hear voices all around him faintly when he came to. He couldn't feel his body. He finally woke in a dark room. He was glad, any light would be painful. He hurt. Somebody was in front of him, standing there.

"Have you come to? You had quite the breakdown back there," a man with puffy hair said. That's all he could see. "You don't want to die, right?"

"I ca...nt die. No-t till I s - hah - save A-Ace," Luffy said.

"I can save you." Luffy's eyes widened, even if he couldn't see well. "It will come at a cost. Ten years of your life. Are you prepared for that? You will never get those years back. Though you will die here if you don't." Luffy said he accepted. "But even if I help you, the process will be so painful you may die from the pain."

"Nothing… can be… worse… than this," Luffy said.

"Maybe. But even if I try, it will only bring your chances of living from zero percent to two or three percent. You will be in agony, and you will need to prove that you want to live by surviving this." Luffy would prove. He didn't want to die, and he had things he needed to do. People he needed to see. He wasn't a weak child who cried about being lonely.

He only saw that that part of him was still buried deep inside. And he would bury it again. Deep, deep down where he'd never see it again! He was a man with a 300 million berries bounty on his head, not a helpless child! He gasped, and grit his teeth, ready for whatever would happen.

"Have a nice trip to the brink of death! I hope you survive! Emporio healing hormones!" the man shouted, and stabbed Luffy in the side with sharp things. Suddenly, he was in agony again. It replayed just how it had for the last hour or so. He wouldn't scream! He wouldn't cry! He grit his teeth, he couldn't cry! He wouldn't scream! He was a monster that can survive anything! He couldn't depend on blood, he couldn't depend on the life force of others, he had to fight this himself. He would see light again, he would feel the sun again! He'd return to the ocean, and see his brother again! He would see his crew, his lover again! They would make up for that fight!

Luffy would get stronger, and he would never die! Not while he still had dreams and people to see! What the hell good is being a monster, non-human, if you can't even live on your own!? Blood… who needs blood?!

"ACE!" Luffy finally screamed. He breathed heavily, and refused to scream in pain. If he let it out, he would never stop screaming. He'd cried like a baby before, he would prove he was strong. Not to this random person, not to Bon-chan. Not to anybody else but himself.

"I… am… strong!" he shouted. This was life or death, but it was also to test himself. Was he strong enough to take hell in silence, or would he scream it all out? He knew screaming would feel better. Letting out his pain would feel better. But he would be weak. To himself, screaming would show he was at the mercy of somebody else!

Even as his body melted from the inside and reformed over and over, he would never open his mouth again. Even as blood poured from every wound and orifice, he didn't scream. Blood came from everywhere. He still couldn't smell anything. His body broke down, dissolved, only to be built up again and again, a never ending, vicious cycle.

Fuck you, pain! There's nothing for you here! Everything had been horrible lately, he'd been weak, doubting himself. What good could he do in life if he did that?! If he let himself fall apart over old wounds that were surfacing after years. He spent a decade training to be a pirate, to be the king. To find a strong crew.

And he did. They were strong, he was strong. But the world was strong, too. They had to be more than they were. He knew they could. He would grow, he would become the monster necessary to protect his loved ones. If he lost everything, every part of himself, to live to the fullest, to be there for them, then sobeit.

Garp was right. He shouldn't be in the public, he shouldn't be a pirate, he should be on the island. But that wasn't Luffy's wish and that sure as hell wasn't his dream in life. He didn't care! He could drink blood, he could be a freak inside and out, and still, he wouldn't bend or bow to anybody else!

He would be the Pirate King! He would find out what the hell he was, he would surpass Roger in that way! He would be the king of the seas, and therefore the king of the pirates. The freest person in the world. He'd do it all because he wanted to.

Not because he had to, but he wanted to. He did whatever he wanted! That's why he was a pirate, because he wanted to do whatever he wanted. And what he wanted most, was to wake up from this hell, carry on and save his brother.

And… he did not scream.

Luffy woke up, and felt the chains burst apart from him with a lurch. He stood up, and was so hungry, so skinny and thirsty that he had trouble standing. He walked to the door, still unable to smell anything. He slammed on the door, and screamed for food. The door opened, and the next thing he knew, he was eating everything that was put into his hands.

He heard people shocked at him, but he kept eating. Ace. Ace, I'm coming. I'll just be a little late. He ate his worth in weight by far, and forced his entire body to absorb the nutrients, and pump him full of energy, fat and muscle. He was still sorely missing blood. He saw a lot of people in front of him, all shocked into silence.

Did he look different? Maybe it was because he wasn't bleeding or whining or crying like a scared little baby. For once, he was ashamed of himself. Not because anyone saw him that way, but because he found that part of him was so ready to burst to the surface with any sort of crack in his exterior pride and confidence.

He found he was shirtless, and showing his marks. He looked down at his body, and saw he had a band of black on his right arm, on the bicep, that wasn't there before. "I'm back. I have to get to Ace," Luffy said firmly. The room was silent, and someone finally spoke.

"You didn't scream at all!"

"I… I will never be weak again!" he said firmly. "I will never be that person ever again." Bon Clay ran at him and hugged him tightly. Luffy hugged him back, so happy to see him alive. Covered in bandages, but alive. People threw him in the air, cheering for him. The Bon-chan collapsed. Luffy freaked out in worry, and asked what was wrong with him.

"He's exhausted. You've been in that state for 20 hours. Even though you didn't make a single pained sound, he knew you were in agony, and shouted for you to get better for that whole time," he said it with a smile before his face changed. "Boy… what are you?" Luffy didn't even get the chance to thank him. But who was he? Iva-chan, maybe? Most likely the one Bon Clay was looking for! Did he save Luffy?

Yes, he did. He put Luffy in that hell where he solidified himself. He wouldn't break again. If he did, he'd pick himself back up!

Luffy asked who he was anyways, not wanting to make assumptions. "My name is Emporio Ivankov. Queen of the Kamabaka kingdom and New Kama Land. A former revolutionary to Dragon, the most wanted criminal in the world!"

"Ah, you mean dad."

"Yes, your dad. I'm not breaking out of here yet. My time hasn't come. I'll only leave this place once he makes a true sign. Once things start to truly progress, then I will break out! If I left now, I would only get recaptured! Until then, until Dragon makes his move, I will…" He froze and looked at Luffy. "Dad?! Did you say 'dad'?!" he demanded in disbelief, slamming backwards into the wall dramatically. He was a funny guy so far!

Luffy stood up. "Well, I don't know him, or what he looks like. Garp, my grandpa told me." Iva-chan was shocked. "I shouldn't have said that, huh?" he asked, plopping his hat back on his head. Thank goodness it wasn't covered in poison, too! It always seemed to escape damage. It was the past and future Pirate King's hat, though. It was to be expected!

"Where were you born?" Iva-chan asked quickly.

"The East Blue. Neh… do you want me to tell you the truth? About myself?"

Iva-chan was looking at him firmly, as if trying to determine whether he was being honest about being related to the revolutionary. "I saw you on the monitor, frightening animals into obeying you. It didn't seem like haki. You also handled seastone."

He saved him, Luffy would tell him the truth in gratitude. "I don't know what I am. But… this place. What is it?" He was explained where he was, an unusual place that was a secret in the prison. "Is there an infirmary?" he asked quickly. They nodded. They had everything here. "It's gonna sound like a weird request, but do you have any blood bags? Donated blood?"

Ivankov's brows raised, but he answered. "We do. Candies, go get all of the blood bags we have!" Luffy was surprised, and smiled in thanks. He finally fell to his knees, exhausted. He would heal. He needed to. He needed his sense of smell back. He could barely move, he needed energy.

He pulled the vivre card out of his hat, thank god both of them were still there, and saw it was still pointing down. Ace was still there! Luffy was coherent through the agony, repeating the same mantra in his head for hours. He was strong, he could do this. He was strong, he could do this. Maybe he could hear Bon Clay saying that, too.

The blood came, ten blood bags. More than enough. Without hesitation, Luffy started to drink from five of the bags. He wanted to save the rest. Those in the room looked repulsed, but saw his wounds start to fade. The color came back in his face, the burns on his hands faded. He was still covered in dirt and blood, but he was healed.

He knew, though, that blood wasn't enough. He needed rest, but that didn't matter now. He went through agony and he knew his body just went through extreme trauma. He needed more than blood, but he didn't care. Not now, he'd worry about that another time. He could tell he hadn't exploded. That power was still compacted inside of him.

Maybe it was good he hadn't used it up. Even though he'd tried. It hadn't worked. Maybe deep inside he hadn't wanted to use it then, he wasn't sure. Maybe he was saving it for something bigger. He'd never know. But things turned out really lucky again. Luffy deserved some luck after the poison and terrible treatment.

"I know that looked kind of gross," he said awkwardly. Clothes were handed to him, and he gladly dressed in something that wasn't covered in blood, poison and piss. He peed himself some time during that ordeal.

"Straw Hat boy, I've had a change of heart! I will help you break Ace boy out of prison!" Luffy beamed. He asked if he meant it. "I couldn't let Dragon's son risk his life anymore on his own when I can help!"

Luffy bowed to him, thanking him so much for everything. "Well, you've provided quite a bit of entertainment as well. I've never had somebody heal from such an ordeal so quickly and without a single cry of agony."

Luffy looked down at his hands. "I had to prove to myself that I wasn't a weak and insecure little boy anymore. I'm a monster who will become the Pirate King. If I screamed, I would have found I was weak. It hurt really, really bad. And I wanted to scream. I knew it would make me feel better, but I just couldn't."

Ivankov looked at him with a very knowing smile. "Somebody get a backpack! The best we have!" Someone did. The people of New Kama Land sure looked eccentric. Their outfits and appearances were very funny and unique. They looked like a happy bunch. At least some people in this prison weren't miserable and in agony.

"Inazuma, find out when Ace boy will be leaving. We must act quickly, we can't keep hanging around here. If his vivre card is still pointing down, he's still here! We're going to level six now." Luffy was so happy, though he thought there was no level six. Well, whatever! He had even more stronger allies. But Bon Clay was so injured.

Luffy put the backpack on with blood in it. Clothes were stuffed around it to cushion the bags. This place really was incredible. They were living there all this time, enjoying life. It really was cool. "Straw Hat boy, you must not reveal that secret to anybody else!" Luffy nodded. It was an accident. "I am your father's nakama, a commander of the Revolutionary Army! Therefore I have a duty to make sure you don't die!"

Luffy nodded and thanked him. Ivankov then turned to his people, and told them they were going to prepare to break out! Save Ace and then flee the prison successfully!" They were shocked at how sudden it all was. "Anybody who wishes to come along shall gather here and prepare and be ready for battle!"

"Do you have any seastone cuffs? That might be helpful again!" Ivankov kind of surprised him when they did have some. He stuffed it in his backpack. This thing would need to hold together. "Alright, Ace! I'm coming now!" He wasn't fully healed, but he sure as hell was good enough to save his brother. He had to be.

They fled level five, running down the halls to get to level six. There was no point in hiding their presence now, according to Ivankov. Luffy felt better than he had since entering the prison. Since he was blown away from Kuma, since he felt weak before Sabaody. He wasn't a weak little boy. He didn't hear his grandpa's voice in his head anymore.

That might come back, but it would never consume him again. He didn't plan on dying, but he would never give up on something he put his mind to and swore he would do.

It was only Luffy, Ivankov and Inazmua, the queen's right hand person, as they fluctuated between male and female at their desire. They were the party that was going for Ace, but then they were gathering the other new kamas and breaking out. They ran into level five, the freezing place where Luffy nearly gave up on everything, heading straight for the staircase to level six.

The wolves fled from seeing Luffy. Prisoners were shocked at their sights. After all, Ivankov was surely not someone who looked like they were in this place. Luffy didn't pay attention to the new marking on his arm, not wanting to think about that right now. It might be something weird, or just like a scar from the 20 hours of hell. It didn't matter right now.

They made it to the entrance to level five that Luffy hadn't seen when he was taken there. "There are guards from this point on!" Inazuma was still holding his glass of wine, not having spilled it at all. Impressive.

"Bring it on!" Luffy said. They sprinted down the stairs, Luffy breathing heavily as he pumped his legs. "I have to make it! I have to make it! I'm coming for you, Ace!" he chanted loudly. The whole prison knew about them by now. Who cares if they made a lot of noise? They broke through all the childish traps, Luffy smelling them easily, but all of them not needing that in advance. They acted quickly.

The guards also didn't stand a chance against them. All three of them were fit and strong. "Ace where are you?! I'm here to save you!" Luffy shouted, hoping he could hear him.

When they made it to level six, the stench of Ace and his blood was terribly strong. But when they made it to the cage that he was no doubt in, he was gone! "H-He's not here!" Luffy shouted. "He was just here, I can tell!" Luffy said, pressing down panic. His vivre card now pointed upwards!

"Are you sure this is his cage?!" Luffy said he knew it was. The blood was Ace's on the wall! "We must be a little late!" Luffy clenched his fists. Then the man, fishman, who was also in Ace's cage asked if he was Straw Hat Luffy, and then said Ace just left.

"You still have time to make it! Go now!" he shouted. "He was taken through the lift! Now move!" Luffy thanked him and nodded, swiftly running to the lift. Inazuma led him to the lift as the cable was closing. Luffy just had to climb it and he was at Ace! But Ivaknov said the contraption was locked, and they couldn't get it back down! Luffy did have to climb.

He stuck his head inside and looked up, only to jump away when spikes came hurtling down and slammed it closed. "No!" Luffy shouted.

"Of course they wouldn't let us up easily! The lift is useless! They have beaten us to it!" Ivankov said angrily. Luffy said they had to go back up the stairs, up the way they came! He got up and ran towards that place, but then a cage fell over the stairs! Bars made of seastone. Luffy tried to pull them apart, but while it didn't affect him much in strength wise, he couldn't break it. "No! Ace!"

"We have to break the bars somehow or we'll never catch up in time!" Luffy put his arms out and let out a blast, breaking apart the cage. He jumped inside and started to climb before gas came out. Inazuma yanked him out. No! He'd wasted the blast! Wait… that wasn't nearly all of it! He'd unconsciously only used some? That was great. And he wasn't harmed by the blast, even though it had been powerful. Just in case, he took a sip of a blood bag and then pinched it back closed.

"What was that?" Ivankov asked.

Luffy said it was a long story, but he exploded sometimes. To the man's credit, he didn't push. But the gas was going to fill up the whole floor! Then they'd be completely at the mercy of Impel Down. A very angry Impel Down.

"Hey, hey! You guys better not drag us down into this!" someone from a cage said. They were all surprisingly quiet, and Luffy barely noticed they were there in his distraction and panic about just missing Ace, and now being locked inside. How would they get out, now?

"Silence level six!" the kamabakka queen shouted. Luffy's nose caught whiffs of the sleeping gas before everyone else, and he passed out. Inazuma took the chance and new information to hurry and seal up the staircase. He had a devil fruit where his hands turned to scissors and he cut up the floor and manipulated it into sealing up the gas. But they really had no way out.

Luffy couldn't blast open the ceiling without risking killing all of them in the process. What now? What did they do now? He woke when he heard his brother's voice scream his name, echoing down the lift and through level six. He knew Luffy was there. He must think he would die now. Luffy put his hands in his hair.

Now what?

Inazuma said they were trapped. There was nothing to be done now. Their attempt was over. Luffy didn't like how easily he was giving up. "There has to be another way! We have to get out here, no matter what! The vivre card isn't pointing just up anymore! He's leaving soon, we need to get out of here now!"

"If he is going to Marineford, there is nothing we can do. You should give up. There is no hope now."

"Bullshit!" Luffy erupted. "I swore I'd save him and I will! I survived Magellan for him and I'll do that a million times more! I'll go to Marineford to save him if it kills me! But I won't die until he's safe! I don't care how I get out! I'll blow myself out if I have to! I should be able to aim okay… I think."

His new allies thought he was crazy, but he didn't budge. He was going to Marineford, with their help or not! Inzuma was more chill about it, while Ivankov shouted at him until he said he'd do it with or without them. Then he looked stunned for some reason. "We have no way out, though," the right hand man at the moment said. He still had his wine glass.

Then he heard a familiar deep laughing from a few cages away. "Straw Hat Luffy. I never thought I'd see you again. You trying to get out of here?"

"Crocodile!"

"Heh, if you free me, I'll get you out. You'll take me along with you, and I can be of help to you." Ivankov said it would be a good idea. "Ivankov?! The hell are you doing here?" Then the okama queen started to mock Crocodile, knowing something about his past. The former warlord wanted not to talk about this. He hated the former revolutionary, deeply. Luffy wondered why.

"I can keep him in line. If he messes up, I'll just tell everyone what he doesn't want anyone to hear, right Croco-boy?"

"Bastard…!"

Luffy didn't want to take him! He hurt Vivi badly. Her kingdom was in ruins because of him. But he swore to do anything to save Ace. Even if it was uniting with enemies, he would save his brother. Going to Marineford was reckless and maybe a death sentence, but it was the only thing he could do. It was the last chance to save him!

His powers could make them a hole in the ceiling. "As long as you don't do to me what you did last time, I'll lend you a hand." The villain didn't seem too bothered about last time. When Luffy nearly drank all his blood and killed him that way.

"I was really sick when that happened. I won't do it again," Luffy said stiffly.

"I assumed you were sick when you were bleeding out of your eyes," Crocodile said with amusement. "Well, I hold no grudge against you if you let me out. I have no interest in that kingdom anymore, either. I want to take Whitebeard's head. With my help, I could get us both out with my sand sand fruit." Luffy wouldn't let him take Ace's adoptive dad's head, but he didn't say that.

Inazuma voiced that taking him was worth it. Luffy relented, not liking it but knowing it was their only hope. He felt bad for doing it for Vivi, but it was to help them all get out of this hell. Teaming up with a past enemy… well, he was the fourth today, though Buggy and Three didn't really team up with him that much. Three didn't, Buggy actually helped him get down, annoying and loud though he was.

I hope we some day know what Crocodile's secret it. I like the theory that he was a woman before and Iva changed him into a man. 

Chapter Text

I am posting a new ASL fic in few days. Yall gonna hate me for the absurd amount of major character death lol. Anyways, action packed chapter with surprise and non canon event! Enjoy~

Hearing Crocodile was busting out, other prisoners started to talk. "Whoa, if you're taking him, take me too!"

"Shut up, level six! Death wink!" Somehow Ivankov's fruit gave him the power to create shockwaves from his eyes by blinking. So interesting how people use their devil fruits. Luffy felt the pulse and swallowed it down. He was glad he had the new arm band to cover it. Anyone seeing it at Marineford would be suspicious.

Then the fishman behind that smelled like blood, too, begged them to take him with them. "I promise I will be of use to you! I know Ace-san! I have known him ever since he joined the Whitebeard Pirates. He has even told me tales of you, his younger brother!" The fishman was locked up here because he opposed the war. "I want to save Ace-san myself as well! Please let me die an honorable death!" Ivankov said his name was Jinbei.

Luffy looked at him, but he didn't hesitate to accept his help. He was a warlord, Luffy heard his name mentioned before by Domino when they entered the place.

"We know nothing of his personality! Is this the best choice?" Inazuma asked. Luffy stuck to his decision in taking him.

"He wants to come with us despite me. Fishmen know something is up with me," Luffy said. "Right?" The warlord nodded.

"I am in your debt!" Jinbei said. More of the prisoners of level six started begging to be let out and Ivankov let out another death wink. Inazuma used his scissor power to unlock the cages and cuffs of their two unlikely allies. Crocodile asked if Ivankov knew of Luffy's issues. He said he did.

And added, "If you tell anyone, our deal is off."

"Keh, I wasn't planning on blabbing anyways," Crocodile said dismissively. "I was just wondering if you knew of the danger he is."

Luffy scowled and said he wasn't going to do that again. Crocodile seemed amused with upsetting Luffy, but he moved on, and didn't do it again. At least, not at the moment. Jinbei said he wouldn't let the logia hurt Whitebeard. He respected the man, and Luffy didn't ever think he was going to meet the guy in a warzone.

He was going to a war. What kind of place would that be? He'd only ever seen the war in Alabasta, but that wasn't up close and personal. More in the background. But this war wasn't between normal guys and palace guards and an army. This was between the strongest marines and the strongest crew in the world.

His face was set. Luffy had planned to do anything from the start and lay his life on the line for this mission. He looked to Ace's cage and got the seastone cuffs and stuffed them in his backpack. Then he went to Crocodile's cage and got his. Crocodile asked what he was doing with those as they left the place. Now they had two former warlords! More people added to their strong allies. It was lucky, even if he had to team up with an old enemy.

"He was able to hand a hit on Magellan with seastone cuffs. It's a good resource in case of a desperate situation," Inazuma said as he cut up the ground and made a spiral ramp up to the ceiling that Crocodile had dissolved. The perfect break out team. Luffy planned on recruiting some more strong allies.

He'd heard there were more of the demon guards like the minotaur. Having them help out would be great. He felt he could be scarier now. More than before. He felt the 20 hours in agony changed him. Made him stronger, at least mentally. He failed his friends, and he failed to save Ace from the prison, but was he a failure as a person? He didn't think so. Not anymore. He shouldn't have given up on his dreams and done what Garp wanted.

They went to level five again and Iva got everyone, but Luffy, Jinbei and Crocodile were already on their ways up the staircase. Luffy had a mantra of his brother's name in his mind. He was coming. At the very least, he wanted Ace to know he wasn't dead and wasn't in jail in his place. The scream he'd heard, the last voice of his big brother, had been one of terror for his safety.

Luffy wasn't safe, and wouldn't be safe, but he wouldn't be trapped in jail. Jinbei said, "The execution is at three o'clock sharp! They will be sure to take his life at that moment. It may be stalled by the old man, and he will no doubt make his move hours before." There really was going to be a war. And Luffy was going straight into it. He couldn't ever call any of his crewmates reckless again.

"Ace-san is out on the open sea. Any fight could begin between now and the execution time." Luffy said he wouldn't let anyone kill his brother. "I will do what I can to assist you." Luffy asked if he made him uneasy. "I was a pirate captain and a warlord. You do not scare me." The youngest smiled and nodded. Jinbei was a cool guy so far.

"They won't execute him until three. It gives us time to do something! That's what matters right now. The next right thing…" Luffy said. They came across a door that Crocodile dissolved with his decaying power. He didn't remember what it was called, though.

Waiting for them on the other side of the door was a ton of guards, all pointing their pitchforks at them. But Luffy, Crocodile and Jinbei took them out easily. They were weak. These guys were used to pushing around half-dead people in chains. Not strong individuals that were all free of all restraints. Luffy and Jinbei were not in perfect condition, but they were free and raring to fight. Fully motivated by the dire situation.

Soon, Luffy heard Ivankov's noisy voice, and the sounds of stomping, like a stampede. All of the new kama's had come! Now they had a small army to help them escape. "You all got here safely! Bon-chan, you sure look energetic!" Luffy cheered as his friend and great ally, his savior, twirled.

"Stop joking around! I'm at full energy! Ngahahaha!" Then he saw someone he knew, named Mr. 1. Apparently he was the guy Zoro defeated that let him cut apart metal. He'd improved so much since then. Luffy still had five days worth of explosion in him. Ready to go off when he chose the right time.

He didn't know what would happen, but it would happen eventually.

The army of strong members and new kamas plowed through Impel Down staff positively. Luffy felt energized, and not from blood. From new hope with all of these strong allies. "Let's gooo! To marine headquarters!" Luffy roared as they pummeled their way through the scorching level four.

The blugori, their smell familiar headed their way. Ivankov was about to blow them away, but Luffy stopped him. "Blugori! Join us in attacking the Impel Down staff and I won't eat you alive!" They thought he really would, letting out that scary aura. They shivered, and joined the army, in front of them. "Hahaha!" Luffy laughed.

Crocodile said, "Well, that's new." Luffy replied that a lot had changed since Alabasta.

Next the demon guards came, and Luffy beamed madly. Their master, a woman in a very revealing outfit, started to order them around. "Demon guards! Join me and live a little longer! Beat these people until they can't move!" Zoro would be so turned on by how damn commanding and scary he was being.

The woman laughed. "You won't control them! I have full-" Wham! A spiked ball slammed into her side, Luffy hearing the shattering of her bones. She screamed in pain. They had the strongest army. He ordered the demon guards to protect and help his group. They did so, beating anyone away and leaving the army of new kamas from having to fight anymore at all.

More prisoners were being freed to add to the army and riot. Their group was becoming bigger and bigger. The blugori were still joining them. Luffy was the ringleader in a huge assault at the strongest prison, making some of their strongest members switch sides. Their spiked weapons killed and immobilized all enemies, which were starting to flee, knowing they were no match for even the demon guards.

But they stopped when they came across the vice warden, who he recognized from before, both voice and appearance as he entered the lift with Hancock so long ago. The demon guards didn't move.

"Magellan will deal with you later! You traitors!" Luffy wouldn't lose them, and took out a seastone cuff. He needed to get through this guy fast. He shot forward and slammed the seastone cuff into his head, doing a spin to increase the momentum. Luffy growled at him and was breathing quickly before he shoved it back in his pocket, and was back to normal.

The guy was bleeding from the head. "Demon guards, you will either die sooner or later! Which do you prefer?!" Luffy demanded. They chose later, wanting to survive as long as they could. Magellan would kill them for their betrayal, but Luffy could off them now if he wanted to. They continued their assault.

The vice warden was stepped on by the army, unconscious and with a huge welt on the side of his head. It had been awhile since Luffy went directly for the head to break the skull. Not since Don Kreig. God, that was so long ago, wasn't it? So much had changed since that time back in the East Blue. He'd changed a lot.

Well, a lot of change happened in the last 24 hours alone.

When Luffy smelled the nasty smell from Jaya, his heart started beating faster. Good. Blackbeard was here. He could kill him sooner. He did this. He put Ace in this hell. And Luffy could make him pay. Ace said he had gotten a devil fruit. And Luffy watched as some dark thing came from his back, swirling around. A logia? Well, he could rip his neck out again. He wanted to make him pay, but he was in a hurry. Luffy had three pairs of seastone cuffs at the moment.

In an instant, he'd be there. He'd make it fast, even if he wanted to cause him pain for a long time. Luffy had never hated anyone more than he hated this man. Not any of his previous enemies. Not even those that separated Luffy from his crew, throwing them who knows where? This man was his ultimate enemy, and he would kill him when Ace couldn't. Though he'd be ashamed later when he found out.

Luffy stood in front of him, and walked forward. "Luffy-kun, stay away from him! Teach, what are you doing here?"

"Zehahaha! Straw Hat, you better get back to your brother! His execution starts soon!" Luffy grabbed the seastone cuffs and ordered the demon guards to muder his crew. This new version of him scared them even more, and Blackbeard's crew had their hands full.

Luffy snarled, eyes wide. "You did this to Ace! I will kill you!" he roared. Blackbeard raised his brows, but didn't see the seastone. He tried absorbing Luffy in his black but Luffy dodged, and got behind him in an instant, devil fruit gone but body enhanced from the effect of seastone.

Luffy jumped on his back, and wrapped the seastone chain around his neck, tightening it. His power was nullified. Luffy slammed his feet into his spine, breaking it and making him grunt. Luffy bit into his neck, ripping out the skin and making him bleed. He tightened the chain. "DIEEEEE! FUCK YOU!" He was rabid, and shoved his fingers into his eyes.

Everyone was watching him in horror and shock. He squeezed the chain, and Blackbeard was weakened greatly. Luffy was indeed losing himself. Blackbeard's face was turning pale, and his arms grabbing at Luffy weakening, he fell to his knees with his broken spine. His crew were having trouble with the demon guards, who were terrified of Luffy's wrath at the moment.

Blackbeard stopped moving, and dropped dead. Luffy stomped his face in. He shoved the seastone back in his pocket. His hands were shaking, and he looked at the mess. He didn't feel any pity or regret. The army was shocked. He wiped the blood off and continued up the stairs. The army stopped following for a moment before Ivankov ordered them to continue. Blackbeard's crew were shocked, but Luffy didn't deal with them. Luffy's eyes were full of tears. Jinbei was next to him.

"If I had done that… a long time ago, Ace wouldn't have been in jail!" he said, in tears and emotional pain.

"This is no time to get emotional, Luffy-kun. You must stay focused on saving Ace-san. We must hurry." Luffy's allies continued to fight with him, for him. The demon guards were still beating the Blackbeard pirates up. He didn't care, they were used enough for him. Magellan was the closest, and he would easily poison the beasts. It was best to continue to use them against the former warlord crew.

Luffy asked if Jinbei thought he was a monster. "With the seastone, I would have to say that." The teen apologized if anyone had to see that. "He deserved death after all he's done." Luffy wiped his mouth, hating the taste of his blood. "May I ask what that was about?"

"I'm not human, I'm a monster that drinks blood and my body explodes. That's the truth," Luffy said, trusting this fishman for some reason. Maybe because he was unafraid of Luffy, even after what he'd just seen. Then Luffy smelled Magellan from behind, and pumped his legs. "Magellan is here!" people screamed. Ivankov shouted at him to hurry up the stairs. "Be careful, Iva-chan!"

"Hee haw! I won't be beaten by this man!" he shouted, only his voice was that of a woman's now. Strange, interesting. His power was cool, even if it was weird, too. Well, his rubber body was kind of weird as well.

Luffy hurried up the stairs, Jinbei right behind him. "Straw Hat! I won't LET YOU ESCAPE ALIVE!"

Luffy grumbled. He would get away, no matter what! This prison was a hell he wouldn't stay at. He had to get to Ace, and then to Zoro. Luffy knew he was waiting for him, no matter how long it took for him to get there. He had a feeling his body wasn't going to be in too good a shape by the time the war was over and Ace was saved.

Elder Nyon said he would be like an ant in a storm. His body could be destroyed and he'd still fight to stay alive in that storm, ant or not.

Jinbei said there were a ton of warships outside the prison, and if they stole one of those, they should be able to get to Marineford in time. Luffy still had his backpack, the blood and cuffs. That one was so useful. Without it, he probably couldn't have killed Blackbeard. His power looked strong, and he'd defeated Ace with it.

Maybe his brother would feel better knowing Luffy sort of cheated to do it, it wasn't just all his strength, but enhanced by something else.

When they were in level two, where the manticores still were, the new kamas asked why they weren't afraid. "They're too stupid to be afraid!" Luffy called. He smelled Magellan wasn't so close anymore. But then he noticed Ivankov was gone, and listened, hearing his shouting from below. He clenched his teeth and closed his eyes. Luffy begged for him to be safe. He wanted to save him, but Ivankov would just be embarrassed.

But that was what he thought of Ace, and look what happened. "We have to go back for Iva-chan!" Luffy said.

Bon Clay said, "Stop joking around! No way! Then his sacrifice would be meaningless! All the more reason to push on! We have to believe in the miracle worker!" Luffy wasn't the only one upse, though, all the new kama's were, but they said to trust in Iva-sama.

Please, defeat Magellan and live! The okama queen did so much for Luffy, saved his life. He couldn't die before he tasted true freedom for the first time in many years. At least he had another strong ally that already seemed to care about him. They pummeled their way through the beasts, the blugori long gone. Well, he didn't need them right now. They were right to slip away.

He wondered if the Blackbeard Pirates were dead yet. Captainless and trapped in a prison. He wiped his mouth again, still tasting the gross blood. He had turned rabid and he didn't care. He was just glad he didn't have trouble letting go of the cuffs. It was nicer having the choice to hold them instead of being trapped in them.

They found that all of the prisoners of this floor were missing. Somebody let them out. "I smell Buggy and Three." Nobody but Bon Clay knew who those were. "Some guys who I met in the beginning. Buggy was already broken out when I came. He gave me away!"

"A lot of people sure did break out and in, today," Jinbei said.

"They probably have no plan," Crocodile said. It was so weird being an ally and not wanting to beat him up for what he did. Things had changed, and he was necessary to get out of there. He'd already helped so much. Luffy couldn't forgive him, but he could appreciate his help. He felt Vivi wouldn't be mad about it.

When they got to level one, they found Buggy and Three and all their escapees. So they did free them. The demon guards were there. Did they defeat the Blackbeard Pirates? They were bloody and injured, fighting the level one breakouts. When they saw Luffy, they fled. Smart move, leaving before Luffy could scare them into submission.

"Yes! Straw Hat saved us again! I knew you'd come out alive! Kyahaha!" Buggy shouted.

"Captain Buggy knew it? Amazing!" prisoners shouted. Three wasn't happy to see Crocodile there.

"Move it. Mr. 3? What's useless trash like you doing out of your cage?" the former warlord asked in a disinterested voice.

Both were shocked to see Jinbei there, too. Luffy said, "I'm glad you guys are alive! Even if you left me and are annoying!" Luffy said. Buggy asked why he had blood all over his face. "I got punched in the face!" Luffy said, doing his best to lie. It worked, and the two guys he met first in this incident that lasted a full day, believed it. Good! He didn't want more people knowing. All the new kamas and allies knew what had happened.

He didn't need Buggy screaming about it all. Bon Clay wasn't nearly happy with seeing them alive, and kicked them in the face for ditching them. Guards were ahead of them, and with the demon guard monsters gone, they needed to be pummeled manually by the two forces now joined. The prisoners, new kamas, and strong leaders of the charge were now a huge mob, overtaking level one.

Then they heard Magellan after Luffy smelled him. He looked around and shoved ripped pieces of his shirt into his nose to keep it from burning, even if he had blood bags in his backpack still intact. He had to protect that backpack. But Luffy knew how to take out Magellan. Cuff him and he was useless against them all.

He would do that. But with him there… it meant Ivankov had not made it. He felt terrible about it. They couldn't go back for them now, though. Luffy just hoped they survived and could make it back to level 5.5. He didn't want them tortured, no matter what. But they really had no way back. The stairway was soaked in poison!

The hydra was coming, and Jinbei insisted they hurry. "Things have taken a turn for the worst! We must hurry to the entrance!" They had no hope of escaping Magellan's hydra, though. But when all hope was lost for most of the crowd, Three put up a candle wall.

"Three!" Luffy said in surprise.

"There's something sickeningly infectious about your optimism!" he shouted. "Why, if I let my guard down for a second, I find myself thinking of you as a friend!" he said. "Hurry! This won't last long!"

Luffy paused. "No, I have an idea!" he said. He had to make it count. Jinbei demanded to know what he was doing when he ran towards the candle wall and jumped on the top. He grabbed the seastone cuffs in his pocket. He'd lose one pair doing this. He took it, feeling the strength, and threw the open cuffs right where Magellan was raising his arm for a new hydra. It was right in between his attacks after his first one failed against the candle wall.

Apparently, holding seastone actually enhanced everything, including aim accuracy. It clipped around his wrist and his poison all fell to the ground. "Ahahaha! I did it! Everyone run!" Luffy screamed.

"Straw Hat!"

"The key is where you'll never find it!" After all, that was the pair from new kama land! The crowd cheered about that, and Luffy jumped in the air proudly. Jinbei laughed about it, and said he was way too overpowered. "That's good for us, though! I just wish I could have done it before Iva-chan left! I messed up again…"

"You saved us all! Focus on that!" Jinbei insisted.

"It's great being with you, Straw Hat! I'm glad we met up again!" Crocodile said Buggy was useless to them all. He acted completely unimpressed with Luffy's feat. His crew would laugh so much about him cuffing the prison warden with seastone. Luffy wondered how he'd get it off with no key.

I know killing BB seems out of character, but remember that holding sea stone too long makes Luffy lose some of his ability to reason and turns him violent. And he's also very emotional about Ace's imminent execution. But yeah, BB be dead. I hate him and usually kill him in my stories. I looked forward to this chapter for many reasons when I was writing. I think I got the idea in Enies Lobby and had to wait sooo long! And BAMF Luffy locking Magellan with seastone.

Chapter Text

Five more days and it will have been a year of posting this! Thank you for those who have stuck around! Three chapters left before the climax of Marineford! Enjoy~

Jinbei insisted they hurry, and make it outside to get a battleship. Three was running with them, looking more than relieved he didn't need to fight Magellan's poison. His wax would have been very helpful, but this was the easiest way. The warden and the demon guards, the most dangerous things in the prison it seemed, were all defeated by Luffy.

Defeated by a short and lanky monster. "Ngahahaha! There's no way we can lose now!" Bon Clay shouted. "Straw-chan, you're amazing!"

"Neehee! We're all working together now! I couldn't'a done anything without everybody's help!" Luffy said brightly.

Mr. 1 pointed out that all the marine ships outside had 800 men. If they took one, they had to deal with all the others. It wasn't a fun prospect, but they could do it, because there was no other option. Desperation was their main weapon at the moment, spurring them on to do the impossible, which they'd been doing for awhile already.

They finally made it out, only to see the ships were gone. "There's a ship that way!" Luffy said, hearing them easily. "But that's the only one in the area!" Luffy added.

"It's too far! We'll never make it! We're doomed!" Buggy shouted pessimistically. Everyone else was shouting about how they were all screwed. The plan was ruined at the end. Now they had to face the jail once again, no way out. Luffy hated their pessimism, but though it was a long shot to get to the ship, as well. But he didn't give up, especially when Jinbei said he'd take care of this, and Luffy trusted his word.

He didn't seem like the guy to gloat about something and not do what he said. He was honorable and Luffy respected him. He ripped off the Impel Down door, one of the two, and tossed it into the water. Crocodile, Mr.1 and Buggy all got on to fight against that marine ship. Maybe Buggy was actually really brave when he really had to be. This was their last chance, after all. That ship was their hope.

Someone handed Jinbei a baby den den connected to the group.

"He ripped the door off! That's the captain of the Fishman Pirates for ya!" Luffy felt he was in a different group than the one of Arlong.

Jinbei got in the water, and sped the door to the ship quickly. Fishman were indeed fast swimmers. The prisoners were all cheering them on. Luffy lost sight of them so he focused on his other senses, his nose no longer plugged. He took out a blood bag and drank from it. Who knows what was coming next?

Nobody saw it and he quickly tossed it into the water. He wished he had gotten another pair of seastone, so he had to make sure the two he had lasted. Pressure built up. Not until Marineford. It was his secret weapon. He would use it wisely and carefully.

Luffy was surprised that there were more warships than the one in view. Maybe his sinuses were still hurt? He didn't think so. So, he just made a mistake, but that wasn't stopping the warlords, former bounty hunter and bumbling idiot from attacking the ships as best as they could.

He knew they would succeed. Crocodile was strong, and so was Jinbei. Being in the water was a huge advantage against ships. He shot water under the door, launching those on it onto the first marine ship. Luffy wished he had a watch. But he was also glad he didn't. Looking at how much time he had left would both be helpful and terrifying. What if there wasn't much time left? No, he couldn't think like that.

What could I have done differently? But unlike the doubts he had before, he told this thought to fuck off and leave him alone. He did everything they could to get out. There was no other way it could have gone. He just wished Iva-chan and Inazuma had made it. The okama had wanted to fight Magellan, he'd volunteered. And he'd lost, but he showed his bravery by taking him on, truly.

The three fought like hell, with Buggy doing nothing helpful. Luffy could hear them easily. The screams of the marines and the confident voices of the three strong ones as they took on 800 men and were doing well. Crocodile and Jinbei were really lucky to find and let out!

Luffy heard a ruckus from behind, a familiar smell. "Iva-chan, Inazuma!" Luffy cheered, running inside. They were both injured, but alive. "You're alive!"

"We won't die so easily, Straw Hat boy!" the okama queen shouted. Luffy was so happy he was alive that tears pricked his eyes. He wiped them away. "We got to beat Magellan, a nice revenge! Inazuma is very hurt, though." Luffy said he'd managed to cuff Magellan with one of the seastone shackles.

Iva-chan said, "Just what I'd expect from his son!" proudly. Luffy giggled. Then he felt a pain in his arm, and it started to cramp. It hurt, but not in the same way as usual. More like it was just residual pain. Well… the blood was a quick fix. He would get real treatment hopefully after he saved Ace.

He kind of felt sick. Like he was going to throw up. "Straw-chan, are you okay?!" Bon Clay asked in worry. He nodded. Just some aches from everything.

"It makes sense. You should have at least three days of bedrest after fighting off the poison like that! It seems the blood was a quick fix," Ivankov said. Luffy insisted he was fine, and ignored the pain. He could deal with it.

"Straw Hat, it's Jinbei!" someone shouted, and tossed him the den den mushi to the fishman warlord.

"Luffy-kun, my apologies, but we've acquired a ship that is far from the prison! You must jump into the sea, all together, and not be afraid! Then leave the rest to me!"

"What are you talking about, Jinbei?! This is the Calm Belt!" the prisoners shouted. Luffy said he understood, and went to the dock to jump. "Are you serious?!"

Luffy said he trusted Jinbei's word. "If he says to jump, then we jump!" he insisted. "Ace trusted him, I trust him, too!" Others said he was a puppet to the World Government. "If you want to stay here, be my guest! If you don't, trust Jinbei! He was a warlord for a reason! He's strong!"

The blugori and demon guards, along with Magellan with a weapon, came up from behind them. It seemed the fear of Luffy finally wore off, or they were more scared of somebody else. The monsters could pummel them possibly. "Iva-chan, do your wink thing!" Luffy called. He didn't want to fight anymore than necessary.

He didn't want to cause anymore damage to his tired and overworked body before the war. "You're plan won't work! Even if I'm handcuffed, there's no way out of here! All the battleships are gone!" Magellan shouted, voice full of fury. Luffy shouted for Ivankov to do it. "I will not let you get away!"

They were ordered by the okama queen to grab onto his enlarged face as he shot a death wink in front of him to propel them into the water, over the ocean full of sea kings. With so many people, Luffy didn't know if he could scare them off all on his own.

But something was under them until they hit the slippery and spotted blue back of whale sharks! Jinbei called them like Caimie had spoken to the fish! This was their way to the ship. Jimbei really was completely dependable. "Yahoo!" Luffy cheered as they bounced along the peaceful sharks' backs.

They weren't bothered by Luffy's presence, which was very lucky. He hoped he didn't need to command anymore creatures to do his bidding. It was completely possible that it was draining his energy. He would try to rest on the way to Marineford, the final destination. "He's so awesome!" Luffy said as the dozens of whale sharks let them escape, leaving Magellan at the dock, looking horrified, his body hunched over.

A single person broke in, and hundreds of prisoners broke out by the end. Luffy conquered two of the three marine strongholds. They all bounced onto the last whale and onto the ship that was commandeered by two warlords and one's right hand man. Buggy was there, somehow still alive.

Everyone cheered, mocking Magellan from the distance. His prison lost all its credibility! The prisoners and new kama's alike had done the impossible, and they were in a great mood.

Ace, I'm coming!

"Thanks, whale sharks!" everyone said. Jinbei said they had to set sail now, and they did, hurrying away from the prison.

Inazuma was brought to the infirmary at once, heavily poisoned, though not with as many poisons as Luffy had. But that might not matter if they had no antidote. He didn't have two days worth of time to get better.

Luffy hurried into the infirmary, too, and collected more blood bags he stuck into the backpack. Then he went looking for seastone cuffs. It was amazing the backpack was still there and not damaged at all. It had been from level six up to here and was still intact. Impressive. He found a ton of pairs, and got them. He hung them onto the straps.

More weapons to use. There had to be a ton of devil fruit users, not to mention the admirals, at Marineford. And more warlords. He would see Hancock again! Hopefully she could see all of her help worked, and Luffy made it out as safe as possible.

He went into the infirmary's bathroom and drank three bags of blood. The aches and pain beneath his skin were still there, and he felt tired inside. He really did need rest and proper treatment. But he worried he'd fall asleep and not be able to wake up.

If the blood didn't fix him completely, then he had no other shortcut. He'd just have to deal with it. He was still storing the huge burst of power that he'd find a use for. He hoped it didn't wreck his body too bad. It had to be huge. Five days worth of hiding it. Well, it would come in handy. He knew that! He was prepared to use it, too.

They were still fighting marine warships, and Luffy heard about the Gates of Justice. He forgot all about them! They were appearing, too! The second time he'd seen them. He hadn't looked on his way with Hancock. They really were massive. It was crazy they reached the ocean floor. He once again wondered how they were created.

But they were stuck here without them moving for them. All that work… was it going to be stopped just cause of some huge doors? The ship frantically kept the vessel safe from the other marine ships on their tail, chasing them and shooting cannon balls. Everybody was frantic about the Gates of Justice locking them there.

"Shark, what now?!" someone demanded.

"We push through!" he insisted, not bothered at all by the huge gates. Everyone didn't know what he was talking about, but Luffy knew he had a plan. And by some miracle, the Gates of Justice opened a crack!

"WHAAAA?!" the prisoners and new kamas shouted in shock. "Who did that?! How were they opened for us! Nobody would do that for us!"

Luffy suddenly noticed someone was missing. There was no cheerful scream coming from a certain somebody. He searched the ship, pushing through people. Bon-chan was missing! Had he fallen in the water?! He was a devil fruit user! He had been at the docks with them! He was missing!

"Bon-chan is missing!" he shouted. But nobody was listening. They were still shocked about the gates opening for them. Luffy listened for his voice, his smell, but he came up with nothing. What happened to him? Did Luffy forget he was there? He was so consumed with getting out that he hadn't realized his closest ally was gone?

The marines behind said Magellan was opening the gates for them. They couldn't believe that! And Luffy saw him at the doors only minutes ago. He realized what must have happened to allow this, and for Magellan to open the gates for them. Bon-chan didn't die. He stayed behind… Luffy hurried to Jinbei. "Did Bon-chan stay behind?!"

The fishman didn't answer for a moment before he nodded once. They had to go back! "This was his decision. Going back would sully his effort, and we would not escape. We have no time to go back, Luffy-kun." Luffy lost another friend.

"No! We can't leave him behind!" Luffy shouted.

"How many people do you think we've lost on our escape! Hundreds of allies must have died, poisoned! Do you want to face Magellan again?! He could find the key to the cuffs and then we're all doomed! We must continue on to save your brother! Bon Clay chose to be the hero and let us out! We can't go back for him and waste his amazing sacrifice!" Jinbei said, sounding scolding.

They had lost so many people. He was right. But Bon-chan… he was the reason Luffy was alive. That he didn't die a painful, lonely and cowardly death. He sacrificed himself again. Luffy grabbed his hair, and his face crumpled in grief and guilt.

What could I have done differently?

That thought was still there. Would it always be there? He thought he was strong, but now he felt weak, falling apart. "It is not wrong to be upset, Luffy-kun," Jinbei said, as if he was reading his mind. "Negative feelings do not make you weak. They make you human, even if you are not." He said the last part quietly.

Luffy let his face crumple and stay crumpled. He tried to keep the tears in, but his friend's words came into his mind. He barely heard them. "I'll save you in the name of friendship!" That was what this was, again. Luffy wasn't a hero for starting the prison break. He wasn't the hero for stopping Magellan. He wasn't the hero for stopping the demon guards, forcing them to submit to him. He wasn't a hero for killing a dangerous man.

Bon Clay was the hero of the day. This escape was only perfected by his heroism and sacrifice. "He was an amazing man. I shall never forget him for this," Jinbei said firmly. "Cry if you wish, I will not look down on you for it." He handed Luffy a den den mushi. "It's still connected to him. But the range of a baby den den mushi is short. Once we pass through the gates, the signal will cut."

Luffy took the snail. "Bon-chan! Hey, can you hear me, Bon-chan?! Why did you have to do a thing like this again?! It's just like last time! You always save me! I didn't ask for it! Weren't we going to break out here together?! Why… why is it always you who saves me?! If you can hear me, respond, Bon-chan!"

The prisoners heard what was happening, and cheered on the okama. Thanking him for his great sacrifice. They would never forget him and what he'd done. Buggy and Three apologized for leaving him behind. Ivankov looked surprised and saddened.

"B-Bon-chan. The gates are closing. We're… we're going on. To be off now… Thank you!" Luffy heard sobbing from the den den, even if the signal wasn't the best quality. Everyone continued to thank him.

"STRAW-CHAN! You make sure you save your brother! No matter what!" The signal fuzzed. "I know… you can do it!" Luffy was crying hard by now. The signal cut, and Luffy lost another friend.

He wasn't alone in the crying. But he composed himself as fast as he could. He wiped his eyes and nose. He walked to Jinbei, and thanked him for the den den. "I'm sorry we could do nothing else," he said in true regret. Luffy was irritated with how fast everyone else felt fine. They moved on. Buggy even intensively said they should party and stop moping about a dead guy. Luffy nailed him in the face.

Though he wasn't crying, the teen was putting up a front, and still felt terrible. But he would do what his good friend and savior asked. He would save Ace.

"If it wasn't for him, every last one of us would be dead, or back in the hell of Impel Down," Iva-chan said. "He was a wonderful person. I am glad I was able to meet him." Luffy nodded silently. He took the backpack off and held it to his chest.

He lost another friend, but he would not waste his sacrifice. "Jinbei, Iva-chan," he said, getting their attention. "If I tell you to run, then run."

"What do you mean? We won't be leaving you!"

"You will die if you don't." Jinbei asked what he was talking about, his voice firm. "I have one last trump card. It's a complicated story, but I once touched something I shouldn't have, and it gave me the power to let off blasts. Iva-chan and Inazuma saw it before. But I've been holding on for a long time. Once I use it, I think it will eradicate everything in the area. I will no doubt use it in the war. Trust me when I say to run."

"Very well. But tell me it will not hurt you," Jinbei said.

Luffy replied he didn't know what would happen. He clutched the backpack closer. "I think I could survive if I have blood afterwards. I'll use it only in a desperate situation." Ivankov told him he needed to be careful in the war, doing anything. His body was already beaten up and damaged. Even with a quick fix, he was still injured.

"What do you mean?" Jinbei asked, seeing Luffy looked fine. The now-freed revolutionary explained the poison treatment. "You didn't scream at all?"

"If I screamed, I would have been weak. I sort of did a lot of self-reflecting during that time." Ivankov left to check on Inazuma, who he was doing his best to heal. He was treating him much better than he had Luffy. But he wasn't upset, he hadn't known Luffy or who he was related to. He had just been an interesting character to him.

Luffy went to sit on the front of the warship on his own to think. To plan and imagine himself saving Ace to motivate himself even more. He smiled, happy to show him he made it out of Impel Down and broke out important figures.

He laid down on his back, the backpack pressed to his chest. He wouldn't let it go, wouldn't put it down. He heard Jinbei and Crocodile, talking about how violent fishmen were to humans. Jinebi admitted that was true like a man - fishman. Luffy looked at the sky, and knew he was going to face all the admirals, current warlords (minus Blackbeard, dead in Impel Down, his eyes gouged out, spine shattered, and face stomped in) and his grandpa.

Garp… would he try to kill Luffy? He clearly didn't break Ace out. Not that he honestly expected him to. His job had always meant more than family. That much was clear with how little Garp visited him in his childhood. He and Ace were just grandkids. One wasn't related to him by blood, and the other was a small monster he wished to hide.

Well, the vice admiral had been right. Luffy was a monster, and he'd show that on the battlefield. He didn't care. He was accepted by the people that mattered. The rest of the world could fear and hate him if they wished.

The days of being insecure about himself were over. Well, he hoped. No, he was confident in it.

The little lantern he had of hope not long ago was now a raging inferno, lighting up his surroundings. Jinbei came to Luffy, and formally thanked him for freeing him. Luffy smiled up at him, still lying down. "Don't be like that! You helped me out so much! And you're strong as hell."

"I was a warlord, but I have renounced that title, and it will be stripped of me when I appear at Marineford. I will just be another criminal, once again, to them. But, I will fight to save Ace-san and assist you and Whitebeard-san."

"WHAT?! We're going to Marineford?! You know the war going on there?!" Buggy shouted. He hadn't known? Fool.

"It's because you're a dumbass," Crocodile said. "The moment we went through the Gates of Justice, there was no other place to go but Marineford." He explained how the current worked. There was no other destination, even if they weren't planning on fighting in the war. "We broke out to go to the war in the first place. I'm sure that brat was shouting that he was saving his brother over and over."

Well, that was true and a good point. "When we came out without him, it should have been clear where the next place was." He sounded bored with him. Luffy was kind of annoyed with him, as well. His gratitude from before was outweighed by the irritation.

The prisoners were all freaking out, not having known they were going from one hell to another one. "Stop this ship right now, fish!" Buggy demanded.

"There is no way to stop, now," Jinbei replied, unbothered by being grabbed at. He didn't move, as if Buggy wasn't trying to shake him. Luffy told him he could get off if he didn't want to go with them.

"We can't get off now, dumbass! We'll die!" The prisoners who weren't the new kamas all said they would rather be in prison than go to someplace like Marineford in the middle of a war. Well, it was too late to go now.

"You could always just get arrested again immediately," Luffy commented, unmoved by their terror and shock. Even if they wanted to stop, there was no way. They were trapped in the whirlpool.

Chapter Text

IIRoxaII: Thank you! So glad Bon Chan is alive, though. New Okama Queen of Impel Down!

Wishfull-star: ٩(◕‿◕)۶

And we have arrived at the war! Two more chapters until we finally see either how I save Ace or brutally kill him. A lava fist alone just isn't enough perhaps. Hehehe.

They then all heard a den den mushi ringing from the mast, and Luffy picked it up without hesitation. "Huh? Hello?" Luffy asked casually.

"Marine headquarters speaking."

"Hi, I'm Luffy."

"Don't tell him that, you idiot, you're a pirate for godsake!"

The man on the other end said they were aware of what happened at Impel Down. They knew everything. They also knew who the two ringleaders were. They wondered who else it would be, since Luffy was clearly the one who started it all. But the other, they said was Buggy! And he was horrified by this.

"What?! Wow! Captain Buggy is known more than warlords! Amazing!" prisoners he freed shouted. They were all sycophants to him. Well, he did help break them out, and did so without knowing they were possibly sailing right into their deaths.

"Why me?!" Buggy demanded.

"Did you think we don't know? You're not some insignificant pirate, you sailed on Gold Roger's ship! We also heard you are like a brother to the yonko, Shanks!" Everyone was shocked by this news, Luffy as well. He had no idea about that! No... Rayleigh might have mentioned it before!

He hoped he was okay after the fight where his crew were thoroughly defeated. The marines were mistaken when they said it was clear Buggy was trying to save Ace alongside Luffy. So, even if he escaped, no doubt would his bounty raise and he'd be chased more. And if Luffy knew one thing about Buggy, it was that he was a coward.

His life would not be so easy after this.

"We know there are over 200 cirminals on your ship. You're doomed and trapped in the current as nobody will let you through the Gates of Justice. There is no escape for you. You will be dead soon."

"You shut up! I'm gonna save Ace no matter what, you just wait and watch!" Everyone told him to stop picking a fight with marine hq, even though this guy started it first! Luffy hung up, slamming the receiver back and throwing the little doors shut. Buggy was trapped in shock by the world knowing who he was. He tried too hard to not be recognized. But everyone else was shocked. Either the prisoners in awe, or the strongest confused as to why he was so weak.

"Well, every crew has one disgrace," Ivankov said simply, lightly.

Luffy commented, "Oh, I remember! Old man's first mate told me about that." Buggy asked how he was, sounding wistful, talking about the first mate. Based on what Luffy had seen from him, his kindness and light hearted nature, it wasn't surprising that Buggy was happy to hear about the former first mate of his former crew.

How were Shanks and him best buddies, while one was so successful and the other was a near complete failure? Weird. Really weird. Buggy's new fans were still so obsessed with him. It was kind of weird, and a bit pathetic. They all had bounties higher than his, yet they were acting like he was some god just for giving them keys.

It wasn't like he'd helped them in the long run. They were free, but most of that effort was from everyone but Buggy. Well, let them dream. But then they started saying they would take over the ship and not go to marine hq, even if they had just heard there was no other place to go now that they were in the current.

So stupid.

Surprisingly, Buggy stopped their train of thought, to commandeer the ship from Jinbei and Luffy, not to mention having to face Crocodile and the other more prominent members of this group. He said it was a once in a lifetime chance to up his rank. So, following their savior, captain Buggy, they all changed their minds to follow him into the hell that was a war.

Luffy laid and rested some more. The ride took over an hour, as the wind wasn't with them and all they could depend on was the flow of the current. During that time, Luffy spoke with his new friend. "Jinbei."

"Yes?"

"I lost my crew. A few days ago, we were all defeated in Sabaody Archipelago. We were all sent flying in different directions by Kuma. Kizaru beat us up, too. I couldn't save a single one of them. I'm trying not to think of myself as a failure anymore, but if I can't save Ace, then I've lost everyone who ever cared and accepted me. I'll be completely alone. With all the failures of my past still floating around in my head."

"Then don't let Ace-san be executed. After that, you can reunite with your crew, and be stronger than before. This war will make you stronger than you have been before."

"Or it could break me into pieces. Or be my death… but, I won't let Ace die. Even if it kills me. I'm prepared for the world to see me as a monster, if it's to save my only brother."

"Rest for a bit. You'll need your strength," he simply replied. Luffy closed his eyes, and relaxed his body. The pent up pressure was starting to affect him. He could tell. Well… hopefully it would be over soon. He clutched his backpack a bit more.

Before they reached it, he went to the kitchen and ate what was left. The blood was good enough, and he drank one more pack, his heart fluttering. Before he went out, he got metal sheeting from the room with repair supplies, and bent it so it was like a shield. He put it on the bottom and front of the backpack for added security.

Three handcuffs from the armory were stuffed inside, and the two were hanging below his armpits through the straps that held the thing securely to his back.

When they got to the Gates of Justice, the entire ship was shocked to see them opening. Somebody was opening them for them? Who, why?! Well, it was lucky for them! Ace, I'm nearly there! He smiled a nervous smile. He was going to a real war. He would be fighting in it, alongside Whitebeard. Hopefully he'd accept him as an ally. Or at least somebody who isn't his target.

Ace spoke fondly of him, and respected him. Luffy thought he wouldn't kill him. Luffy put the extremely heavy backpack on. It wasn't enough to hinder him, but a normal person could never wear it and move around freely at the same time. He had another pair of seastone cuffs in his shorts. The arm cover was off. He would hide nothing.

"We're here," he sighed out loud.

"Going to war. It will be a nightmare, but we've chosen this fate," Jinbei said.

"I'll take that old man's head here," Crocodile muttered.

"I won't let your son die, Dragon," Ivankov said too quietly under his breath for anyone but Luffy to hear. He had strong allies. And the prisoners were all cheering Buggy on still. Luffy paid no attention to them. Not one bit.

They sailed through the gates easily, out of the current. "I wonder if your father will come, soon."

"Huh? Oh, Ace's dad is Gold Roger, not my dad." Everyone was shocked. "Oh, that was a secret."

"WHAAAT!?" Each person was shocked and showed it besides Crocodile, who just looked mildly interested.

Luffy looked ahead, but there was a fog he couldn't see. He knew they were getting close when he could smell all the gunpowder and metal. All the seastone ships, all of the concrete. They were getting there soon.

"I wish you didn't have to go…"

"We've been planning this for over seven years, Lu. I'll be fine, don't worry!"

"Still…"

"Don't be a baby again. You'll be fine here. More room for you to grow and beat up the forest animals, if they don't keep evading you, that is!"

"Yeah, I guess."

"Don't be so mopey, you'll ruin my departure!"

"I won't! I know nothing can stop you, though. I'm happy and sad at the same time!"

"You become a fearsome pirate and spit in Gramps' face. You don't belong in hiding, you belong out there causing havoc and making friends. Okay? Don't let that old man rule your life."

"Never! Shishishi!"

"I can hear a lot of sounds. I think the war started already. So noisy." He pulled out the two ear plugs that he found in the infirmary, and put them in. All the explosions would no doubt blow his eardrums if he didn't add any protection. He could still hear everything around him, but the sounds were not so sharp.

They all saw before Luffy said a thing, the fast moving wave towards them. It swept up the ship, high into the air as the tsunami crested. They all screamed, and Jinbei tried to swerve the ship, but the wave was too strong, and they all had to hold on for their lives as it threw the ship around. He saw a few prisoners fall over the side. Luffy was wrapped around the mast before there was a cracking sound, and the wave froze, sticking them inside.

"What happened?!"

"Aokiji!" Luffy said. The admirals really were there. He wondered what the third one was like, if the first two they met were so strong. "The war is below," he said darkly. "We're nearly there. Ace…" He made sure his backpack was secure, the seastone wrapped in cloth so they didn't bump against the bare skin of his upper arms.

The one in his pocket was heavy. All in all, he had six cuffs, and ten blood bags. He couldn't lose this backpack. He felt a huge pulse through him, and forced it down, clenching his teeth. God, the explosion was going to be unreal. Especially since it got stronger with negative emotions.

This would be a mess. He hoped none of his allies got caught up in it. "We should break the ice and slide down the back!" Luffy said. "The ship's gotta move now or we can't get down!" Then the den den mushi rang.

There were some code words beforehand, but they all heard, "Calling all ships and troops! The execution of Portgas D. Ace will commence advanced in schedule flawlessly!" Luffy grew pale. Another pulse. Damn it, not yet!

"Hurry! We gotta break the ice!" Luffy shouted. They all slammed into the ice, breaking it, only it didn't go to plan, like most of Luffy's plans didn't. The ice broke on the front, but the ship was unbalanced, it seemed, leaning more to the front of the wave. Instead of sliding down the back, the ship plummeted down to the ice that was the bay.

The people the size of ants got bigger as the ship fell and all those with it. "Ahhh!" they all screamed. Luffy could smell ace easily, and found where the execution platform was. He smelled Garp there, too. He didn't want to face him, truly. He didn't want them to fight one another. Not after the letter he read, and when Luffy told him the truth of how his damaging words had affected him.

He smelled tons of people, and all sorts of weapons along with the heavy stench of blood. That's right, people were dying here. Luffy had killed before, but as he saw the many bodies, pirates and marines, he shivered. But he had no regrets about coming.

"ACE!" Luffy shouted. He was glad he put a rope around the backpack and his chest so it wouldn't fall apart. If it had not had that rope, it would have fallen off his back. The seastone cuffs in his pocket fell out, so he now had five pairs. He hoped it was enough. He saw Aokiji and Kizaru there, and one more guy. He had wicked eyes.

Luffy also saw who he assumed the leader was. Standing beside Ace, bloody and chained to the platform he was on. Luffy would get him out of those cuffs, it would be great if he used Ace's trappings against someone else.

"We're gonna die!" Luffy shouted. "The bay is ice below! Ah, nevermind! I'll be fine, I'm made of rubber!"

"Then you'll be the only survivor!" Three shouted. They all blamed one another, and hearing these big, bad people get angry at one another for this was a bit strange. Luffy saw who he assumed was Whitebeard, and wow, he was huge. Not as big as giants, but at least 20 feet tall. Despite how old he was, the man was buff and strong.

He had a commanding presence that Luffy didn't really like, but was happy it was a force that was trying to save his big brother. "Ace! I'm here!" Luffy shouted.

"LUFFY!" he screamed in horror, seeing his brother on the battlefield. At least he knew Luffy wasn't trapped in Impel Down, though! Garp was furious that he was there. Well, if he wasn't gonna save Ace, then Luffy would. He should have expected this! Luckily, there was a huge chunk of ocean, and the ship landed there.

Jinbei saved the fruit users who fell into the water, and dragged them out. Luffy spit up water, and felt his backpack was no less heavy. The cuffs were still there. Good! His equipment was fine after the fall. "Aaaaccceeee!" Luffy called. "I finally found you!" Luffy cheered. He stood on the front of the tilted marine battleship that brought them there, with his strong allies.

Jinbei, Ivankov, Crocodile, Mr. 1, Buggy, and the rest of the Impel Down escapees. 200 men were just added to the battlefield. All of the Impel Down convicts were strong, so hopefully they fought and didn't just stick to their "lord and saviour" the whole time. Though they could get in their way, too. Well, he had strong allies and that was the more important part.

"Garp, it's your damn family!" Luffy heard it faintly. It seemed sound echoed here a lot. It made sense, they were in a sort of tunnel between the frozen tsunamis. Garp shouted his name in fury again.

"Ace, we're here to save you!" The Impel Down escapees cheered, holding weapons they got from the ship. They sure were an intimidating bunch, but did prison dull them, or were they raring to fight against the marines that put them there? They would see soon.

Luffy saw Hancock, Kuma, Mihawk (grrr, he hurt Zoro!), Moria and one other guy. He'd encountered all warlords but one. The feathery guy. Hancock was happy to see him, while Moria was pissed that he was there. Only a few weeks ago, Luffy defeated him.

"Certainly the group he's got there," Aokiji said, almost impressed.

"To see him so soon. Hoh, it seems his wrecked body has been healed," Kizaru's voice said. He lightly worried the ear plugs were worthless. Well, even if he was turned deaf by sudden explosions, he could still fight, would still fight. But now, he'd officially breached all major branches of the marines and government.

He didn't feel very proud, mostly focused now on the war he had literally been dropped into.

"That must be the brother Ace was talking about. He sure doesn't look like a cute little boy." Well yeah, Luffy was in weird tattoos, red eyes, and looking tired and angry. He pushed down another pulse from the rage he felt at the state his brother was in. He'd seen how bloody his prison cell was, though. It wasn't surprising based on how badly injured Jinbei was from the beatings.

Luffy was just happy he was told Ace never experienced anything other than level six. He didn't go through the other hells of that place. Good, it was relief.

Luffy recognized many scents here. Smoker, Tashigi, Coby and Helmeppo, Jango and that guy from Baratie. He remembered how both of them had smelled gross. But the only scent he focused on was his brother's.

He was so angry at Luffy.

He would avoid the most menacing one here. The third admiral, sitting beside Aokiji. Luffy couldn't explain why, but if there was anyone he'd be avoiding, it was that guy. He could hear through his ear plugs. Maybe real wax would have been better. Though it didn't matter now.

Sengoku addressed Jinbei, furious about his involvement in this and the prison break. "I resign as a warlord!" he shouted. What a cool way to resign, though! Garp was confused with the line up backing Luffy, sure they weren't all in it for the same reason. Three of them were, Buggy and Crocodile were not.

Speaking of Crocodile, he was going after Whitebeard.

"He's my father now. The best father you could ever have."

Luffy used gear second in an instant, kicking Crocodile's hook out of the way of the old guy's head. Luffy in hindsight probably didn't need to do that, this guy was Whitebeard. The strongest man in the world. But he wanted to. Plus, he still had something to tell the man. His leg was wet, his body still wet from the water, so it worked.

"We have an agreement. This doesn't concern you!" Crocodile said in annoyance and anger. Luffy responded that Ace really liked this guy. He heard praises from other people for helping Whitebeard, though very few seemed worried about what would have happened if Luffy hadn't been there.

He stood next to Whitebeard for a moment before the guy looked at the hat hanging against his back. Luffy didn't care about his hair. That was the least important part of his weird appearance. "Boy, that Straw Hat you wear…"

"Shanks gave it to me to hang on to," Luffy said firmly. Proud of the hat that had belonged to two powerful men before him. One more like him than the other.

"Are you here to save your brother?"

"That's right!" Luffy said. He already knew this guy was underestimating him. Everybody would maybe but for the warlords and two of the admirals. He didn't look tough if he wasn't using that scary face, letting out that aura. It would have been cool to bring the demon guards along so they could fight beside him, but they might have just made a mess and attacked the guys he wasn't against.

"I hope you understand what you're up against! A brat like you won't stand a chance here!" Luffy scowled at him. It was annoying, being told he wasn't strong enough. He already had that feeling in his head, he didn't need others to tell him that so bluntly.

Luffy growled. "Shut up! That's not for you to decide!" Everyone was silent in shock, but Luffy continued. He promised Zoro he'd say this one day. "I know what you want! You want to be the Pirate King!" he accused. "Well I'm the one who's gonna be the Pirate King!" he shouted confidently, defiantly.

Whitebeard narrowed his eyes and spun his bisento, the largest weapon Luffy'd seen since Dorry and Broggy back on Little Garden, so long ago. He slammed the base of it down, sending a shock wave across the front of his ship, where both were standing. The ship was huge! Bigger than a marine warship! Ace did say the crew was big.

"Gurarara, you sure are a cheeky brat. I won't show mercy if you slow us down!" the yonko said. He wasn't angry at Luffy, thankfully. Though Ace was watching, he loved his brother. Whitebeard would be a terrible father if he killed Luffy.

"I'll do whatever the hell I want. No matter what it takes, I'm saving Ace myself!" Everyone was still shocked by his attitude. If Luffy was going to be Pirate King, he had to surpass every person in the world. Even this man. At least he got to say what he'd wanted, even if it wasn't in the situation Luffy expected it to be in. In a war to save his last big brother.

Luffy told him about the marines moving the execution up casually. "That's important information, then. Sorry for earlier." Neehee, he was talking on (seemingly) equal terms with Whitebeard! He had something to tell him. Maybe it would raise his spirits.

He bluntly said, "I killed Blackbeard. He won't take Ace again." Whitebeard narrowed his eyes at Luffy, clearly not believing him.

"And how did you manage that?" The others in the area were surprised, too. Luffy said he strangled him with a seastone chain. And that the monsters of Impel Down took down his crew. He didn't mention the whole biting, gouging his eyes out and breaking his spine. That was a bit too graphic. He didn't want Whitebeard to think he was an insane murderer.

The man looked shocked for a moment. Then he saw the seastone cuffs dangling from the backpack. "Well, that's very helpful. Ace will be ashamed of you defeating him when he couldn't."

"Shishishi, yup!" Luffy said.

Chapter Text

He jumped down and began his run to Ace. How many marines were here? Thousands, at least. He really was an ant in size, but he wouldn't be in strength. Tired and injured though he was, he couldn't feel any pain with the adrenaline pumping through him. Adrenaline and determination to get Ace to stop wearing that look.

Kizaru went after him, saying the Celestial Dragons really wanted his head. But when he shot a beam at him, Iva-chan was there, and death winked it away. "Thanks, Iva-chan!"

"It's my duty to not let you kill yourself!" Luffy nodded, and kept running. He smelled Kuma, and ducked when a blast came at him. Then he jumped back up, Ivankov taking care of him now, it seemed.

A woman Luffy recognized from Alabasta, who had been trying to capture him but they got away, tried to trap him. He avoided it and decided to use his first weapon. He jumped and ran at her in gear second, before he twirled and slammed the cuff into her head, knocking her out. Head wounds were the best to use quickly. He returned the cuff to where it went, holding it so briefly that nothing happened.

He was in gear second, passing by everybody he could, only hitting someone when necessary. The bay was bigger than it seemed from above, and then there was the crowded grounds that nobody had breached yet. He didn't pull out the seastone because gear second would evaporate instantly if he did.

Only against devil fruit users. And going against logias would be the best. Five seastones cuffs, two hanging and three in the backpack. Someone hit the backpack, but it hit the metal plating and didn't break it. It was marine metal, after all, high quality. Oh, he wished Zoro was here. He'd have the time of his life against these guys.

Though he was hurt, still. He had no doubt about that, and he was glad he wouldn't need to worry over him and have that be a distraction. Moria was there, with his zombies. Did he forget that he could scare them out? He did, making a brief appearance of that face. The shadows fled and the zombies died.

"Straw Hat!" Moria shouted angrily, his power useless against Luffy. People were asking why he had been able to make the shadows disappear. Moria would not admit that Luffy frightened them away. He had mastered that look, that aura, to be put out and rescinded instantly. Those that weren't surprised were the prisoners and allies who'd seen him scare the prison animals over and over again.

God, he wished he'd brought some, but it would have been a waste of space and effort, as the blugori would flee. Who knows what the demon guards would do? This place was full of powerful people. Many no doubt way more powerful than he was when he wasn't cheating with seastone.

"LUFFY! STAY AWAY!" There it was. Ace was angry he was there. "You should know better! We're both pirates, we've both sailed the seas! I have my own adventures! My own nakama! You shouldn't butt in! You're such a weakling!" Liar. "You think I'll forgive someone like you for rescuing me?! It'd be humiliating! Go home, Luffy! Why did you come?!"

Luffy shouted, "Your vivre card was burning! What would you have done?!" Ace flinched. Knowing he'd worried Luffy so much. "I'll save you even if it kills me!" Even if I turn into the monster you said I never was! "I AM YOUR LITTLE BROTHER!" he roared. "I don't give a shit about your rules as pirates!"

Ace was still angry. Still scared for him. He understood, but Ace should also understand how he feels. They're both wanting to rescue each other. Luffy knew Ace would have come without a second thought. He couldn't think Luffy wouldn't do that as well. He might be insignificant in this war, maybe Whitebeard succeeded and Luffy was sidelined. But if he had not come, he would have been the worst brother in the world.

Ace was his only real family, the first person who accepted him fully. Sabo was there, too, but Ace had identified with him as a monster in another way. Everyone there was wondering if he was also Roger's son. Looks like the world knew now. That Ace was born from somebody he loathed. Luffy really wondered how he'd feel when the younger one explained his history. He hoped he wouldn't be mad.

The zombies came after him from behind, but Jinbei defeated them by using the ocean to drench them and put salt into their mouths. Luffy didn't want to reveal that scary side so soon, so this was convenient. "Jinbei!" Luffy said with a smile.

Sengoku then swiftly told everyone about Luffy's father. He was now seen as a monster just like Ace. They were both the sons of criminals. World class criminals. But Luffy's father should matter more than Roger, as Dragon was still alive! Why were they so bothered by somebody who never even met their father!?

Sure, Luffy hadn't either, so it didn't make sense. Not meeting them… how could they be influenced personally? It wasn't their fault that they were born from those people. They didn't decide that, they shouldn't be punished for it. Why wasn't Garp punished, then? He had Dragon, that was his kid.

But it seemed he hadn't ever told Sengoku about Luffy's uniqueness. Or else he'd tell everyone about that, make Luffy look like even more of a monster. The pulse came back, and he pressed it down. But the mark glowed red. Oh well, he didn't care by now. But it faded quickly. It was building up really bad by now.

A giant approached Luffy, and he brought out gear third, slamming a huge fist into the guy, knocking him back. Seastone was definitely a last resort. His devil fruit was too helpful in this fight. In this battle with so many fruit users. "I will save you! No matter what I have to do!" He heard Garp swear, the only one who knew what could be meant in those words.

He never wanted Luffy to be discovered, and here he was, ready to show everyone. His backpack was still there, holding blood. He had no intention on feeding off of anybody here. "I won't forgive you if you let that kid die, Marco!" Whitebeard's deep voice said.

"Roger that," Marco must have said. Luffy didn't know who was Marco, though. He didn't know any names or faces of most of the people here.

Luffy fought alongside Iva-chan, who was noisy and optimistic. He was nice to be around, even if he sounded silly so much. But there were so many people that it was hard to progress at all to the stone area below and in front of the execution platform. He dodged a hit, and found that useless Kuina look-like, Tashigi (who wasn't wearing her glasses even in the middle of a battle), tried to attack him.

He heard and smelled Smoker coming towards him, and dodged his jitte. And slammed the seastone cuff into his neck. He meant for the head, but it stopped him, and he coughed up blood. It was a hard hit. "Damn it! I forgot - cough - about the seastone!" Luffy snapped the jitte in half over his knee.

Luffy didn't need to deal with more logias, but he didn't cuff him. He wasn't the most powerful devil fruit user here. He had at least four more huge problems, with four more possible problems in the form of the warlords. But Smoker recovered, and sent his white ploom at him. But he couldn't wrap it around Luffy without touching the cuffs hanging from his backpack securely.

Luffy kicked him in the face, the seastone making him useless. But he kept going after Luffy, both surrounded by battling marines and pirates. Then Hancock came! She kicked Smoker in the head, actually hitting him. "Hancock! What are you doing?! You're fighting for the marines, now!" Smoker said in annoyance and anger at the red spot on his cheek from her kick in heels.

"Shut up! I am too angry to explain in words! How dare you target my beloved!? I will chop you into pieces and feed you to animals!" People were wondering what was happening. Smoker didn't know how she hit him when he was a logia. She'd landed a good attack. Luffy was so happy to see her! His first ally in all of this.

"Hancock! Thank you!" Luffy said. She blushed and then handed him something before explaining it was the key to Ace's cuffs! How had she done that? It was amazing! He couldn't help hugging her, thanking her profusely. She was such a help. "I owe you so much!"

She was flustered as she said, "I-It's fine! Hur-ry to your brother!"

"Right, thank you!"

He put the key into the mini pocket in the pocket of his shorts. He couldn't lose that. It would be safest to eat it and vomit it up later, but that would take time. And the key might not come out. He wouldn't have Robin to pry his esophagus open so they could get the key out.

He ran off, and when Smoker tried going after him, Hancock got him again. "Stand back, insolent fool!" she could sound so scary, but other times all soft. Well, that was how Zoro was. They were similar, it seemed!

"Hancock saved my ass again," he huffed. This was tiring. He'd done so much damn running today. Just resting wasn't that helpful. He couldn't take out a blood bag yet. He had plenty, but he wasn't tired enough to need it. It wasn't that desperate. He'd gotten a lot of blood before. He would be fine a bit longer. It was awe inspiring with how Hancock was still so strong when she most likely hadn't had any blood before now, being in the presence of marines the whole time, after all. Luffy was lucky so many of his allies knew and were fine with it. All the new kamas, Iva-chan, Jinbei. Crocodile didn't know, though he did see Luffy lose it. But that didn't show what he was.

He ran into his revolutionary ally, who was angry and upset at Kuma, who was attacking him. "Iva-chan, you know him?" Luffy was still mad at him for taking away his crew, but doing that saved them in the short term. But he was different now. He smelled even more metal, less fleshy. The feather guy made his first appearance in front of Luffy. He explained, in entertainment it seemed, about Kuma being fully weaponized.

"Lies! He hated the government, he would never allow them to do this!"

"Kuma smells like a machine, Iva-chan. My nakama cut him but there was machinery. It's called a pacifista," Luffy said.

"Oho, you know quite a bit about it," the feather guy said. He still sounded and looked amused, even with his eyes hidden behind red glasses. Luffy disliked him. He gave off a bad smell.
"Only a few days ago, he was changed completely. He's no longer the Kuma from before!"

"Farewell. We will never meet again." Did that have a hidden meaning? That he would never be the same as he was? He wondered why Kuma would ever do such a thing. Why anybody would do such a thing. It was weird. To let yourself be turned into a weapon and lose everything about yourself.

It was sick and twisted. It made him wonder, though, if that Sentomaru was here. Only a few days ago, his arm was blown apart completely. Luffy was still glad he made one of them suffer, even if it made his time during that nightmare worse. A pulse came back, and Luffy hunched over, breathing heavily.

He got hit from behind, and felt his legs shaking. Time for a refill. He ran back the way he came, where there were less people, and pulled out a blood bag from behind, slurping it down, the shaking in his legs subsided, and he felt better. One bag gone, nine more. He would be fine. He'd be fine.

The okama queen finally went serious against the former Kuma, letting out a huge death wink move, named galaxy wink. But he was prepared and dedicated to get Kuma to remember him. And was also angry that he tried to blow up Iva's "candy boys". He would be distracted with him. Where was Jinbei? Still dealing with Moria? "My new kamas! Go with Straw Hat boy!"

"Roger that! Let's go! To the gallows!" More people were around him now. It seemed nobody noticed the blood bag. Though he wasn't the center of attention here. Everyone was busy fighting against enemies. There were so many allies of the Whitebeards, along with those on their massive ship. Plenty of people for Luffy to get lost in the crowd when it was convenient.

The next big person to face him was Hawkeye. "I don't have time for you! I gotta get to Ace!" Luffy shouted. He couldn't deal with a guy that defeated Zoro. Though that was long ago, when Zoro was normal. He couldn't cut steel or anything super special back then, even though he was still really strong.

Hawkeye looked emotionless. But, if he attacked him, Luffy would escape his black blade. "I'll never forgive you for slicing up Zoro!" Luffy shouted. Even if it seemed necessary in hindsight, seeing him spray blood had been terrible. I miss Zoro. He pushed that thought away. He missed everyone, but it wasn't the time for that. Not now and probably not for a while from now.

Hawkeye attacked those around them, and then eventually went after Luffy. He dodged every hit but for a slice on his arm. Blood came out, and he hated seeing his own blood. But maybe it could corrode his sword? No, that would mean getting cut by it, which was suicidal. Luffy ducked, jumped out of the way. On constant guard, he couldn't get any further.

Two new kamas came and attacked him. They knew him before they were in prison, apparently. But they didn't stand a chance. "I do not recall the face of every insect I crush," Hawkeye said, slicing them down. Luffy almost did a gatling gun before he saw his arm get chopped off. Just the imaginming made him be careful with his arms.

He was sure he could not regrow limbs. At least, not instantly and not without a shit ton of blood. If it was possible at all, that is. But he attacked again, and sliced. Luffy ducked, and watched in shock and slight horror as the iced up tsunami on the left was sliced apart. It was fully cut. His eyes were wide.

Fighting Hawkeye might just be pointless. He couldn't get close, all he could was dodge, and even that was difficult. He kept his emotions about Zoro's defeat inside, not thinking about them, not thinking about him. Too distracting!

"What will you do now?" Hawkeye asked. Luffy could only dodge. But then he did something pretty new. And something he'd do with nobody else.

"Gomu gomu jet substitute!" and he grabbed Buggy and threw him at Hawkeye, who cut him in half easily and he was fine. Buggy got mad until Luffy told him that he wasn't the one to cut him in half! Then he ran, but the current strongest swordsman alive chased after him.

"Help him out, Vista!" Marco's voice said, definable for some reason, and a guy with two swords and a fancy outfit appeared.

"Leave it to me!" Luffy ran away, glad to be rid of Hawkeye - for the moment at least. He didn't know who the guy was, but thanked him. Suddenly there was an explosion right next to him that made his left ear ring. These damn earplugs were useless! He felt blood trickle out of his ear. Shit. He could still hear. He would keep the ear plug in so nobody saw how sensitive his ears were.

He couldn't have his senses targeted and it was difficult to get blood out while dodging and fighting. Ideally, he wouldn't use any more blood, but that was unrealistic. But damn, did that ringing in his ear annoy him. He wasn't deaf in that one, he could still hear. Thankfully.

Ace was getting executed early. Their preparations were complete. Ace was going to die! No! "Ace!" Luffy screamed. He couldn't let this happen. He attempted to push out the blast, but it didn't come out. It almost felt like a clogged drain or something. It was uncomfortable, but not enough to affect his movement. Was it stuck like that?

Maybe his body was telling him it wasn't time. Was he going too fast? But Ace! They were going to kill him soon! Luffy heard blasts and marching noises from behind. He turned to see dozens of pacifistas! So many! And Sentonmaru was there. One arm was gone indeed. And he came anyway. Admirable.

But he might have a massive grudge against Luffy and sic all the pacifistas at him. He had to get out of sight of them. But he wasn't focused on it. Instead, it was clear this was a plan, taking them up from behind. Locking them in the bay. Something bad was going to happen soon. He could tell. It was a hunch, probably having nothing to do with his non-human senses.

The pacifistas were to attack the stragglers and drive them into the bay, trapping them. They wouldn't be able to leave that way. Luffy heard the sounds of the humanoid weapons going off, and it brought back painful memories of Sabaody. He shook his head, just barely ducking a sword aimed at his neck. He kicked the guy in the face.

He wanted to go home to the Sunny. But the Sunny was empty of his crew, which was what made it home the most. He couldn't go home without Ace being saved. Why was he thinking of that at a time like this?! It was useless to want to go home during a war.

Whitebeard ordered them to leave the back and hurry to the platform, which the marines didn't want for some reason. He heard Sengoku yelling that they were about to execute Ace. He fumbled to grab a seastone cuff, but he dropped it. He went to pick it up, but was sliced at and shot at. He lost another one. Unlucky!

"Wipe them out all at once!" Sengoku ordered.

"Ace!" Luffy shouted in worry and fear. "I gotta hurry!" But he was kicked in the face by Kizaru, way too fast to even think to handcuff him. He had no hope against him, he was too fast. Even if it would be the most useful to take him out of the fight, he was made of light. Way too fast for his senses to keep up with.

He was kicked backwards, flying into Jinbei, who caught him. "Th-thanks, Jinbei! Damnit, an admiral came out!"

"We expected strong enemies from the beginning!" That didn't mean he hadn't hoped to avoid them, though.

"Ace's little brother! Have you run out of strength?" an okama said. Well, he looked like a fancy okama. Or he just dressed feminine. Jinbei said they were the division commanders, which was great for them. Great to give Luffy a break. He wouldn't drink more blood. Should he? He didn't want to run out! And he had to get to Ace.

He took a short breather as the commanders wiped out those in the way. The battlefield went silent in shock when Whitebeard was suddenly impaled by a huge sword from the front! By someone who worked with him?! Luffy thought they were all close to one another, that's what Ace and the world said.

Did someone betray at the worst moment? Everybody was baffled and seeming unable to process it. But the fight must continue. Luffy lsietend, and Marco, the flying guy, slammed the traitor down on the front of the ship. "SQUARD!" Marco bellowed in fury. "How could you do that?!"

The man named Squard swiped his sword at the number two of the yonko crew. "Shut up! It's your fault this has to happen, too!" Then he turned to Whitebeard, who stopped his second in command from attacking anymore. Then Squard said that Whitebeard made a deal with the marines to save his crew and Ace, for trading all the allied crews. He also didn't know about Ace's dad, which wasn't any of his business, to be quite frank. Why would it be any of that guy's business, he wasn't even a Whitebeard, but an ally!

Luffy growled at the gall he had to get upset Ace's very undesirable father's name was never revealed. What made him so special? And while he thought these words were true, his voice showing no lies, it still didn't seem right! That old man was known for being a good guy to his friends, right?

Who told Squard that bullshit? Luffy was angry for Ace's sake, watching himself being blamed partially for his father and captain being stabbed by one of their own allies. And everyone believed his words just because the allies from behind were being targeted the most. They were behind, the enemies were behind! Of course they were being attacked! Look at their location.

Were New World captains really this dumb? They should come to their senses or their entire side of the war would fall apart. Doubt in the ranks would destroy them from the inside.

"You fool, you were tricked!" Marco roared. "Why won't you believe in Pops?!" Squard didn't believe him.

"It is true that Ace's father is Roger. The marines manipulated you knowing that information would make you emotional. They were one step ahead of us."

Crocodile then was heard throughout the battlefield. "You are pathetic, Whitebeard! You weren't this weak when you defeated me!"

"Squard… you dare raise a finger against your father?" Whitebeard still called him his son. Even though he betrayed him. Why? "My foolish son! But though you may be a fool, I still love you," and he hugged him. "It was Akainu, was it? While Ace's father is Roger, he is not Ace. It is foolish to blame a child for their parent's deeds. Be friends with him. Ace is not the only special one. You are all my family."

Wow. What a good man. No wonder Ace cared about him so much. Whitebeard accepted him for him, not his father. Ace wasn't special, he was one of many of his family members, his children. Though Ace was a commander, named a huge position on the ship, he was still another one of the yonko's kids.

He turned to Sengoku, angry that his son was manipulated. Akainu, huh? He was the nasty one Luffy wanted to avoid. "Luffy-kun, is your ear alright?" Jinbei asked, getting the teen's attention.

"Yeah. I can still hear alright. The ear plugs aren't very helpful," Luffy replied. Then they turned back to Whitebeard, who slammed his fists into the air, cracking it with his overwhelming and overpowered abilities. It got rid of the ice walls. The pirates could escape by marine ships if they wanted.

"If you call yourself pirates, choose what you wish to believe!" They were all muttering about how they couldn't believe they were doubting him for even a moment. His reputation was so solid that any cracks in it were fixed immediately. "Those who would follow me! Be ready to lose your lives! Come with me!" And that was all they needed to have more invigoration. They were freshly determined and motivated by the old man's words.

"Get ready! The strongest man in the world is about to attack!" Sengoku bellowed. Whitebeard finally jumped off of the ship's whale head, and landed on the ice. The Whitebeard allies hated the marines now, for manipulating one of their own into attacking their leader and named father. The marines just pissed them all off more. Was that their plan, or a stupid mistake?

Akainu was a wicked man for doing that, pulling that shameful stunt. Luffy had never had a real code of honor or anything like that, but that would be considered dishonorable to him. Squard was crying, and many were still pissed at him. Including Marco, who simply told him crying would get them nowhere. But Luffy heard the grinding of something below the ice. Something was wrong.

"Isn't the encircling wall not ready yet?!" Sengoku asked, voice hurried. Luffy's eyes widened. The ice was quaking beneath them. Something was coming from below. Was that why they cornered the pirates in the bay? To trap them? Luffy started sprinting, wanting to get there before it was too late.

But the marines were determined to not let the pirates into the plaze. "Jinbei, a wall is coming! It's grinding below the ice! It'll trap us!" The Whitebeard's heard this, too, and they started to sprint, even though they were not able to get to the plaza easily. Luffy would go alone if he had to.

He stepped on faces, like stepping stones as he ran through the crowd. Even with gear second, he wasn't going to make it through everybody. A giant was stopping Whitebeard, and he did something that Luffy didn't see, that tilted the whole island, making him fall to the side, "Damn it!" Luffy called.

Now he wasn't able to get there! Damn old man! He screwed him over! Whitebeard was amazing and kind, but now Luffy was angry at him for tilting everything like that. Luffy tried clawing himself back up, but he slid and landed against the bay wall, so tilted he couldn't do anything to get back to where he'd been before.

Whitebeard defeated the giant, and then sent an attack, a slash attack, at the execution platform. It ripped apart the building behind it, but the admirals stood there, able to stop the attack. Luffy's eyes widened. They stopped that attack that ripped apart buildings all behind it. They were too strong.

Luffy's eyes narrowed. He was to be the Pirate King. He couldn't let marines intimidate him, no matter their rank. But it was hard not to, honestly. Luffy was next to Jinbei, and asked if that guy cared about those on his side. "They knew to avoid him during that."

"But I was close to getting to the plaza, and now I'm not!" Luffy complained in frustration. They were going to kill Ace and trap them there! With the ground even again, Luffy and Jinbei ran. Luffy was tired, bone tired. But he had no time to get a blood bag out right now. There was no time to waste, so he wouldn't waste it.

"Don't falter, men! Head straight through there!" the old captain shouted, his men roaring and running again. Luffy finally got a clear shot, and latched his hands onto the wall of the bay to shoot himself up.

He grit his teeth, but just before he could launch up, the grinding finally stopped, and a huge wall raised. He fell back to the ice. The wall was made of seastone! Before he could react, he heard a terrible thundering from above, but all of them heard it. Luffy's eyes widened and jaw dropped as magma fists fell from the sky, and started to rain down on the ice, and pirates.

They smashed holes in the ice, and turned the water below boiling. Luffy heard hundreds of screams, people crying about being boiled alive. He saw men hit, and half of their bodies burnt away. Dead bodies, charred and unlucky, littered the icy ground, which was slowly cracking.

He turned to the wall, and knew there was no other time. He covered his ears at the sounds of agony, the sizzling of burnt flesh and the smell that came with it. It was nauseating! He felt he was going to throw up. His body hurt, it was all so scary, he wanted out!

Going to the wall, he felt it was indeed seastone. Whitebeard's attacks won't work. Luffy then heard the large ship, the Whitebeard pirates' home, burn to a crisp. It was like Merry's burning, only a billion times worse. This wasn't a funeral for their ship, but it was just being murdered. The water continued to boil. Luffy took a deep breath. He took a blood bag and bit into it, keeping it in his mouth. Through that, he told Jinbei it was time to run. He remembered their talk, and ran. With no way in, this was the only quick fix possibility. He wouldn't be boiled alive, and he wasn't going to let Ace die. It was time.

Cliffhanger! Next chapter is super busy, of course, the climax and end of the Marineford arc. Well, Marineford is quite present throughout the rest of the story. That shit isn't just brushed under the rug after a two year time skip. 

Chapter Text

We are here my guys. The conclusion of Marineford, and knowing whether I gave into my sadistic side and killed Ace, or decided to let him live. Enjoy!

Luffy raised his arms, and screamed as he released the shockwave that had been building for nearly six days. It was so huge it blasted him backwards, but created a massive hole in the wall. He heard shouts as the blast traveled all the way to the plaza, leaving a crater in the ground. Luffy sat back up, in pain, and drank the blood bag.

Everyone was silent, the magma fists stopping. Luffy appeared in the doorway of the hole. "You… won't... KILL ACE!" he bellowed. The pirates and marines alike were shocked. Luffy's whole body was trembling. He couldn't feel the left side of his body anymore. Even though it all came out from the front. He couldn't feel much of his body, but out of sheer determination, he forced it to function.

Maybe it was good he couldn't feel that side; it dulled the pain. He grabbed one more blood bag and drank it. It did nothing to give him the feeling back. Well, it didn't matter right now. He started running through the space and into the plaza. The admirals were in front of him, now. The other pirates were over their shock and were flooding the plaza. Many were dead from that strategy. And the ice was mostly gone, but the plaza was open now.

"Luffy!" Ace shouted when he was in front of the admirals.

"You've made it this far, but you're still too weak to come at us."

"So, you're Dragon's son?" Akainu asked coldly.

Luffy fell to his knees, but it was a ploy. He couldn't even pretend to beat them all at once, or even one at a time. Not without being smart. He grabbed the seastone and used the sudden enhanced movement to launch at Kizaru and throw the cuff at him so it snapped around his wrist.

One admiral down. "That Straw Hat is crazy!" someone shouted. Kizaru was furious. And Luffy ran. He used gear second to sprint away. Kizaru was at the speed of light, the fastest of them. He could be the most dangerous. Jinbei was shocked. But he was lost in the crowd of Whitebeard pirates. He got out two more seastone cuffs and shoved them in his pockets. There was one left in the backpack.

But even as he ran, the execution was about to happen. Swords were raised, and Ace's head was bowed. "ACE!" and Luffy was punched in the face and thrown backwards into Jinbei's arms. He was always there. He coughed and thanked him. But before Luffy could blink, both executioners were dead and fallen.

"Who did it?! Crocodile?" Sengoku shouted, shocking the vast majority of people there.

"I can take that old man's head later. For now, I don't want to see you trash cheer on a victory," Crocodile said in a flat voice, but with anger on his face. Well, Luffy was thankful for that, no matter who had done it.

"Luffy…" he heard Ace say. His face was pinched and scared as he looked at his exhausted little brother. Jinbei asked if he was okay.

"I… I can't feel the left side of my body," Luffy said. "I got a blood bag, but it didn't get any better. But I can still fight." He said the last part with force. They were in the plaza, the execution was stalled. One admiral was out of the count. The key to that cuff had been in the marine ship.

Jinbei told him he should stop now. He was severely injured. "I-I don't care. I have to save him!" Luffy stood up, but his left leg was shaking badly. Ivankov was there, and Whitebeard told them Luffy had done enough. But Luffy had the cuff key! Only he could free Ace. He struggled against Jinbei holding him down.

"We have to get you proper treatment!"

"Iva-chan! Do- do what you did for Bon-chan to me! It made him energetic when he was hurt!"

"That was completely different! Adrenaline can't fix nerve damage!"

"Nerve damage?!" Jinbei asked in shock and horror. Luffy coughed, the motion feeling like his brain was shaking in his skull. He begged Iva to help him. He refused. Luffy had to save Ace, he had to! His eyes watered. Aokiji and Akainu descended on them, and Ivankov sent them a death wink.

Suddenly Marco was there, on blue fire, and kicked Akainu away. He picked up Luffy and flew to the top of the wall. "You stay here, Ace's little brother." Luffy had no way down now. They were trapping him up here when he could do nothing. He pulled out his backpack with his right arm, his left shaking, and pulled out the blood bags.

Marco flew off, not seeing this probably. Luffy looked at Ace, who was looking at him with his face crumpled. He was seeing just what shape Luffy was in, at eye level with the platform. The blood bags cleared his head, but he still couldn't feel his left side. Was there really nerve damage? Did he need surgery? Where would he get it? Nerve damage… that was really bad!

He didn't know much about medical stuff, but nerve damage was a severe problem. Would he be able to be a pirate again? If he couldn't move half of his body, how would he be strong enough to be in the New World? No, he could move half of his body, he just couldn't feel it. He was down to two blood bags, but they seemed to be doing nothing.

Ice was shot up at him, and he dodged. Magma started going up the wall, and the people below attacked Akainu to stop him. They wanted to keep Luffy alive. That was good, but he would rather be fighting than be being protected. Luffy still had the key with him.

Whitebeard spurred on his men as they fought to get to the execution platform. The admirals were torn between fighting Whitebeard as he targeted them, and getting to Luffy, though he didn't have the key to release Kizaru.

Luffy took his backpack off, and pulled the last cuff seastone out. He had three left in total. He couldn't get Aokiji and Akainu at the same time. He laid down on the wall, catching his breath, trying so hard to force his body to go back to normal. He was scared. He was supposed to be strong, he didn't scream through the agony! Did that mean was strong, or just stubborn?

Even being stubborn meant he would do something other than that. Luffy took one pair of the cuffs, and looked for somebody to target. He didn't know if Sengoku had a devil fruit. But he felt the pulse coming back. In his arm, he could feel. He had an idea. Get to one of the admirals. Aokiji was the one who could do more damage quickly. Luffy focused the energy in his right arm at him, and grabbed the seastone.

Both cuffs were open. He pulled away, unnoticed as Whitebeard wreaked havoc on everyone, and blasted the seastone off, aiming perfectly, and wrapping the cuff around Aokiji's arm. Crap, it didn't cuff him. But it weakened him enough for Marco to kick his head. He was badly injured from that, and Luffy now had two cuffs left.

"Get rid of him!" Sengoku shouted. Garp and Ace both looked pained as he was targeted again. Luffy grabbed the backpack and ran along the wall to get away, before he was targeted. But soon pacifistas were on him, Sentomaru furious even more now that Luffy had taken his uncle out of commission. He kept calling Kizaru uncle, after all.

The top of the wall was blown up, and Luffy went tumbling down. He landed on the backpack, and smelled the blood bags had ruptured. Shit. Well, they weren't helping anyways. He looked down at the only thing he had left. A single pair of seastone cuffs. Did he want to do it? He was largely ignored at the moment, not a threat to anybody in the state he was in. He stood up, missing a sandal with his shirt in tatters. His shorts still had the key.

He watched as Marco flew up to save Ace, and felt hope that he could do it before Garp slammed his fist into him, shooting him into the ground. "Grandpa…" Luffy said. He wanted Zoro. He was sacred. He wanted Ace. He was scared. Pacifistas hadn't passed the wall yet. He couldn't get back up there to safety.

Luffy heard Ace crying. He never cried. He hadn't even cried after Sabo's death. Why was he crying now? Did he not want to die? So suddenly? "What's wrong, Fire Fist?" Sengoku asked dismissively.

"I-I'm disgusting! Even though… Even though it's messed up, my family, my brother are all being hurt, I'm so happy! I want to live!" Ace cried. "The tears won't stop! I'm terrible!" Tears gathered in Luffy's eyes.

"Ace…" He stood up on shaking legs, and walked forward. Who cared about his body? Who cared about the long term effects? His brother, for the first time Luffy had ever heard it, said he wanted to live! How could he sit by and do nothing?! He would make Ace's wish come true, even if he sacrificed himself instead. Ace finally wanted to live fully. Luffy had convinced him so many times he deserved to live. He did. He didn't deserve to die here.

If Luffy lost Ace, he would want to die, too. If Ace was killed for being the son of a monster, then Luffy didn't deserve to live. He would save Ace, even if he killed himself in the process, because if he didn't save him, Luffy didn't know what he'd do in the midst of the grief. He missed Zoro. He wanted him, but Ace mattered more than him. All he could think about was the seven years Luffy spent with him.

Ace was his heart.

Luffy had the key inside the cuffs of this final pair. He took the key, and shoved it in his pocket. His hat was back on his head, and he clipped the cuff around his wrist.

Immediately, Luffy saw red everywhere. He went speeding along the ground, shocking everyone as he was battered, bloody and his eyes were heavy lidded. He tore apart anyone in his way like a rabid animal, letting himself lose any composure. He didn't bite, but he growled. Blood covered his hand, able to easily rip peoples' skin off. Luffy didn't care, and now people were seeing him in a different light.

Garp sounded angry and upset, yelling his name. "Luffy, stop it!" he ordered.

He ran down the plaza, trying to ignore the other people even though he had the urge to kill them all for wanting his brother dead. Ace was crying his name out, too. His little brother had completely lost himself. His bare feet were making loud slaps, though they were only loud to him, he ran through the crowd of fearful people, and that was convenient, but Luffy had probably alienated most of the allies but for Jinbei, Ivankov and the new kamas, who'd already seen him like this.

Everything smelled stronger, it was louder. He felt the already injured eardrum blow when a cannon went off next to his head from somebody in desperation to stop him. Deaf in one ear, now. It was fine. He climbed the scaffolding, and kicked Sengoku, who grabbed him. He snarled and bit at him furiously, kicking but unable to stretch his limb out to get him with the sea stone cuff.

"You really are a monster," he said, holding Luffy around the neck, though he didn't sound afraid of the rabid teen covered in blood.

"Luffy! Stop it! Run, please!" Ace begged.

"Ace!" Luffy screamed through the hand around his throat. Garp was looking at him with a pained face, but did nothing to help from below. He heard Whitebeard gasping and grunting. His commanders being taken down. The main forces were failing. Luffy was the closest one to him, he was so close!

"Luffy!" Ace shouted as Luffy's mouth started to foam from being choked. His mind started to clear, and he realized that if he wasn't handcuffed, he'd be fine. Why did he do this? What was the point? He'd doomed himself, and failed Ace. The people here saw he was a dangerous freak, and for what?

Zoro's face above him came into his head. Looking down at him with eyes only he had for him. Luffy wasn't going to die and see him in the afterlife. He prayed that he was alive and okay. Luffy grabbed the hands around his neck, and squeezed, letting out a snarl even if he couldn't breathe anymore. He snapped Sengoku's wrist, and Luffy fell to the second level, right in front of Garp.

He looked at Luffy, not knowing what to do. His eyes were stormy, but not with anger. Almost panic. He could kill Luffy right now and end it. Luffy coughed, and tried to unlock the cuff with fumbling fingers.

He made hissing pains and grabbed his head. The cuff came off. He was useless. Wasn't he? "Ace… not monster…" Luffy said, standing up to face Garp. He felt hot, like he had a fever. He had never felt shittier. Not even after landing on Amazon Lily. He felt weak and like a failure, but this time it would result in the death of a loved one, not just them being sent somewhere else.

Sengoku ordered Garp to do his job as a marine. Kill a monster. Luffy glared at him, challenging him to kill him. "Garp!" But he couldn't do it. Luffy swayed and fell off the platform on his own. He felt another blast on his arm, the non injured one that was no longer cuffed. He grabbed the platform, anyone else thinking he was dead, and blew up the leg. He grabbed it with his other hand that couldn't feel it, and blew that up, too.

He could hear Whitebeard speaking, but couldn't figure out what he was saying. The world was tilting, going black, but what he felt was the execution platform fell to the side, Luffy seeing somebody aim a cannon right at the other leg, weakening it so the whole thing fell forward. Was it really that weak? No way.

Sengoku landed hard, and Ace did, too, grunting as he hit the ground. Luffy clawed his way over and took the key out of the pocket, unlocking his handcuffs, and freeing his brother. Immediately, the surrounding area was lit up in flames. Luffy saved him! But he didn't pass out. The flames protected him, formed all around him.

Ace hugged him, his limp little brother who couldn't feel half of his body, was deaf in one ear, and had a high fever. "Why'd you do this?! Look at you!" Ace said, not smiling, even though he was free. He grabbed Luffy and slung him over his back, tying his rubber hands together in front of him so he hung on without needing to do anything himself.

"A-ACE IS FREE!" the plaza erupted in cheers. Ace ran, though he was weak on his feet, ignoring everyone and everything. But where would they go? Jinbei was there, but they were both being followed by Akainu, who was dead set on not letting them go free. He'd moved on from Whitebeard, who looked really hurt, and was going after the two monster children. One who was openly a monster, the other only in blood.

Akainu was coming too close, and Luffy couldn't even move. He had a magma fist raised, and Luffy was ready for the impact before he opened his eyes and felt a huge burst of energy come from him, different from the usual explosions. It left a sort of vibration through the air, and people started to drop like flies, unconscious.

Ace and Jinbei were okay. The battlefield was silent in surprise. Luffy just kept showing surprises, but this time he didn't know what he'd done. Akainu came after them more, and Jinbei stood in his way.

"Jnnnb," Luffy said faintly, worried. He wished he hadn't held in that blast for so long. Now look at him! It let him and the others inside the plaza, and it would have come out eventually, but he was so weak and tired.

"Don't worry about anyone else! Just - just hang on, okay?!" Ace cried desperately.

"M'kay," Luffy slurred. He wanted to fight again. He wanted to do something. Akainu was coming closer, Jinbei injured, before they made it to the bay. There was nowhere to go. Luffy felt like he was going to die. He felt cold. He didn't want to die. What if Ace died, too? Then he heard a bubbling noise from one ear as Ace ran from the plaza and down the side of the bay where the ice tsunami had been.

Something surfaced from the water, and Luffy saw it out of the corner of his eyes. The ground rumbled, pirates cried out the yonko's name. Luffy could make out Whitebeard's voice, and then a shaking of the ground, throwing Ace off a bit.

"Bring him here! I know how to treat him!" a voice shouted. It was vaguely familiar. "I'm a doctor! Hurry!" Ace looked at the submarine with the unknown person, and then looked back at Akainu, barely held off by Ace's nakama. It was the only escape, and Luffy needed a doctor. "HURRY UP!"

Ace took a running jump, and just barely was missed by a fist of magma. It blew apart the ground behind him, spaying bits of hot rock onto Luffy's foot. He hissed, and Ace ran inside the mystery ship. It was the only way out right now.

"We'll catch up later! Run!" Marco shouted, voice thick with emotion. The door slammed behind them and Luffy heard the ship humm. It was a submarine. Cool. He heard rushing water around them, and sounds of things hitting the sub, but it went deeper, and the sounds of the war faded through the water.

Luffy was rushed to a room by the mysterious guy, who Luffy finally placed as Law. The man who he met briefly at Sabaody. What was he doing here? But then he passed out, finally.

Ace stood at the side, and watched, demanding to know who this was. Did they just doom themselves by getting in this enclosed space with strangers? But as Law treated him, Ace stopped freaking out. Law immediately put a feeding tube down Luffy's throat and pumped blood into his stomach.

Ace was ushered out, and Law began surgery on Luffy. He was a wreck, inside his body. The blood wasn't doing anything to help, and the surgery lasted 6 hours. Luffy was asleep and under anesthetic the whole time, an oxygen mask on. Still, he sweat like he was exerting himself again.

When Law came out, Ace was treated by the other people on the submarine, cuts disinfected and treated properly. "Your brother is stable. He will live. I was able to fix the nerve damage in most of his body, but his left arm is lost. He also will have hearing impairments in his left ear as well. If he's able to use his arm, he won't be able to feel it."

"Wh-what? His arm is useless?" Ace asked in shock.

"Not necessarily. He just won't be able to feel any sensations from it."

"What about blood?! You fed him blood, right?!"

Law simply said, "It wasn't enough. Blood doesn't fix everything, it's not actually a miracle cure." Ace asked how he knew how to treat Luffy, with the blood. "I don't need to tell you. I saved his life. He'll be asleep for at least a few weeks." Ace put his head in his hands. He felt completely responsible for it all. Luffy was a mess because he came to save him. The fire user asked who he was.

"Law, a doctor. I've taken interest in him, and I didn't want him to die yet," Law said blunty. Ace didn't get offended, he saved Luffy. "If I hadn't been here, he would have died. His fever was a degree under death. He still has a fever, but it's gone down."

A bear, the white bear who could talk, who Ace knew was a mink based on Marco's stories, came over and said a huge snake was following them, leading them somewhere. Ace had watched Luffy's progress closest, unable to see his family at the same time, and saw how Boa Hancock had helped him. And she was also the one who brought Luffy to Impel Down.

While he hated her for that, she'd helped him. She was an ally. And she also had a huge snake. "Follow that. It's one of Luffy's allies," Ace said quietly. "I want to see him."

"In a few hours," Law said with finality. "You're lucky you have a brother like him. You were going to die."

"...I know," he sighed. Law left and followed the snake, thankfully. Ace had tears down his cheeks. He was alive, and Luffy was alive, but with permanent damage to his body. Because he just wanted to save his brother. He didn't know what happened to his crew, his other family. He had heard Pops telling them to flee to the New World.

Ace had known he was sick. He was old. But he didn't even get to say goodbye! He could never blame Luffy for that, but the thought of never getting to say goodbye was horrible. He knew Marco could sniff them out with his phoenix senses, and prayed that he was okay. Marco was the closest one to him after Thatch.

A few hours later, Ace was sitting against the wall of the sub. It was cold and not cozy at all. But Ace had nothing to compare it to anymore. The Moby Dick was gone. Everything would never be the same. All because he went off to get Teach. What happened to him? Was he still out there?

He was finally let into the room, and his face crumpled again at the sight of his brother. He had a feeding tube and an oxygen mask on. He had all sorts of wires and tubes attached to him. Something was being dripped into an IV into his arm. His face was pale and he had bags under his eyes.

It could be the lighting, he didn't know. Law had saved him. He knew about Luffy needing to drink blood to heal. How did he know that? Well, regardless of how, he saved Luffy. When Ace never could. He took Luffy's hand, and saw the weird tattoos on his arm. Where did they come from? He never thought Luffy would get tattoos.

And he had also shown some new power. Along with the whole being able to attack with seastone thing. What had happened between Alabasta and now? What happened to his brother?

There's so much I could have done differently.

I kept him alive! Haha, I've been trolling you all! And Marineford isn't the last time we'll see him. I fucked up the timeline, of course, with both Blackbeard's death and Ace living. But this story ends after Wano (whenever tf that will be) so there would be no conflict with Blackbeard. And Marineford has far reaching affects for Luffy even if Ace lived. Hehehe. Hope you're happy with the outcome, please tell me what you think!

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DotNotFound: Welcome back! I couldn't kill him and never intended to from the start lol. I love him too much. For this fic at least! I would have totally used his death to CRIPPLE Luffy hehehe!

This chapter is a little shorter. Sorry! Next chapter is the time skip!

Two weeks later, Luffy woke up. He looked around blearily. It was dark in the room, and it smelled like Ace. He was alive! Luffy saved him. It didn't smell like a dead body in here, Ace was alive. He sat up, and noticed he could feel both legs, but his left arm… it was numb. He pinched the skin, but felt nothing.

Well, he was prepared to die. Losing the feeling in one arm was a problem, but he prepared for anything. He frowned lightly. The world, or at least the marines, knew Luffy was some real monster. Rabid, violent and out of control. He didn't think they all made the observation that it was only when he was carrying seastone.

Sengoku was the only one to really see it directly. And his grandpa hadn't killed him. It was a relief. He pulled the covers off, and stood up. So glad he could walk normally. He moved his left arm, and was able to move it and it functioned, but it was weird. It kind of threw him off, having this arm that moved but felt as if it wasn't even there.

He opened the door, finding it was a door you had to twist. He remembered little after unlocking Ace. He didn't know what happened on the battlefield after that. The teen left the room, and followed the scent of anybody. He came across a bear. A white polar bear walking on two legs. He remembered this guy, he was from Saboady!

"You're awake!" he said brightly. Luffy nodded, and asked where Ace was. "Come with me!" He didn't answer him, but Luffy followed him outside. It was so bright, and he smelled the ocean. The sky was blue and clear. The sea was calm. It smelled like Amazon Lily. But why would he be there?

"Luffy!" Ace shouted, running to him and hugging him tightly. Luffy started crying. "Are you okay?" Luffy grabbed his head, seeing the magma fists rain down all around him. Hearing the screams of agony as people boiled alive. "Lu, you're safe. I'm safe," Ace said in worry. The images faded, and things came back to normal.

"W-Where am I?"

"You're on Amazon Lily. Outside of it; they won't let us come anywhere inside." Luffy said he was just at Marineford. "No, you've been here for the last two weeks." Jinbei was there, and Luffy was so glad to see he was alive. He had a few burns, but he was alive!

He smiled at Luffy, so glad to see him awake. "You went through a very traumatic ordeal. It wouldn't be surprising for lasting effects. I'm sorry you've lost feeling in your arm." Luffy said it was still functioning. Then Law came over.

"You're awake, good. You need to be on bed rest for another week. I'll prescribe some antidepressants for any lingering mental trauma." Luffy asked why he saved him. "Because I want to see you in the New World. I'm sure you'll do big things. Well, that's all I can do. You're free to go, but you have to be careful with yourself.

"The feeling in your left arm will not come back, so it'll be hard to get used to that. I've given Ace-ya a list of exercises to do to try and get used to it. Well, see ya, Straw Hat-ya." Luffy stuttered out a thank you. "It was a fun surgery. Good luck."

The submarine left, and Luffy took his hat and held it close. His numb arm moved up to touch it, too, but it was off a bit, and touched his stomach instead. Ace said, "You'll get used to it. Law says people deal with this kind of chronic injury all the time." Luffy turned to him and hugged him again. Ace hugged him back, burying his nose in Luffy's shoulder.

"Thank you for saving me," Ace said.

Luffy asked what happened to the war. "Most of my crew that were alive at the time of the end, they made it. Marco came here to get me, but I wanted to stay. I… Pops died on the battlefield. You made a huge impact there. I'm so proud of you. And angry, but proud." He touched Luffy's cheek. "My little monster."

Luffy nodded, tears down his face. "Is there any news on my crew?" he asked.

"They haven't shown up back on Sabaody yet. Rayleigh is here. He's been here for a bit and wants to talk to you." Luffy was surprised. How did he know where he was? Luffy was embarrassed. About his last appearance in front of the man. Had he disgraced himself?

Was his crew okay? Luffy, looking down at his arm, knew it wouldn't be safe for him to go to the New World right now. He also had to have bed rest and physical therapy. He couldn't do that in the New World so soon. "C'mon, follow me," Ace said, taking Luffy's arm. He was so glad to see Ace looked perfectly healthy.

Luffy hadn't failed another person. He wasn't a failure. He was injured permanently, but that was better than him breaking apart with shame and guilt, insecurity. They came across Rayleigh, who was reading the paper. "Luffy-kun! It's so good to see you awake," he said in genuine happiness. The teen smiled faintly. "How do you feel?"

"I can't feel my arm. My ear feels kind of plugged. Other than that, I feel okay," Luffy replied. "What are you doing here? Has my crew come back?"

Rayleigh frowned. "I have a proposal for you." Luffy and Ace looked curious. "If you go to the New World now, you and your crew will die immediately. None of you are ready. You weren't ready before." Luffy winced, but knew it was true. But he desperately wanted to see them. He wanted Zoro! "My proposal is to train you." The boy captain was baffled by this offer. "I think that I would be the best person to train you. Your crew needs to get stronger as well."

"But… I want to see them. Can we all train together?"

"I will only train you. And I have an idea on how to do this. Instead of three days, which has been around three weeks instead, you will train with me for two years." Ace said Luffy needed to see his friends. He was traumatized! Luffy put his hand up.

"I failed them all. None of us were strong enough. I made it through Impel Down by a hair, and it was due to others. Marineford, I just forced myself to keep going even when I couldn't even feel my body anymore. I'm a failed captain… I don't want that to ever happen again. I - I want to see them all again, I miss Zoro, but I can't go through that again. I can't let them go through that."

Rayleigh smiled sadly. "I am sorry this all happened to you," he said sincerely. Luffy nodded, looking at his numb arm. He clenched the fingers. It was scary that he wouldn't know if it was chopped off. "During the training, I will help you deal with your new injury. As well as help you hone the non-human aspects of yourself."

"I already know about Roger. It's a crazy coincidence, huh? I'm not mad at you for it, never," he added when Luffy looked worried. "In fact, I'm glad Roger was like you. You're not all alone. I'm pretty sure that Law guy was like you, too. Knowing you needed to ingest blood and all." Luffy was surprised, but could see that being true. Or he saw Luffy drinking blood somewhere on the island. He was in the auction house when he drank that blood bag. He just wouldn't jump to conclusions.

"Ace… are you really disgusted that I saved you?" Luffy asked in a small voice. Ace hugged him, and said he was upset and embarrassed. He wasn't disgusted by the effort he put into it. Laying his life down to save him. He added that he was right, he would have done the same if Luffy had been in his shoes.

"Though I'm embarrassed you offed Teach when I couldn't."

"I cheated. I used seastone that makes me stronger. It wasn't actually my strength…" Ace smiled, and asked what the hell weapons were for. Seastone was a weapon for him, not a cheat. "I guess… It didn't help me in the end, though. It just made it worse."

"Well, there's nothing we can do about that now," Ace said brightly. "I'm so happy to be alive. Even if I miss Pops. None of my closest brothers died. I'm so thankful for that." Luffy nodded, and expressed his condolences about Whitebeard. He was an amazing man. "He was. I don't know what the future holds for my crew. But I know we'll make it through it. Together."

Luffy nodded, and hoped they didn't disband. It would crush Ace. Rayleigh smiled, and they planned Luffy's way to get the message across to his crew. He didn't want to return to Marineford. Never again and definitely not so soon. But it was the only place it would work. Ace would stay on Amazon Lily and then leave once Luffy returned.

After their plan, Hancock came running to him, and hugged him tightly. He hugged her back, so thankful for everything she'd done for him. His left hand was kind of floppy while the right was firm, but he moved it okay.

"I'm so happy you're okay! I was so worried."

"I want to thank you for helping him-"

"Silence, man," Hancock said. Ace was startled, but watched the interaction with complete shock, seeing Hancock blush like she did. He snorted loudly and was kicked by Hancock. Luffy just laughed. Hancock was a weird person. She was concerned with him, and already knew of his wounds.

He could still hear better than normal, but one side was a bit less strong. It was annoying right now, but he'd get used to it. He had to. The next day, they headed to Marineford, Luffy going with Jinbei and Rayleigh. He felt alone. He wanted Ace, at least.

When they entered the broken place, Luffy saw how bad it was. Whitebeard really did a number there. Luffy did as he was told. He dropped flowers where people died, he went to the bell and rang it 16 times as a declaration of a new era starting. It was all his future mentor's idea, but it was well thought out.

Finally, his arm read 3D/2Y. He hoped they'd get the paper and understand. And not hate him for it. They had to know they were too weak for the next sea based on their separation on Sabaody. It was just too obvious. Things had worked out for the most part. Luffy saved Ace. He lived. Even though he lost ten years of his lifespan, and all feeling in one of his arms, he was alive.

Jinbei floated the possibility that Luffy had PTSD. Based on his multiple freak outs about imagining magma raining down on him. That was humiliating. He thought he was strong, but Marineford proved he wasn't. He was only alive by a hair, barely saved Ace by a hair. It was luck.

But he needed to be stronger to face the New World. Even if it meant being away from his crew for two years, he had to do this.

After a week of being with Luffy, Ace was picked up by Marco. Luffy thanked him for helping him out before the phoenix put his hand up. "You shouldn't thank me. You're the one that saved Ace when we were unable. You were also the one to off Teach. We'll always be thankful."

Luffy nodded, and hugged Ace. He handed him a new vivre card. "I promise this one won't burn up." Luffy took and it held it to his chest. He nodded, and teared up at seeing Ace go. He got onto Marco's back, and then the mythical zoan flew away with his beloved brother. But his tears were of happiness.

Despite everything, Luffy saved Ace and returned him to his crew. Rayleigh was behind him and commented, "You made quite the feat. Your bounty will go up no doubt." He wasn't bothered by this and neither was Luffy. He looked down at his numb arm and clenched the fingers. He relaxed them and wiped his eyes.

"I'm ready to start training," he said firmly. Jinbei was leaving that day, and saw them off when they headed to the training island for Luffy.

The teen looked forward to seeing Jinbei at Fishman Island in two years. "I'll be there, Luffy-kun. I'm so happy you released me." Luffy beamed and said he was, too. Not just because he'd be dead without his help. "Be safe and take care of yourself."

"I'll do my best," Luffy replied firmly. Jinbei shook his hand, his much bigger than Luffy's, and left. Luffy smiled and turned to his mentor. He was going to be donating blood to Luffy out of necessity. He was so understanding about everything. He really was a good man.

Before their training started on the wild and dangerous island, Luffy put his hat aside. The pirate Straw Hat luffy was going to be taking a break from pirating for a while. He'd get the hat when it was time. Hancock was upset she couldn't see him, but he'd return in two years to her and she would be so happy.

Luffy would forever be in debt to everyone that helped him. He did wish he could have said goodbye to Iva-chan, though.

"I will make you as strong as I can. The next two years won't be easy," Rayleigh said with a smile. Luffy beamed, and said he wasn't going to survive in the New World by his training being easy. But he was wary of his mental health. He'd do his best to push through it. Law prescribed medication that Amazon Lily didn't have, sadly. Ace was bothered by this, as PTSD must be treated by medication and therapy, and Luffy would be getting neither for the next two years. He assured Ace that he would be fine enough, even if it was hard.

Ace was still upset, but there was nothing to do. So, Luffy started his training, plagued with a large injury, PTSD, and doubts about his strength in the beginning. But he would and did get over two of those, and dealt with the untreated problem. He just hoped his crew wasn't disappointed in him for those weaknesses. But he knew they'd just be happy he made it out alive. And he saved his brother.

I know some people are bummed about there being no chapter about his training, but I just didn't have any interest in writing that at the time, so I didn't. See you next week!

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Milisandre_Yuna: lol sorry. This chapter is longer!

DotNotFound: As a regular reader, you know I can't resist the angst when it's so... just THERE. Canon content that should create angst but doesn't? Fuck that I'ma jump on that shit.

Luffy's arm hung still on the left side as he paced on the Kuja pirate ship. He could use it just fine, but when it wasn't in use doing something, it mostly hung down, no reason to use it to fidget. He'd gotten used to it long ago, and observation haki made it easier to keep track of its movements, but it was still completely numb.

Two years had passed since the injury, and he was used to it. What was a bigger problem was the completely untreated PTSD. Rayleigh talked to him about the issues when Luffy would open up, but that was rare. He felt weak for it, even though Rayleigh and Hancock said it was completely justified. Fire and loud noises triggered it.

When the volcano on the island erupted, making loud bangs but not shooting out lava, Luffy usually had a flashback. But most islands didn't have active volcanoes. He thought. So he should be fine for that. He did still have nightmares sometimes, but they were manageable and able to be hidden from his mentor that had left six months ago.

Luffy had new super moves. He was much stronger, using all types of haki now. The burst at Marineford had been haki, nothing to do with his monster side. Even though one important thing had never been controllable completely, it didn't hurt him anymore.

"Don't be worried, Luffy," Hancock said kindly. Luffy asked if they weren't there. "Can you smell them?" Luffy said not yet. When the island came into view, Luffy put the cape on and the face glasses and nose. Luffy had an open shirt now that hid nothing. All his markings showed, on his arm and chest.

Luffy did smell somebody, but the scent was old. Ace had been here! He was so happy, and felt he must have left him something. Maybe a letter! Hancock brought his attention back, and had a huge backpack for him. It had way too much stuff for even him to carry, so he discarded everything but the food, predictably.

"I'll miss all you guys. You helped me so much," Luffy said earnestly. "And I'm so glad I met somebody like me, Hancock," he added. She blushed strongly, and looked away in embarrassment. She totally had a crush on him, it was clear after all this time, but she never pressed him about it, which he appreciated. He still loved Zoro. He hoped he still loved him, too.

When they got to the island, Luffy got off, saying goodbye to his saviors and friends. So much had happened. It was hard to believe it. He smiled, waving goodbye. Hancock looked upset to see him go, but Luffy promised to visit someday. The women, the Kuja Pirates, shouted goodbyes, and the pirate ship sailed off.

"Time to see everybody," Luffy said brightly. He ran to their smells, and passed some weird people. He had his hood over, hiding everything. Every part of him was hidden so he could leave quickly and quietly. He did smell marines and pacifistas, so he had to be careful. He didn't want to cause any trouble.

The people he passed were imitating his crew, badly. Luffy's right arm was holding onto the strap while his left continued to hang. He didn't really notice it. As he often didn't notice it was even there without his observation haki. Luffy bumped the guy badly imitating him. He looked nothing like the wanted poster. Maybe people thought he'd gotten fat over the last two years.

"Are you gonna apologize?" the imposter asked.

"Sorry," Luffy said flatly. Then his huge bag bumped him again, and a gun was pulled on him. People around them begged him to get on his knees and apologize. Because this guy was apparently the dangerous Straw Hat Luffy. Fools. Everyone thought he was dead, so did they latch onto this guy because of that? Cause the real Luffy was missing?

Luffy let out a small burst of conqueror's haki. They collapsed, and Luffy continued on his way. He could hear his lover and his chef arguing somewhere, and passed a huge group of pirates and pacifistas on his way. Sentonmaru was there, still missing one arm. The one Luffy blew apart. He wondered why it hadn't been fixed in some way.

Luffy moved his left to grab the backpack strap so it didn't look injured. He hurried past them, wanting to find his crew already. But he felt and heard a blast coming towards him, and dodged easily. It was too slow for his reflexes and haki. "So you are alive!" Sentonmaru said, glaring at him. "I'll make you pay for what you did to me and uncle!"

He wondered how they uncuffed Kizaru. There were two pacifistas, and Luffy used gear second to take care of one of them, shooting above it and punching it in the head with a haki covered fist. It slammed into the ground, making a crater before it blew up. "Neehee!" Luffy giggled, running off.

"See you another time!" Luffy called to Sentonmaru. Luffy heard and smelled his two fellow strong members coming, and his face lit up at seeing them.

"It was you! We knew you got into trouble!" Sanji called. Luffy locked eyes with Zoro, and he was wearing a relieved grin, not an expression that would seem he was no longer interested in being in a romantic relationship. So much had happened. A pacifista was behind Luffy, and Zoro and Sanji went after it, the blonde kicking its head while the other sliced it along the stomach, both making it die.

"Zoro, Sanji! It's been forever! I missed you!" They both smiled, unbothered by the dead pacifistas.

"You're number nine," Zoro said. Sanji told him to shut up about it, which Luffy didn't know what it meant. They led him to the ship, even though Luffy could smell it, so they weren't too far. He also smelled the familiar scent of his nakama. He was finally back.

Two years ago, they could barely handle one without all of them working together to take it down. They were so much stronger, and so was Luffy. Finally strong enough to make it to the New World. "Roronoa, Black Leg! They are alive!" Sentonmaru said angrily. The marines came after them, but then Rayleigh was there, and like those years ago, he stopped enemies from going after them.

Luffy turned around, and the marines were too scared to pass Rayleigh, who had a sword and looked so easy going, like usual. "Rayleigh!" Luffy called with a grin. "Thank you for all you've done!" He pumped both arms in the air. "I'll be the Pirate King! Just you wait!" The man wore a truly fond smile, and Luffy remembered all he'd done for him.

Never looking down at him for the nightmares, the crying in the beginning. The flashbacks he helped him through, never thinking he was weak, or looking disappointed. Then he gave him blood when he needed it, and made him so strong without Luffy asking. He would forever be thankful. He had been so right. They needed two years. He needed two years.

Luffy and his lover and friend ran back to the ship, Rayleigh still holding off the marines. "You've become so strong. I'll be waiting to see you in the papers. Head straight to the top," Rayleigh said, loud enough for only Luffy to hear. A smile was in his voice. Maybe even another emotion. Sadness, bittersweet. Luffy felt the same.

"Yeah! I will!" Luffy shouted in response. Then he ran off with Zoro and Sanji to the Sunny, both of them shouting thank yous to the man that saved them from an admiral. He had his arm relaxed again, not noticing really. When they ran into marines in front of them, those negative ghosts struck again! That girl was here? She was!

Why was Perona here? But she spoke to Zoro in a familiar tone, though both didn't seem too happy to be with one another. Zoro especially. Sanji was drooling over her just for being a woman. Apparently she was helping Zoro get away safely. Were they together during the two years? How strange!

She helped them get away, and they ran further towards the Sunny. Sanji looked at Luffy's arm with a look of slight concern. He moved it to hold onto the backpack strap. He'd explain soon enough. They were not as close to the grove as Luffy thought. It seemed it had been moved recently, so it made sense he smelled it in a closer place than it was now.

More marines came, and bounty hunters for their high bounties. But a huge bird landed on them, and Luffy heard his doctor calling their names. "Whoa!" Luffy said, not hesitating to jump on the huge bird Chopper was riding. Did they all have weird times on their islands? And everyone was there, if Zoro said he was number nine, did that mean everyone else was back?

The huge bird flew to the ship, and Chopper hugged Luffy tightly. Luffy hugged him back with a bright smile. He would no doubt be worried about Luffy's arm, even though it functioned just fine, even if he used his other arm more. They came across the Thousand Sunny, and Luffy was finally home.

His crew were already there, and he beamed. After six months of isolation, he was finally with people he loved. He felt bad for forcing them to not meet up for two years, but they all looked stronger! Usopp and Franky the most! Robin and Nami's hair ahd changed. Franky was… very different now, but looked so cool! Brook was wearing a super fun outfit. So colorful! Chopper's hat had changed, too. Zoro had a scar over his left eye, and Sanji's hair had moved to the other side, showing he wasn't missing one of his eyes!

Luffy was the one who looked like he hadn't changed at all.

"We're all together again!" Usopp shouted. Everyone else was cheering at seeing them all. All nine were here now. The ship was already coated. For some reason, the moment Sanji saw Nami and Robin, he had a violent nose bleed. That could be a problem. Luffy suddenly turned a bit uneasy, but Robin caught on.

"Rayleigh stocked up blood in the cooler for you." Of course he did, Luffy was unsurprised. He put his backpack full of food down. It smelled like the Kuja Pirates. He would forever thank them for all they'd done. Maybe he wouldn't tell Zoro and Sanji about who he was with for some of the two years. For different reasons, but both having to do with Hancock's extreme crush on him.

But it seemed he couldn't hide it, when Hancock's ship moved in front of the marine ship attacking them. Luffy heard her snappy voice she never sent at him. "Who was so thoughtless to put a battleship in my way?" she asked in a cold voice. Robin recognized the emblem of their ship, and knew who it was.

Luffy was smiling, and they wondered why a warlord was there. The other men but Zoro were in awe of Hancock's beauty. Zoro could care less, and took his hand, the right one so he could feel it. Luffy squeezed his hand, so happy to feel his big, calloused hand in his.

"Hancock saved us! We should go now!" Hancock winked at them, and sent the man in a tizzy about how beautiful she was. "Thank you, Hancock! So much!" They saw her turn away and hold her face. Zoro scowled at the image. Nami asked how he knew the warlord. "I was sent to her island during the two years. A lot happened there!" Luffy laughed.