Archive of Our Own

Ace doesn’t want to leave his brother right after finally finding him again, but he has things he needs to do. Luffy can take care of himself, even if Ace doesn’t like the idea. But Ace trusts his brother. He trusts Luffy’s crew to watch over him, to make sure he doesn’t go too far. 

(Seeing Luffy covered in blood had scared Ace half to death. He felt his heart stop on his chest, only starting again when the King reassured Ace that Luffy was simply passed out. That the blood was not his own. A part of Ace was still scared.)

So, Ace watches from his boat as Luffy calls out to the Princess. Watches as she cries. Ace sees Luffy’s crew behind him, strong and loyal. He does not believe they would ever betray Luffy of their own free will. Does not believe Luffy would let them if they tried. It makes him feel better about abandoning his brother again. 

(“Do you really have to go?” Luffy’s eyes are shinier than usual, holding back tears because apparently Shanks had told him goodbyes should never be sad. As if Ace would remember his little brother any other way than smiling.

“I have people to thank for saving my little brother. Don’t worry, we’ll see each other again.” Ace reaches forward to ruffle Luffy’s hair, laughing as Luffy scowls and tries to swat his hand away. Much better than almost-tears, even if a smile is what Ace wants to see most. Maybe Shanks had a point.

“Promise?” 

And Ace can’t possibly say no. Not when Luffy is looking at him like that, all resolute and barely hidden grief. Not that Ace could ever say no to his little brother. The only one he has left.  

“We’re brothers. I’ll never leave you. Here.” He hands Luffy a piece of paper no bigger than his palm. They can both feel the power coming off it, faint but too similar to Ace for either of them to mistake the paper for anything other than what it is.

“A Vivre Card?”

“A promise to see you again.” Ace ruffles Luffy’s hair one more time before turning to get on his own boat.)

Ace knows he will see Luffy again. He knows that Luffy’s crew will protect him and keep the promise made between brothers. He destroys Marine ships on his way out. A final act of direct help to his brother. To the man who will be King. Ace loves his Pops. Knows he is powerful. He also knows that if it came to a fight for the title between Whitebeard and Luffy, Ace would choose his brother every time. He also knows Whitebeard has no interest in the title. Only wants his children to be free and happy. Would never make them choose sides.

Shanks is drunk. Well, Shanks is drunk most of the time, but he’s especially drunk at the moment. It’s not often that the boy who you think of as a son (who you thought was dead) defeats a Warlord. Even less often that his brother shows up to thank you for saving his life when he was seven. 

“I never would have met Luffy if not for your sacrifice.” The boy says, bent at the waist. Shanks finds the whole display a bit hilarious. Not a single member of his own crew even treats him with this much respect, much less a Whitebeard Pirate. “Thank you.”

When he finally stands up, Shanks slaps him on the back like they’re old pals. He would have given so much more to save the little Anchor, but he doesn’t say that. He knows that this boy would understand. He can see the similarities between him and Luffy (or, at least, Luffy from before). The way they eat like endless pits, the dark hair and easy smiles. Ace has sharper edges than Luffy used to, holds something dark inside of him. Shanks also sees his old Captain in the slope of his shoulders and his dark eyes. They have less of that jovial spark that Roger was known for, but the color is the same. Darker than the ocean during a new moon. Shanks doesn’t mention it. Doesn’t think Ace would want him to. He does, however, pour half his bottle of liquor into the sea, thinking of how proud Roger would be of his son. 

(Shanks only met Rouge once. She was a beauty and everyone aboard the Oro Jackson teased their Captain about how he managed to snag such a woman. He would laugh and tell them he didn’t know either. Shanks knows Roger loved his wife more than anything. Knows he would love his son, the spitting image of her with his dark hair, just as much.)

“So you lost your arm because of my stupid little brother,” Ace laughs. He’s on his fourth bottle and he’s passed out twice in that time. Both times he would simply drop in the middle of his sentence before picking up where he left off as he woke again. Hongo had mumbled to Shanks that it was probably narcolepsy the second time. “But how did you get that scar on your face?”

The crew seems to quiet at the question. Many of them had either been there when it occurred or had simply never had the gall to ask. Shanks laughs, but he can feel how tight it is in his throat. Any other time, he would be glad to tell the story, proud of the marks that showed he went through hell and survived. But with Ace, with the Jolly Roger covering his back, large and proud, it feels wrong to brag. Even if both crews had decided that Shanks was in the right when it came to it, they had also agreed it should stay in the past. 

“A man by the name of Marshall D. Teach gave me this scar. He tried to steal my treasure so I killed him and delivered his head to his Captain.” Shanks finally says, back straight. He can feel his crewmates’ eyes on Ace, watching for any movement. Ace simply laughs and takes another long swig of his drink. 

“The Captain must have been pissed.”

“He was,” Shanks agrees, because Whitebeard had been. Before hearing what had happened, he had tried to kill Shanks. As had his entire crew. If not for Shanks’ Haki, it would have become a war. “But we came to an agreement in the end.”

Ace laughs again and Shanks sees just a bit more of Roger in the way his smile seems to take up half of his face. Like this, Ace looks just like his father. Shanks never thought he would see his old Captain again, but now he’s seeing double. Just what is Garp feeding his grandkids?

Ace is going to find the bastards who hurt his brother as he is going to destroy them. Well, first he’s going to sleep off his hangover (partying with the Red Haired Pirates was an experience for sure and one that Ace does not want to repeat for at least a year) then he’s going to hunt down those fuckers. Anyone who laid a finger on Luffy in those years he was missing will burn alive. Ace will make sure of it.

-

“You can come out now.” Luffy calls, looking toward the hatch leading below deck. The rest of the crew stares at him as if he’s finally snapped, but he knows this feeling. Who it belongs to.

“Well, Captain,” Robin says as she climbs out from the opening. She has a book in hand and a folding chair under her arm. She sets it up as she speaks. “It seems you knew I was here. So much for stowing away.”

Her voice is light. She knows Luffy will not kick her off of the ship. She cannot say the same for the rest, but in the end Luffy is the Captain. His word is law, even if he rarely exercises the right. Luffy can feel their apprehension. They only know this woman as Crocodile’s right hand. They do not know that she saved Luffy from certain death. They do not feel the light inside hidden beneath walls of darkness solidified. 

“What are you doing here?” Zoro growls, moving to position himself between Robin and Luffy. His hand rests on his white-hilted sword. As much as Luffy would love to watch them fight, he wants any bodily harm between crewmates to be the results of friendly sparring, not actual fighting. Luffy reaches forward to touch Zoro’s shoulder. His swordsman visibly relaxes into the touch. Luffy wishes he could experiment with that reaction some more, but first he has to make sure his Nakama don’t kill each other. 

“She called me Captain, so I’m assuming she’s joining our crew.” Luffy says. His voice is casual and airy and he pointedly ignores the annoyed scowl coming from Zoro. 

“Yes,” Robin speaks again, turning the page of her book. She doesn’t look at them, but Luffy can feel the tension she is hiding. She is ready for an attack at any moment. Luffy frowns. “After all, your Captain has to take responsibility for what he did to me.”

There is screaming coming from Sanji’s general direction as Luffy tries to think of what he could have done to her. The smirk on her face as she finally looks up at the crew doesn’t help him any. 

“Your Captain saved me when I wanted to die. Now he must take responsibility for the life he decided was worth keeping.” There is something desperate in her voice. Luffy can feel the way it digs into his skin. Blades of grief and hope mixed together into a deadly cocktail. Poisonous to those who are not used to the taste. Thankfully, Luffy is more than acclimated. 

Luffy just smiles and declares Robin as Nakama. The others grumble and he can see more than a few distrustful glances at her, but they all go about their usual activities. Chopper even introduces himself to her, earning a pet and a smile in return. 

Robin has watch tonight. The swordsman is pretending to be asleep on the deck while Robin sits in the crow’s nest. She doesn’t mind. She did assist the man who tried to kill them, after all. It’s not like Robin expected to be accepted into their crew without resistance. She wouldn’t have even tried if not for Monkey D. Luffy. But the boy is simply too interesting to leave alone. He will lead her to her dream. 

“You know you deserve to live, right?” A voice comes from beside her. Robin flinches away, raising her arms to fight. Her first night on watch and someone sneaks up on her? But when she sees the straw hat resting upon her Captain’s head, she relaxes. He smiles at her before leaning back and calling out to the deck below. “Go to bed, Zoro. I’ll get you when it’s your turn for watch.”

Robin hears a grunt from below before footsteps descend below deck. It is a show of trust, Robin realizes, for Zoro to leave her alone with Luffy. A display of power, even. That Zoro believes knows Robin could not beat Luffy if she tried. That his Captain holds that title for a reason.

“Captain,” Robin says, moving to be on the opposite end of the crow’s nest. It doesn’t put much distance between them, but it is enough to let Robin breathe again. “What are you doing here?”

Luffy just hums. He balances on the short wall of the crow’s nest and leans back to look up at the stars. For a while, he doesn’t say anything. Robin assumes he isn’t going to answer and goes back to studying the stars as well. Before Ohara fell, Robin loved reading storybooks about the stars. About how the stars formed pictures of monsters and men and heroes. She would stay up late into the night, falling asleep in a tree or on a grassy hill with an open book. The stars are different on the Grand Line, but she knows some of the constellations. 

“If you can’t live for yourself yet, live for me. Live for our Nakama.”

Robin’s head turns so fast, she doesn’t even comprehend the movement. Luffy is still staring at the night sky, starlight reflected in his dark eyes. There’s something beneath that starlight, though. Something dark and guilty. 

“Is that what you did?” Robin asks, not looking away from her Captain. 

Luffy finally turns to look at her, a soft smile on his face. It is so different from the smiles she has seen so far. It feels almost like defeat. He doesn’t speak again for a while and Robin doesn’t ask, doesn't push. They both look back at the stars. 

“Tell me a story.” He finally says, still looking up. Robin decides to tell him the story of Nika and Asura that she remembers from the library of her childhood. Their constellations can only be seen in the skies above the New World. The story is outlawed now, but Saul had told it to her one night before Ohara burned. The story she knows from outside of her treasured library. As she tells their epic tale of love and betrayal Luffy continues to stare at the stars. His smile grows just a little bit and it feels almost like a victory.

Zoro doesn’t trust Robin yet and he feels pretty damn assured in his reasoning. Even if Luffy trusts her (even if his judgment has yet to be wrong), she was second-in-command for Crocodile. The man who caged and almost killed Zoro’s Captain. She better have a pretty damned good reason for working under him. But Luffy saved her life and let her aboard the ship so Zoro will not kill her yet. That does not mean he has to trust her. He doesn’t like leaving Luffy alone with her, but he trusts his Captain more than he trusts himself. Luffy will be fine. 

The longer Robin stays on board the Going Merry, however, the more Zoro sees who she might really be. There is still a divide between her and the rest of the crew, blurring her intentions and true self, but Zoro can see enough to believe (to hope) she will not harm them. Something in the soft edges of her smile when she talks to Chopper. The gentle touches when she helps organize Nami’s books. The indulgent smiles when Sanji caters to her every need like the idiot he is. Something about the way she looks at Luffy like she can already see the crown on his head. If nothing else, Zoro can respect her for seeing the crew for who they are. Strong and kind and stubborn. Smarter than most give them credit for. 

(The growing buds of trust have nothing to do with the way Luffy smiles at her, trying to see a reflection of his own grin on her face. Nothing to do with the way she entertains him with her powers, the laughter that rings across the ship. Bells and drums and fire crackling on a cold night. Nothing to do with the way Luffy looks at the crew like they’re just a bit more complete with Robin by their side.)

Nami likes Robin’s company. She trusts Luffy’s judgment enough to trust Robin. Knows that if their newest Nakama were to try anything, Nami would not be in danger. (Nami is strong, has been learning how to grow stronger with her crew. Luffy has been teaching her how to properly use her bo staff, Zoro how to gain more muscle. Sanji makes sure her diet has enough nutrients and Usopp has been working on her Clima-Tact. She will not be defenseless.)

But she likes having another woman on board. No matter how much she loves her boys, they can be too much and Robin is like a cool drink after a day of mikan harvesting. A much needed reprieve from the chaos that Luffy and his crew tend to provide (as if she isn’t part of that crew, as if she doesn’t revel in the chaos they create for others). 

The one thing, however, that Nami cannot stand about her new Nakama is her names for the rest of them. Robin only ever calls them by their titles, never by name. Nami understands, can see the stony walls behind Robin’s blue eyes. But it also gets annoying only being referred to as ‘navigator’ all the time. She does have a name. A name she bears proudly. (She was only a babe when Bell-mère found her and Nojiko. No parents, no family, no name. Bell-mère gave her all of those and more. She will always love the woman who was her mother and everything she gave her daughters.) So when Robin refuses to use it, refuses to use any of their names, it hurts. 

“It seems Cook-san is working on our afternoon drinks at the moment,” Robin says one day as she settles into her seat next to Nami, book in hand. She had gone into the kitchen to get a glass of water, but Nami can only assume Sanji all but kicked her out so he could complete their drinks. It’s not even Nami’s title, but it still rubs her the wrong way. An itch she just can’t reach.

“You know you can use our names, right?” Nami puts down her own book, a guide to converting measurements across the Grand Line. Reading the maps she had bought on islands they stopped at had been hell so far. It seemed every island had a different unit of measurement. Nami is half considering changing her dream to forcing the world to unite under a single unit if only to make her life easier. 

“What?” 

Nami sees the way Robin’s eyes widen just a bit. She knows what it looks like to hide yourself away, to attempt to keep yourself safe from the world by not exposing your soul to its dangers. Nami has experience in that area. She hates seeing her new friend go through the same thing. 

“None of us are going to abandon you or betray you or anything like that. Luffy would probably kick us out if we tried.” Nami chuckles, the mere thought of willful betrayal within the Strawhat Pirates a joke in her mind. Luffy is much too sincere for anyone to consider tricking him. Even Nami had given in when it came down to it. Because when she tried to betray him, tried to leave him behind, he didn’t let her. He chased after her and brought her back. Brought everyone with him. “That’s why you do it, right? To keep a distance between you and us in case something happens.”

Robin doesn’t speak, but the slight slump of her usually elegantly straightened back is more than enough of a tell. Nami doesn’t want to push the issue, never has. So, she picks up her book again and reads about meters versus cana. 

“You don’t know that.” Robin finally mutters, looking down at the book resting in her lap. She hasn’t opened it yet and Nami feels like if Robin were a more expressive person she would be wringing her hands. It’s the most nervous Nami has ever seen her. “A lot of things can happen that you can’t predict, can’t stop. Sometimes people leave and you can’t help it.”

Seas , Nami wants to wrap Robin in a blanket and call for a group cuddle pile (she knows from experience how comforting they are), but she refrains. Nami knows exactly how Robin feels. How it feels to have a power bigger than yourself tear away everything dear to you. But she also knows how it feels to have Monkey D. Luffy pull what you still have back together. To watch him destroy everything in your way so you can live your dreams without fear. Robin does not have that experience. She won’t believe Nami if she tells her. “You’ll see.” She says instead.

Sanji comes out with their drinks and they don’t talk about it again. Nami thinks hopes that the softer slope of Robin’s shoulders is something like relief. 

Bellamy has been afraid many times in his life. Afraid of dying without leaving his mark. Afraid of losing his crew, being alone. Afraid of the man he has chosen to ally himself with. But facing the boy sitting at the bar, he is more afraid than he thinks he has ever been before. Something about the way this boy (Luffy, the bounty poster had said Luffy) stares into your very soul. The way his dark eyes seem to draw you in, blinding you in their darkness until all you can see is your own terrified face reflected in them. Bellamy knows that Luffy is seeing every bit of darkness he has never made any attempt to hide. Bellamy knows that even if he did try to hide it, this boy would see right through it. 

When Monkey D. Luffy’s bounty poster was released, Doflamingo had sent out a message to all of his allied crews. Strawhat Luffy was to be captured alive and brought back to him. Bellamy doesn’t know why Doflamingo wants anything to do with the boy, but for the first time since joining him, Bellamy is considering ignoring a direct order. 

Then the boy says he wants to be King of the Pirates and Bellamy cannot help his laughter. No matter how strong this kid may be, dreams that big are impossible to accomplish. Bellamy knows from experience. This is an era ruled by those who see the world for what it is, not what it could be. Luffy will die trying to reach his impossible dreams and Bellamy will laugh as he reads about it in the paper. He tells the boy as much.

“Okay.” Is all he responds with, continuing to eat the food he had ordered. Bellamy grits his teeth, staring. Why doesn’t he care? How can he just sit there and not retaliate? Maybe Bellamy was wrong to be afraid. Maybe this boy is nothing but a fluke, someone not worthy of the bounty on his head. 

He reaches out and slams Luffy’s head into the counter. He has a job to do, after all. Going against orders from Doflamingo is practically a death sentence and Bellamy has no plans to die today. Except, the blade at his throat is sharp enough to cut just by looking at it, as are the silver eyes of the swordsman wielding it. Once again, Bellamy is afraid. 

“Do not touch my Captain.” The man growls. His knuckles are almost as white as the hilt of his blade but not out of anxiety or fear. No, the look in this man’s eyes is pure hatred and anger. Bellamy can almost feel the fire in his eyes burning him. A single drop of sweat rolls down his neck. 

Behind the Swordsman, a redheaded woman helps Luffy stand, worrying over his nonexistent injuries (and isn’t that something, being slammed into a bar and coming out completely fine). Bellamy almost calls out to her, asks her to join his own crew. He’s sure he can pay better than these two with the states they are in. He is stopped by the blade being pushed further into the skin of his neck, finally breaking it. Bellamy can feel the warm line down his throat as a drop of blood drips from the wound. Immediately, Bellamy’s eyes are back on the Swordsman. He doesn’t dare look away again.

“Zoro,” Luffy finally says, reaching out a single hand to rest over the one gripping his sword. “He’s not worth it.”

In any other circumstances, Bellamy would laugh. He laughs often. It throws off enemies, makes them think you know something they don’t. It’s how he earned his nickname in the first place. But he knows that if he even flinches, this man, Zoro, will have no issue slitting his throat and leaving him dead on the floor. Instead, he scoffs and sheaths his blade, following Luffy out of the bar alongside the woman. Somehow, Bellamy thinks he just avoided certain death.

Zoro does not want to talk about it. Nami had told them not to make trouble (pretty much an impossible task with Luffy around) and Luffy had reiterated it by agreeing with her. So, of course, trouble finds them. They were supposed to be finding information about the supposed Sky Island Luffy wants to travel to next. Instead, some asshole decides to slam Luffy’s head into the counter, laughing as he does.

The part Zoro doesn’t want to talk about is how he saw red. Never in his life has Zoro ever felt that way before. Even after Kuina’s death, Zoro’s grief had been quiet, resolute. The thing is, Zoro knows Luffy can handle himself. He knows that due to his rubber body, blunt force won’t do damage to Luffy. That doesn’t make him feel any better when the bar snaps in half under the pressure of Luffy’s face being slammed into it. He doesn’t even register drawing Wado Ichimonji (this bastard will die and Zoro trusts none of his blades as much as Wado to do her job), doesn’t register the words he says (growls, snarls) at the man, only realizing what he has done when the blade is against the man’s neck. He can’t find it within himself to care, especially when the man looks past Zoro’s head. Nami and Luffy are back there. Nami isn’t strong enough (yet) and Luffy might be injured and this man does not deserve to even look at Zoro’s Captain. Zoro does not hesitate to press the blade into his skin, reveling in the blood that drips down his neck.

“Zoro,” Someone says. It takes Zoro a moment to realize that it is Luffy speaking, the warmth of his Captain’s hand spreading through Zoro’s entire body. “He’s not worth it.”

Zoro sends one last glare at the man who dared harm Luffy, talk down on his Captain’s dream. Zoro swore never to lose again and seeing Luffy hurt felt a hell of a lot like losing. But he knows Luffy is right, knows this man is not worth further dirtying his blade. He scoffs and sheaths Wado Ichimonji, following his Captain as they leave the bar. Nami is picking at her fingernails next to him. Zoro doesn’t say anything, just reaches out and taps her hands with his own to stop the action. She smiles in thanks but it feels empty. Nami still doesn’t understand.

“Why did you let him go? You could have beaten that guy, Luffy.” She finally says as they get further from the bar. Zoro can see Merry in the distance. 

“Some people aren’t worth arguing with, Nami.” He answers, hand resting atop his head, atop his prized hat. The shadows over his eyes look too dark and Zoro almost reaches out to hold Luffy’s shoulder, to show he will always be there for his Captain. Will always try to understand and follow orders even if he can’t. He stops when he sees the fake smile Luffy pastes on his face. It doesn’t shine at all, dull and grey. “Plus, it would have been way to easy. Shishishishishi.”

Nami still doesn’t understand. She is guided by an anger that makes her rash at times. Zoro respects it but recognizes it as the tool it is. A tool Nami has yet to learn how to use. But as Luffy laughs, Zoro thinks he is beginning to understand his Captain just a bit better. For someone so open, Zoro is constantly learning new, hidden things about his Captain. Like even Luffy doesn’t know who he is. 

Zoro can only watch as Luffy speeds ahead of them, still laughing. It feels grating against Zoro’s ear, the fakeness, the grief hidden beneath. The anger that desperately wants to simmer over, to burn and hurt and kill. Luffy usually does such a great job of hiding himself when he feels that way and Zoro feels nothing but honor at the opportunity to see his Captain in such a state. Luffy trusts him, trusts both of them. Nami doesn’t know, won’t until she experiences it herself (something Zoro will never let happen).

Instead of saying any of this, Zoro simply follows his Captain back to the ship or toward whatever has caught Luffy’s attention this time. Zoro would follow Luffy anywhere, would never admit it aloud. Doesn’t have to. 

Mont Blanc is used to being laughed at more often than not. He lives on the edge of town, banished to the half-crumbled building on the cliffside. He doesn’t care about their laughter, doesn’t care about clearing his stupid ancestor’s name. Mont Blanc just wants the truth. 

(He wants to believe that Noland was telling the truth. Wants to see the gold for himself, if only to know that Noland was right. That the man who couldn’t, wouldn’t, lie did not make up the city of gold. Mont Blanc has never been a man to believe lies. Especially when those lies are his own.)

Monkey D. Luffy does not laugh. He hears about a sky island and puts everything he has into reaching it. He listens to Mont Blanc’s story and trusts his word. He promises to find the City. Mont Blanc isn’t used to being believed. There’s something about his unwavering belief in other people’s dreams that makes Mont Blanc stop and wonder for a moment. Wonder how he didn’t notice the darkness creeping into the edges of his vision. How he almost let the waters take him away for good. The way the redhead (Nami?) looks at him tells Mont Blanc that he is not the first. 

“I’m gonna be King of the Pirates. It’s, like, my job to find gold.” He calls out as he stands on the stump Mont Blanc had been using as a table. He ignores Nami’s call of not for other people, idiot and smiles down at Mont Blanc. His eyes are ebony with the sunlight behind his head and Mont Blanc cannot look away. Luffy smiles wider. “We’ll find that gold.”

Maybe it’s the boy’s infectious hope or his bright smile. Mont Blanc doesn’t know and doesn’t care. He just knows he believes again. He looks at the sea and sees hope instead of despair. 

“She’s… a chicken.” Luffy mumbles, staring at the modifications Masira and Shoujou had made to Merry while the Strawhats had been off searching for some bird. Usopp isn’t really sure, he just knows that Luffy’s following declaration of so cool is very true. She even has a cockscomb on her head. 

Usopp is scared of most things. (Bugs are not one of these things. He and Luffy are the designated pest control on board whenever one gets into the kitchen or Nami’s room. Zoro just kills them and leaves the body behind which is not helpful.) He is especially scared of shooting Merry into the sky on a giant geyser. His repairs can only do so much and with the amount of trouble the Strawhats seem to attract, damages are inevitable. Usopp just doesn’t want to lose the single piece of home he still has. So he inspects the modifications with his sharpest eye. A single bolt out of place could tear Merry apart at the speeds they’ll be going. 

“She’ll carry us for a bit longer.” Usopp spins around to see Luffy staring at Merry’s figurehead. He has that small smile on his face that looks almost like he can’t keep it in. It helps relax Usopp a bit but Luffy doesn’t know ships like Usopp does. Didn’t grow up running around a shipyard and annoying the builders into telling him stories and secrets. But Usopp trusts Luffy with his own life and, when it comes down to it, Merry is technically Luffy’s ship. 

“Of course she will,” Usopp says, slapping on a smile that feels half-real. “Merry will never leave us.”

“Everyone dies eventually.” Luffy says, face shaded beneath the brim of his straw hat. Usopp can’t see his Captain’s eyes, but he can see the hard line of his mouth, lips pressed together. “But this isn’t Merry’s last journey. I can promise you that.”

Something in Usopp’s heart cracks at the words. Somewhere inside, he always knew Merry wouldn’t be with them forever. She’s already cramped with just the seven of them and Luffy is always talking about the other crew members he’ll need to be King. That doesn’t mean Usopp thought it would be so soon. How much further can Merry carry them? How much longer can Usopp keep her afloat? He’s about to speak, doesn’t know what he would say but needs to say something. 

“Did you know that some ships are said to have a soul?” Luffy says instead and Usopp closes his mouth, shakes his head. “I think if any ship had a soul it would be Merry. She loves us just as much as we love her. But to force someone to live when they’re suffering can be worse than death.”

The way Luffy looks into Usopp’s eyes is burning. Usopp feels like he’s being splayed open in a way so different from their first meeting. Luffy isn’t inspecting Usopp, he’s showing Usopp what he can do. Showing Usopp that he knows every single piece of his Sharpshooter inside and out. He knows how deeply Usopp cares for Merry, knows exactly how far he would go for Kaya’s gift to their crew. (He needs Usopp to know that he loves Merry just as much, but will not make her suffer for his own needs. Will never force someone to live if dying is truly a better option.)

Someone in the house calls out to them and the heavy air is gone almost instantly. Luffy’s eyes are their usual brown again, lit by the setting sun. Usopp can see Zoro’s silhouette in the distance. Luffy smiles and turns to head back to the house. They need a good rest before their journey tomorrow. 

“Luffy,” Usopp calls out after a moment. Luffy is a few yards away when he turns to face Usopp again. “You’ll stop me, right? If I make Merry suffer?”

Luffy’s answering smile is soft at the edges in a way that tells Usopp yes, of course, I will never let my Nakama hurt each other, I will save them all, even if salvation is death. It makes something in Usopp’s chest loosen and he smiles back, this time feeling real and true to his very core. 

Luffy has always wanted to fly. Something about the freedom of the birds in the sky, the way nothing holds them down. But he didn’t eat a Devil Fruit that gave him wings. Luffy wasn’t lucky enough to have that kind of infinite freedom. Izou told him once that swimming feels almost like flying and Luffy can almost remember how it felt to swim in the bay of Foosha Village. He’ll never know for sure, though, the memory old and yellowed with age in his mind. It’s not often that Luffy curses his memory for abandoning him. It’s not something he can change, so he doesn’t try. All he can do is try his best with what he has. 

(Marco took Luffy on a few flights, would let Luffy sit on his back while wings of cerulean fire flared out around them. It felt nothing like what Luffy remembers swimming to be. Although, to be fair, Luffy has more memories of drowning than anything else.)

But as Luffy soars into the sky on Merry’s masthead, he thinks that this must be the closest to flight he’ll ever come. He laughs over Nami’s screams and the chattering of Usopp’s teeth that he can hear over the wind. His hat flaps behind him, pulled off his hair by the force of their speed. When they finally land on the clouds, Luffy thinks he wouldn’t mind flying again. 

“That was fun!” He tells his Nakama, taking in their various states of distress. He knows they’re fine, knows Merry would never let any of them fall or get hurt (can hear the satisfied hum she gives at the acknowledgement). “We should do it again, shishishishishi.”

Zoro chuckles from where he had been gripping the railing and Luffy takes a moment to appreciate his Swordsman’s laugh. It’s warm and rough, something like Zoro’s hands, his face, his entire self. It feels right as it rumbles beneath Zoro’s tan skin. The scar across his chest peeks out from the collar of his shirt and Luffy’s smile twitches for a second (hecouldn’tprotectthemwhatgoodisheifhecan’tevendotha-) before Nami is yelling something at him. Luffy dodges her Clima-Tact with ease, turning away from Zoro to stare over the white sea before them. 

“If boats can float on this sea, it is highly likely that the Sky Island does indeed exist.” Robin says quietly, stepping beside Luffy as he takes in their newest adventure. “But you never doubted that, did you, Captain?”

Luffy just laughs, lifting his hat to rest once again on his dark hair. As he watches the clouds, their curves seem to reflect the waves and ripples of the sea. It makes Luffy wonder. He throws his head back, calling out to Zoro before running toward the railing his Swordsman is still near. 

“Save me if I drown, Zoro,” He yells as he falls overboard, diving head first into the white waters below. Falling, Luffy realizes, is so much different from flying. He doesn’t enjoy it nearly as much. 

As he hits the water, there is no splash, just a pffh as he is dragged down into their depths. He hears a yell that sounds something like idiot before he feels someone beside him. A hand grabs his collar and Luffy can tell without looking that Zoro has followed Luffy’s orders. Luffy could probably tell Zoro from a single finger, a breath. It makes something in his chest beat just a bit louder. Zoro would never let Luffy drown.

“You idiot! One of these days you’ll drown,” Zoro grumbles more than yells as he drags Luffy back to the Merry. The clouds are colder than Luffy thought they would be and he can feel Zoro’s warm hand through his vest. 

“But these are clouds,” Luffy crosses his arms, pouting despite facing away from Zoro. He knows his tone is more than enough to get the point across. “I thought I could swim. I even gave you a warning.”

Zoro’s answering groan feels like a win and Luffy spins in Zoro’s hold to wrap his arms around Zoro’s shoulders. He’s so warm compared to the cold clouds and if Luffy had the strength, he would wrap his arms around the Swordsman multiple times (which would probably result in them both drowning before Zoro managed to escape Luffy’s hold) but the clouds prevent him from stretching much, if at all. Instead, he just grabs Zoro’s shirt, fisting his hands in the fabric as Zoro climbs the rope ladder that one of the others lowered.

“Maybe next time let someone else check the mysterious water.” Zoro says, peeling Luffy’s reluctant hands off of him. “Okay, Captain?”

Luffy laughs. Zoro groans.

Nami supposes this was supposed to be a vacation. No matter how much Luffy insisted that it was another adventure, Nami was going to make the most of her time away from their normal waters. But somehow, the Strawhat Crew seems to attract trouble like a fucking magnet. Nami would never leave them behind, but sometimes she debates simply hiding away in her room to study maps while the rest of them fight. She never does. Bell-mère taught her better than that. She still groans every time as she pulls out her Clima-Tact and readies the defensive position Luffy had taught her. 

First, her brilliant Captain had thought it a good idea to jump into the water, making all of them panic as they watched him slip beneath the clouds and not come back up. Zoro had cursed, already having dropped his swords and jumped overboard after Luffy. So. A great start. Then they had survived an attack by some masked man, Luffy just barely holding him off before some man on a horse (bird? horse-bird? pegasus?) showed up. But when they got to the beach of the strange Sky Island, Nami feels like maybe she can finally relax. The kind family that had offered them food had also allowed Nami to ride their waver. 

The waver was a brilliant device that was made specifically for Nami. She knows the waves as a close friend, the wind like family. Reading the sky, plotting out maps and courses and contingency plans. Nami has been doing that since she stole her first book. It comes as instinct, the same way her red-hot anger does. But with the wind in her hair (playing games again after so long of being held back) she can only feel joy. 

She doesn’t really notice as she gets further away from the beach. Nami knows exactly where she is in relation, of course, but the direction and path she took are once again instinctual. Like something dragging her toward the strange place where she ends up. The trees are as big around as Merry is long, their branches reaching miles into the sky and their roots gnarled into a mess of dirt and wood. It’s almost beautiful, nature overtaking land, no man daring to stop it. Then she hears the screams. 

Nami is used to screams. She heard them from the people of her village, from those Arlong captured and tortured. But the screams she knows most intimately are her own. Full of fear and longing and death. Nami knows screams when she hears them. Human screams. 

From her spot a few hundred yards away from the shore, Nami can see two small figures. They are running, from what, Nami has no clue. She simply watches as they get closer to the shore. She cannot see the fear on their faces (her vision ruined long ago from studying maps for so long) but she can feel it from where she stands on her waver. It feels like a shipwreck. She cannot bring herself to look away despite knowing something terrible is about to occur. She is proved correct when lighting strikes down from the heavens, hitting the men and their surroundings. 

It takes a moment for Nami’s vision to return. The lightning had been blinding in it’s brightness. The column of pure electricity becoming all Nami could see. The smell of ozone assaults her senses and Nami has no idea what just happened, just that she needs to get the hell out of there.

Of course, the locals’ version of the Marines are there when Nami returns to the beach and she has to help take them down before she can tell the rest of the crew about what happened. 

“Enel,” Conis whispers as Nami explains, almost falling to her knees. Sanji manages to catch her and Nami is almost surprised when that’s all he does. “God.”

“God?” A voice growls, and it takes a moment for Nami to recognize it as Luffy’s. His eyes hold something sharp inside of them, the contrast on the blade only sharpened by the shadow of his hat. Nami is never, will never be afraid of her Captain, but she is afraid for whoever Luffy will take this anger out on. She can feel the same oily anger rolling off his shoulders like thunder clouds. “He calls himself God?”

Nami can’t help but glance over at Zoro. He knows Luffy better than any of them, has known their Captain the longest, even if only by a few weeks. They have some kind of connection that the rest of the crew cannot understand. This way of communicating without words, without even looking at one another. But when Nami looks over to their First Mate, he looks just as scared for their Captain as the rest of them. 

(When Ace left, he left Luffy to his own devices and asked the rest of the crew a favor; to protect his little brother. They had laughed at the time, told Ace that Luffy could protect himself, that they didn’t need him for that. 

“I don’t need you to protect him from others,” He had whispered, glancing over at his brother. “I need you to protect him from himself. From whatever happened to him.”

“You don’t have to ask.” Zoro had said, and even Sanji had agreed with the words. Ace left that day with a smile on his face that held something bittersweet and sharp beneath the soft love for his brother. Their Captain.)

Conis, however, does not notice the change. She looks and sounds too scared to notice much of anything. “Y—yes. He—His power is,” She takes a deep breath, still steadying herself in Sanji’s arms. The Cook looks anything but pleased at the state she’s in. “He’s too strong to stand against. We follow his rules and we get to live. That is how it has been since he came into power.”

Without another word, Luffy begins walking down the beach. Somewhere in the back of her mind, Nami realizes that he’s heading toward the strange island she had found earlier. 

“Where are you going?” Pagaya asks, not stepping away from his daughter but still reaching toward Luffy as he stalks away. 

“To kill that bastard.” Luffy says, and Nami knows that voice. She has heard it before. She heard it when she begged for help, when Vivi did the same. It is a voice that promises pain to those who abuse their power. A voice that will not allow injustice to go unpunished. It makes a shiver go down her spine, but Nami is no longer afraid for the man who Luffy will take his anger out on. She knows he deserves it. “And free you.”

Freedom. Nami values freedom above all else. Above her maps. Above beri. She knows how it feels to be chained down both literally and metaphorically. To have your wings clipped and feel like you can never fly again. She still has scars around her ankles, on her shoulder beneath the new tattoo. She noticed the ones on Luffy’s ankles weeks ago. The ones on his wrists, on his neck . She won’t push, never has, never will. She will support and let him know that she is there, but she will not ask if he will not tell her. She thinks Luffy might value freedom more than even her. She wouldn’t be surprised. She also thinks that if she had to belong to anyone, this crew would be more than acceptable.

But even Nami has limits. 

“Luffy, you didn’t see it. You’ll die.” She’s almost begging. Nami hasn’t begged since Luffy saved her. Isn’t now, either. But she has seen this supposed God, has seen his power. She doesn’t know if even Luffy can win this one. 

“Nami,” The look Luffy sends over his shoulder makes Nami freeze. She can feel the way her shoulders hunch, the way she almost curls in on herself. She’s not afraid, just ashamed. Luffy is her Captain. He will be King of the Pirates. She does not doubt this for a second, but she also hates seeing any of her Nakama hurt. Hates watching them walk into danger, knowing that it’s coming. 

She can only nod in response. She knows. There are worse things than death. Nami just wants him to realize that there are things better than death as well. 

The ship is being dragged away and Zoro can do nothing about it. The stupid Cook had dragged him along to collect the food (did it really need to be arranged like that if you’re just going to eat it?) with Usopp while the others went back to the ship. The ship that had just disappeared over the horizon. If you can really even call it that. And all Zoro had done was watch from the balcony.

“Oi, where are you going?” Sanji calls, grabbing at Zoro’s arm. He easily shakes it off but something feels like it’s still weighing him down. The stupid bentos are still sitting on the table behind Sanji and Zoro wants to destroy them. He knows the cook would murder him for wasting food, but Zoro really doesn’t care. It is his job to keep the crew safe as First Mate and he had failed. 

“I’m gonna find a fucking ship and get our crew back,” Zoro practically spits, hand gripping Wado’s hilt but not drawing her. Not on his crew. “Do you have a problem with that, you shitty cook?”

“So your plan is to steal a boat?”

“We’re pirates, it’s what we do.”

Not that it ever really feels like it. Sure, being chased by marines and being a general nuisance to active government was pirate-like activity, but Luffy had never had to steal before. He saved people, earned their obligatory thanks and gratitude, which usually came with food and booze and supplies. Their Captain had never told them not to steal and Zoro would do anything at the moment to get his friends back.

Sanji scoffs, but the furrow that Zoro can just barely see under his blond bangs tells him the Cook agrees. Luffy would do the same for them. They would do even more for him.

“Um,” Conis’ quiet voice rises from the kitchen. She looks as if she’s trying to hide behind the doorway but is doing as good a job as Chopper. “We have a boat you can use to find your friends. It’s at the docks. I’ll take you there.”

Zoro watches as Sanji’s face morphs into a smile that is only slightly less gooey than his usual one when faced with literally any woman ever and forces himself not to scoff at the image. They don’t need to fight right now, they need to find their crew.

“Why, we would be honored, Conis-chan. Lead the way.” Sanji doesn’t even glance at Zoro as he calls over his shoulder, “Mosshead, grab the bentos. We’re leaving.”

“You fucking—”

Usopp’s hand lands cautiously on Zoro’s shoulder. A gentle reminder of what they have to get done. Fine. Whatever. If the Cook wants to fucking die after they find Merry and the crew, he can fucking die. Zoro will run him through with his own damn knives. 

Pleased with the mental image of desecrating Sanji’s sacred tools, Zoro picks up the bentos and puts them in his bag, only grumbling a little bit and pointedly ignoring the look on Usopp’s face. 

The walk to the docks is long and slow. Even with the people of the island seeming to keep a safe distance from the intruders, Zoro feels like he’s moving through molasses. He needs to see Luffy now . Needs to know his Captain is okay. He trusts Luffy to take care of himself, but he also knows Luffy would easily give his own life to save his Nakama. That is what scares Zoro. The sooner he finds his Captain, the less time said Captain has to sacrifice himself.

(Not that Luffy would ever give his life easily. No, he would fight until the very end for his dream. Zoro knows this because he is exactly the same. But Nami had seemed so terrified of whatever she saw. Zoro hadn’t seen her like that since Arlong. Zoro never wants to see her like that again.)

Finally, after an eternity of walking, Zoro can see the boats. Conis points at one with a stupid bird on the front, but Zoro doesn't give a single shit about what the boat looks like, though he does smile at the idea of Luffy ordering a cooler boat. That’s when he smells the ozone. 

He moves before he realizes what he’s doing. He doesn’t even know who he’s pushing aside until the vision returns to his eyes. Zoro knows exactly what Nami meant when she told Luffy he’d die. He can see a future where Luffy cannot overcome such raw power. But Zoro forces himself to shake his head, as if it will physically rid the thought from his mind. Underneath him, Usopp groans but Zoro barely hears it. He needs to find Luffy. With the way their Captain attracts danger like a magnet, there’s no doubt he’ll manage to get struck.

“Cook?” He calls out, climbing off of Usopp and extending a hand to help the Sharpshooter up. 

“Yeah, yeah,” Comes the annoying voice (that Zoro feels absolutely no relief about whatsoever) from across the newly created crater in the clouds. “I’m alive, don’t sound so happy about it.”

Zoro almost laughs at that. He allows himself a smile only because the smoke hasn’t quite cleared yet and Sanji can’t see him. Then he hears the sobs. They’re coming from across the crater and Zoro knows it’s not Sanji. The Cook wouldn’t cry in front of Zoro under threat of death. 

“Conis?” Usopp calls out. Zoro can see his legs shaking as he stands to glare through the smoke. “Sanji, is that Conis?”

A breeze blows through the area and Zoro realizes how still the air had been before. Standing still as if to see who survived the carnage. Zoro thinks that maybe he would do the same thing if he didn’t know his crewmates. They can handle themselves. (Zoro knows this. He knows they are strong. Luffy wouldn’t have brought them on board otherwise. But the last time Zoro called someone his friend, she died. She died because he wasn’t there to catch her.)

The smoke clears and Zoro can see the two blond heads across the crater. The crater that stretches further than the length of the Merry. They’re going to have to go around it, which is annoying and worrying. Luffy is out there, facing this alone. Not alone. He has Nami and Robin and Chopper. Luffy hasn’t been alone since Zoro sailed away with him on that too-small dinghy. Never will be again.

Sanji looks up, catches Zoro’s eye and nods at him. Meet in the middle, it is. The walk feels terribly long, especially with Conis’ sobs ringing through the air. Zoro watches Sanji attempt to comfort the girl (in his typical too-much way of doing things) but the tears persist. 

“What happened?” Usopp finally asks as the two groups get close enough together to speak. “Conis, what’s wrong?”

Zoro watches as Usopp reaches out and rests a hand on Conis’ shoulder. Watches as she slaps it away and falls to her knees. There is something like regret in her eyes. Something akin to guilt. Zoro balls his hands into fists to stop himself from doing something more drastic. The fabric hilt of Wado brushes against his wrist and he can almost breathe again. He hadn’t realized he stopped.

“I don’t deserve your pity.” Conis cries out, voice rough and wet. Her face is red under the dust from the explosion and tears have carved clear paths down her cheeks. “I did this. I brought you here. It was a trap all along. You should leave now, before you die along with your friends.”

Zoro hates that anyone would think Luffy weak enough to die. Hates that anyone would think Zoro would want to die a coward. That Zoro would want to die anywhere but by Luffy’s side. His chest rumbles with a growl that he can’t seem to hold back. His teeth feel all wrong, like they’re too big and too sharp, grinding against each other at odd angles. His skin feels too tight, about to snap and expose bloody muscle and bone. His fists are clenched so tight, Zoro thinks that maybe it’ll actually happen. Sanji steps forward in front of Conis, opens his big mouth to say something stupid. Usopp steps in between them, a hand on each of their chests. 

“Cool it, both of you.” Usopp demands. Zoro can see his shaking knees. “We’re alive and so are the rest of the crew. Luffy wouldn’t let anyone get hurt. Let’s just go now, okay?”

Sanji clicks his tongue but turns back toward Conis, reassuring her for some reason. As if she hadn’t just betrayed their crew and tried to kill them. If anything, Zoro thinks they should throw her in the crater and see if lightning strikes twice. Instead, Zoro spins around and heads toward the boat. They’re taking it, even if Conis thinks that it will sail them to their doom. 

“Hurry it up, Cook.” Sanji doesn’t even pause in his speech about how sorry he is for Zoro’s ‘bullish, caveman’ behavior. Zoro really doesn’t feel like arguing anymore until they’re at least making progress toward the others. He sighs. “Nami and Robin are out there with no one but Chopper and Luffy. You know how Luffy can get sometimes.”

Sanji stops in his tracks, face hard. Luffy would never let his Nakama get hurt on purpose, but when he finds an adventure and decides to follow it, he can get distracted. Luffy believes in the strength of his crew, believes in everyone to be able to take care of themselves. But sometimes they just need help. 

Finally, the Shit Cook says a final goodbye to Conis and climbs aboard the boat with a huff. “We’ll, what are we waiting for? Let’s go.”

It takes every shred of Zoro’s self control along with the buffer of Usopp between them for Zoro to not slice Sanji’s fucking hands off. (And the fact that Luffy would be sad if Sanji couldn’t cook for him anymore, but that’s neither here nor there.)

“But I wanna go exploring,” Luffy huffs as he throws himself against Merry’s mast. How Nami manages to be the only sane person on the crew baffles her at times. She would love to include Robin within that group, but their archeologist is an enabler through and through. She’s currently laughing as Nami tries to convince Luffy that staying on the boat and waiting for the others is their best course of action. 

“This land is quite interesting,” Robin muses, leaning forward on one of her hands. She looks so regal with her legs crossed elegantly over one another. Nami half wants to strangle her. 

“Not you too.”

“See?” Luffy jumps up and points at Nami. She really is the only sane person on this crew. Truly. “Even Robin thinks it’s a good idea, which means it must be. Robin’s smart.”

Luffy crosses his arms and looks smugly over at Nami as if he has just won their argument. Nami looks to Robin to see a smile on her face as she watches the scene unfolding before her. Finally she turns to Chopper, her last ally in this war. His eyes go wide as he looks between the three of them. Sweet, sweet Chopper, probably trying to find a way to agree with Nami without hurting anyone’s feelings. 

“Nami’s smart, too?” He finally says. Nami doesn’t love how much it sounds like a question, but she’ll take what she can get at this point. She turns to Luffy, smug smile plastered on her face because, if Luffy can use it as an argument, so can Nami. Her smile drops when she sees him picking his nose.

“Nami’s super smart,” Luffy says, his voice steady and true, like he’s speaking some undeniable truth of the world. The sky is blue, devil fruit users can’t swim, and Nami is smart. “But she’s scared.”

That’s it. Nami has had it with these overpowered idiots thinking she’s stupid for being cautious. She doesn’t have what they do. Sure, her Clima-Tact is great and she has made leaps and bounds in her training with the boys, but she isn’t like them. Nami doesn’t have the unwavering belief that she can win every fight she goes into. She’ll fight as hard as she can, and whatever the outcome is, so be it.  If she can’t win a fight, she’ll give it her all and die for her crew. But this? This needless fighting just because Luffy is bored? Just because he has some overinflated sense of justice? Nami will not let him kill himself just to prove a point. She will not let her Nakama die because they were too stupid to know when avoiding a fight is better than seeking one out.

“Of course I’m scared,” She screams, throwing her hands in the air because trying to choke the life out of her Captain seems counterproductive. “You want to fight God because you can’t find it in yourself to realize that there are things better than death as well as worse than them. You run into every fight you can find because someone might get hurt so it may as well be you. But did you ever stop to think that if you get hurt, it hurts all of us? That if you died we would all follow you?”

“Nami…” Luffy’s face is shadowed in a way that Nami has never seen before. It’s not the anger that seems to consume his being like a flame, nor is it the guilt that overcomes him at the strangest times. This is grief, plain and simple. Nami can feel tears falling from her eyes, she can feel the stares of Chopper and Robin as they watch silently. “I would never abandon my Nakama.”

“You can’t know that.” Nami hates how soft her voice is. How it shakes in her throat, wet with tears. She keeps going, anyway, because Luffy needs to hear this. He needs to know just how much they all care about him. How much they need him to stay. “You’re human just like the rest of us. Just because you’re made of rubber doesn’t mean you’re invincible.”

“I know.” Is all he says as he wraps his arms around her shaking form. It feels hollow and sharp, the admittance that Luffy knows he can die. He knows and yet he still puts himself after everyone else. As if his life is worth less. 

It seems like an eternity before anyone speaks again. Nami rests her head on Luffy’s chest, listening to his heartbeat to assure herself that he is alive. That he’s still there with them. He hasn’t gone on some suicide mission and not made it back this time. 

“How about this,” Robin breaks the silence, her voice soft. Nami looks up to see Chopper curled in her lap and wonders just how long they had all sat there for. “Me, you, and Luffy go out while Chopper stays to guard the ship. You can do that right?” She directs the last part at Chopper who sits up straighter and salutes at Robin the best he can. It’s cute. Nami almost laughs. 

“But—” Nami starts, about to remind Robin of exactly why she had been crying just a few moments ago. 

“ And,” Robin interrupts, looking meaningfully at Nami. “At the first sign of trouble or whenever Nami decides, we head straight back to Merry. Yes?” This time Robin looks at Luffy as she finishes speaking and Nami can’t help but look as well. Luffy has this soft smile on his face that they don’t get to see often. It makes Nami want to give in, but in the end, it’s not Nami’s choice to make. Luffy decides these things as Captain.

“Okay.” He says, “We listen to Nami.”

Enel felt the presence as soon as it landed on his shores. Power. Whoever has arrived holds power. More than Enel has ever seen outside of his Priests and possibly even himself. He has an aura so large, so loud and bright, that Enel could almost feel it brushing against him. He fears that if he were not made of lightning, he may have been burned by it. Warm, too warm. Like standing in the sun for too long. Like flying too high and melting your wings. But Enel will not lose and he will not cower. He is power itself. He controls the sky and all her people. Some boy will not defeat him simply by being bright. He will need to be a God to defeat Enel. Only God can defeat his own kind.

Sanji knew picking string was a bad idea. ‘I can cut through it’ , Zoro had said. ‘Zoro can cut through it’ , Usopp had said. Sanji doesn’t give a shit as to what the idiot can do, he just wants to get out of these strings and kick this guy’s ass. Zoro is having way too much fun fighting him and his stupid-ass bird in Sanji’s opinion. At the very least, the Swordsman is too distracted to actually free Sanji and Usopp from their binds. 

Seas , if only Sanji could move his fucking legs. His feet are fast and powerful and can cut through shitty string like nothing. He definitely doesn’t need three whole swords (unlike some people). But no, he can barely move his head to keep an eye on Zoro’s fight. 

“Marimo, get your ass over here and let me out,” Sanji screams. His hands are twitching with stress and the need for a cigarette. “You obviously need the help.”

The String Guy laughs, throwing his head back as he easily parries two of Zoro’s blades. The idiot is making zero headway. Still, it makes Sanji grit his teeth at the ease with which the man is holding Zoro back. He and Sanji have never truly gone all out on each other, but Sanji knows it would be a hard won battle. For this guy to be able to defend against Zoro’s swords even while looking away? Zoro just needs to admit that he needs help and stop being a stubborn idiot. 

“Shut up,” Zoro mutters, his entire focus on the fight before him. He’s scowling at the man, but there is a touch of amusement in his voice and the hint of a smile on his face. He’s enjoying this fight. Like a fucking maniac.

“You should listen to your friend,” The man swings his javelin and Zoro just barely manages to block the molten end with his own blade. “You probably can’t even beat me together, much less by yourself.”

And Zoro laughs. Like the absolutely mental idiot he is, Zoro laughs. Then he throws the sword in his right hand. At Usopp. Not Sanji, no that would mean Zoro actually respects his rival. No, Zoro has to free the crewmate that will turn tail and run at the first sign of danger. (Sanji knows that’s not true. He’s seen Usopp fight for his friends. Fight with his crew. He knows Usopp is braver than any of them because he fights even when his knees shake and his teeth chatter. Sanji knows this. However, Sanji is also very annoyed at a certain moss-haired idiot and cannot for the life of him figure out Zoro’s thought process, if he even has one.)

“Usopp,” Zoro calls over his shoulder as he continues to fight the String Guy, his third blade wedged into the tree above Usopp’s head having severed the strings holding their Sharpshooter in place. Usopp straightens at the hard tone. Even with that hint of a smile in his eyes, they can both tell he’s deadly serious. “Cut the shitty cook free and don’t you dare drop her.”

It’s not the white sword that Zoro seems to cherish more than his own life, but for Zoro to trust anyone with one of his prized weapons is something Sanji has never seen before. At least, not outside of Luffy’s casual touches when Zoro is cleaning their blades. Sanji is half convinced Zoro couldn’t stop their Captain even if he wanted to. The other half is convinced he doesn’t want to in the slightest.

And Usopp, knees shaking and teeth chattering in his skull, runs as best he can across the treetops to Sanji and begins cutting the strings holding him in place. The moment Sanji is free, he jumps toward the fight. 

“You know what this is, right?” He asks Zoro as they fall into step with each other. One upside to fighting each other all the time, they know each other’s moves like the back of their hands. Zoro doesn’t answer, just grunts in a way that Sanji has learned to read as confusion. “Are you stupid?” Sanji dodges a blade that does not belong to the String Guy and smirks as he does. “Use your eyes, idiot. He’s dodging our moves before we even make them.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah, oh.” Sanji rolls his eye as he tries to kick at the man’s chest. As expected, he dodges easily.

“How come I can’t hit you?” Nami had asked one day, anger having given out to exhaustion after chasing Luffy in circles around the ship. “Like, ever. What’s up with that?”

“Oh, that’s Haki, shishishishi.” Luffy said as if it were obvious. As if they were supposed to have some idea as to what the fuck he was talking about. “You can’t hit me because I don’t want you to hit me. Your punches hurt almost as much as Gramps’ do.”

“I assume you mean Observation Haki,” Robin closed her book quietly as she stood up from her chair. Luffy just nodded. Robin hummed. Seas , Sanji hated when people had silent conversations. Annoying as hell.

“What the hell is Haki?” Zoro finally asked, still polishing his blades, leaning against Merry’s rails. 

“I don’t know. I can just see moves before they come when I want to.” Luffy shrugged, picking his nose. Sanji’s jaw dropped open. That wasn’t important information to share with the rest of them? Something he could teach them? Sanji turned to Robin and his eyes must have been pleading as she just laughed before speaking again.

“Observation Haki gives a person a sixth sense. It allows the user to read, or observe , a person on a deeper level than most, which can give them insight to fighting techniques as well as emotions, and strength. It can also be used on surroundings to sense the presence of others.”

Sanji suddenly remembered the eyes when Luffy had first looked at him. The ones that made him hide away, run from the threat of being known. He wonders if that was really what Luffy had done or if the boy was simply good at knowing everything at a glance. If his ability is this strange power or a survival tactic from years of something Sanji cannot begin to imagine. Something that makes his Captain willing to torture and kill without remorse. 

“How do you beat it?” Zoro finally stood and sheathed his blades, walking toward Luffy. 

“You annoy ‘em.” Luffy said, dangerous smile sharp on his face. Sanji almost wanted to laugh, but he’s afraid if he moves, his Captain’s smile would cut him. 

“What?” Zoro asked, annoyance painted across his face. 

“When you’re using Observation Haki in a fight, it takes focus. If you annoy someone enough or distract them, you can get past it.”

Luffy had said it as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, but Sanji couldn't believe the words coming from his Captain. They sounded like something Nami or Robin would say, not Luffy. Sanji recognized that Luffy could be smart, but in battle, he used brute force more than anything else. For him to have thought so much about how to actually defeat his opponents made Sanji stop to think for a moment. 

“Haki.” Zoro says, jumping back to avoid the red-hot javelin that would have otherwise stabbed through his stomach. Sanji is almost impressed. That quickly goes away when he sees the smile on Zoro’s face. He has an idea, which is almost always a bad thing. “So we just gotta annoy the hell outta him, right?”

Nevermind, maybe the stupid Marimo has good ideas once in a millennium. Sanji vaguely remembers some saying about broken clocks but cannot bring himself to care enough to actually apply it to the situation. He’s too busy doing his second favorite thing: arguing with Roronoa Zoro. 

Of course, doing anything with wonderful ladies like Nami and Robin is his favorite thing to do and fighting with Zoro is a very, very far second. However, when ladies are not around and Sanji is surrounded by men who smell like booze and gunpowder, he’ll take what he can get. Besides, Sanji has been told multiple times that his fights with Zoro are the most annoying things a person can experience (outside of Luffy’s singing voice). Sanji and Zoro are simply testing that theory. 

It takes about five minutes of mostly fighting each other and making the occasional jab at String Guy for them both to get a hit in. At the same time. Sanji would be annoyed if it didn’t mean that String Guy was finally down. At least, Sanji is hoping he doesn’t survive a kick to the head and a slash across his chest as well as the following drop from the trees. 

“Hah, I got him.” Zoro says, sheathing his blades. Sanji spins around to kick him, but predictably misses. He pulls out a cigarette and lights it instead. 

“As if. That was obviously all me. You didn’t do anything except miss him.”

Zoro’s hand is on the hilt of his blade when they hear a voice from below. They both look down to see Usopp in their boat, waving his arms frantically. He can’t stop the boat and it is getting dangerously far away. Fine, until they find the crew, they can put their fighting to the side. But Sanji is not forgetting this. 

“Race you to the boat,” Zoro calls as he leaps from the branch down toward the boat. Sanji bites down so hard his teeth snap through the cigarette in his mouth. 

“You fucking—”

Luffy groans, swinging the stick he had picked up. 

“Robin,” He whines, throwing his head back as she studies yet another strange stone or tree. Luffy really can’t tell what makes her stop, just knows not to wander too far or be forcibly dragged back by her disembodied hands. “I’m bored.”

“You’re the one that wanted to come out here in the first place, idiot.” Nami yells, aiming a punch for Luffy’s head that he easily dodges, groaning once again as he does. “Get back here. You’ve been complaining this whole time, even though you were the one that wanted to leave the ship.”

Luffy laughs as he avoids her attacks, running through the trees with ease. He can feel Robin nearby. He can find her again if he gets lost. Can feel Nami, too. Can still feel the fear and anger and mourning that had been rolling off of her in waves earlier. Luffy hates hurting his Nakama. He knows he would do anything if it meant keeping them safe. He knows they care about him too. But to die for him? To give their lives to save his? He’s nothing. Just a stupid pet that doesn’t deserve a mind of it’s own.

He keeps running, feeling the warmth of the sun through the leaves. It’s colder in the sky. Luffy wonders why. Why being closer to a source of warmth could possibly be colder than being far away. That’s when he falls.

Falling and flying are such similar feelings for all that they are opposites. Suspended in air, wind whipping around you. Luffy almost wants to close his eyes and let it happen. Just fall and fall until he finally hits the sea below. But he can hear a voice. It sounds like Nami and Ace and Zoro and all of the people Luffy has ever cared for. Like a chorus of people telling him to live . He laughs and stretches his arm out as far as it can go. Luffy knows his Nakama will save him. He lets himself fall, knowing someone is there to catch him. 

A hand grabs his and pulls, and Luffy lets it. 

“Idiot!” Nami yells. Her voice is wet and Luffy lets her flying fists hit his chest as many times as she needs. “You have to pay attention, Luffy.”

“Sorry Nami,” He laughs, rubbing at his neck. “But I knew my Nakama would catch me, shishishishi.”

Nami stares at Luffy in silence for a moment. Her eyes seem to study his body and soul. Luffy just smiles. He would give his entire being to his Nakama if they asked for it. He would give his life and mind and soul to make them happier because he knows they would care for it like a treasure. Their treasure. 

“You’re still stupid.” Nami grumbles, punching Luffy’s shoulder one more time. Luffy just laughs. 

“Captain, do you recognize that?” Luffy hears Robin’s voice from behind him. From near the cliff. It takes everything in Luffy to not whip his head around. Robin is calm. She’s fine. She’s not falling. She’s alive. When he does turn, he studies the shape of the building, something niggling in the back of his hind. Something—

“Chestnut!” Luffy finally remembers. The strange shape was nothing like what Luffy had seen in his travels so far, tiered like the cake he could remember eating when one of his siblings got married on the Moby Dick. “It looks like the chestnut guy’s house. But why?”

“Because it is.” Robin says. There’s something between wonder and curiosity on her face. It’s a look Luffy has only seen a few times since she joined their crew and it always makes him smile. Robin is happy with them. When he sees that look, he trusts Robin. He knows she wouldn’t lie to him. So he just smiles widely and asks her about it over Nami’s protests. An entire island blown up into the sky from the Knock-Up stream. An island taken from her original people. A god with no real place on an island of dirt. 

It’s not until Nami pulls out her maps that she even considers believing them. The island is shaped like a skull, which is cool as hell in Luffy’s opinion. 

“The gold.” Nami says, her eyes lighting up at the memory. “Do you remember what Mont Blanc told us? The gold is in the skull’s right eye.”

Luffy doesn’t really care about gold. He knows it’s important to have, if you want to survive. That every pirate worth their bounty has at least some, but he never thought about it that much. He understands why Nami does. Pinching every penny had become a habit and after that many years it would be hard to break. Luffy knows Nami equates money with freedom. Knows that she thought she could free her people with it. But anyone willing to enslave a person would never keep that kind of promise. No matter how desperately you may want them to. 

“We should go look for it,” Luffy says instead, standing in his spot and marching in the direction he assumes the gold is in. 

“Maybe we should head back and wait for the others first, Captain.” Robin calls out before he goes too far. “We did leave Chopper to guard the ship on his own.”

And Luffy is torn. He trusts Chopper. Wants to, anyway. But he knows that Chopper is scared of the world he doesn’t know. Luffy knows that all of his Nakama are afraid of something, and Chopper is afraid of the pain that this world can bring to you. It’s a dangerous fear to have as a pirate, but Luffy loves his Nakama, fears and all. They will grow stronger and overcome anything that stops them. But Chopper isn’t there yet. He looks over at Nami and the light in her eyes has dimmed just slightly, but she nods. She understands. Nakama over beri. Luffy loves his crew.

Chopper is done with being a pirate. Not really, but he wishes he was sometimes. Especially now, with cuts all over his body from that stupid sword. Even after calling Gan Fall, they can’t defeat the man, just run him off for some time. Chopper hates it, leaving a fight unfinished like that. He thinks that’s probably Zoro’s influence, but Chopper doesn’t mind. He loves Zoro. And Luffy and Nami and Sanji and Usopp and all of his Nakama. Even Robin. (Maybe especially Robin. With her soft pets and even softer words. Chopper always enjoys his time with her. Trusts her, maybe more than he should.)

“Chopper?” A voice calls. It sounds like Nami. Chopper is too tired to respond. He doesn’t even want to move. 

“Chopper?” Another voice comes. This one sounds like Robin and Chopper needs to get up. He’s a doctor. He needs to treat his wounds and Gan Fall’s wounds and check on his crew and—

“Chopper, are you okay?” And that voice is Luffy. Chopper never knew much about being a pirate, but the Doctor had always told him one thing: after you’ve chosen your Captain, follow him as long as you can. Trust and respect the man who is willing to lead you. So Chopper drags himself to the rail and looks down at Luffy standing there. He ignores a trickle of blood above his eye and the gasps from Nami. 

“I’m fine.” He says. His voice and body tell a different story, but Chopper will be fine. He’ll have to be. His crew needs him. His Captain needs him. Chopper is fine if that’s what his Captain needs. “I’m fine.”

Luffy smiles, but it looks like a sad thing and Chopper doesn’t want that. He wants to see the smiles that Luffy gives when Usopp tells his stories. The smiles that Luffy gives when Zoro makes a stupid joke. The smiles that seem to take over Luffy’s entire face. The ones he just can’t hold back. But this one is small and hides a frown beneath it. Chopper doesn’t want that. 

“I’m fine!” He yells again, standing taller. He can be fine for his Captain. To make Luffy smile, Chopper can be anything. Fine is easy. “Nothing happened.”

But that smile doesn’t change and Chopper doesn’t know what to do. Why won’t his Captain smile? Why won’t he say something? What’s wrong? What did Chopper do wrong?

“Chopper!” Luffy’s voice calls, and Chopper stares down at his Captain. The smile is still sad, but there isn’t a frown under it anymore. It’s better than before. “I believe you!”

Tears. Chopper is crying, and he has no idea why. Luffy isn’t angry at him. He didn’t do anything wrong. Luffy is smiling and it’s small and a little sad, but it’s a smile. Chopper will take it. So he smiles through his tears and lets himself fall back again, laying on the wood of Merry’s deck. Merry has always been there to catch him. Luffy has always been there to catch him. Maybe Chopper doesn’t have to be fine right this second. He just has to be fine eventually. Chopper thinks he can do that. Heal slowly, at his own pace. Not push himself too hard and pull the carefully applied stitches he has. 

Chopper is a doctor. He knows about healing. He knows it takes time and effort and energy. It doesn’t just happen without putting in any work. Sometimes that work is days of sleep. Sometimes it’s eating the right foods. Maybe sometimes it’s admitting that you’re not healed quite yet, but you’ll get there someday. Chopper will be fine. Luffy is coming and so are Nami and Robin. Chopper trusts them with his life, his heart, his dream. He can rest for a bit. He’ll be fine. Someday.

Robin doesn’t join the party with the others. No matter how much they try to drag her in, she politely declines and sips her drink from the outskirts of the clearing. She cannot afford to get attached. Attachment leads to destruction. 

(But the Captain and Nami had told her it would be alright. Zoro had slept with her on the deck. Chopper smiled every time Robin pet his soft head. Sanji showered her with praise the same way he did Nami. Usopp regaled her with stories. Maybe she could let herself feel this connection. The connection Robin had desperately tried to find for her entire childhood. Friends. Family. The last thing Robin wants is for these kind people to be hurt because of her.)

“It’s not always so bad to depend on others, you know.” A voice says from beside Robin. She turns to see Gan Fall sitting there, lance leaning against a tree as he sips at his own drink. “I know how it feels to stand on your own, lonely even in a crowd.”

Robin forces a smile. She’s used to it, hiding behind fake smiles and laughs. Behind lies that make her seem even more dangerous than she is. “I’m sure I don’t know what you mean, Sir Knight.” She says. She lies. Gan Fall doesn’t even look at her. He continues staring at the bonfire, at the people and animals dancing around it.

“They’re happy with you.” He finally says, finishing his drink and motioning toward where Luffy is swaying to the sound of the music they had made. It’s terribly off-rhythm but Robin can’t help the way her smile turns just the slightest bit more genuine. “That boy is strong. He will protect you, no matter what.”

“That’s what I’m afraid of.” Robin can’t force a smile anymore. She knows that she cares about these pirates too much. That it’s only a matter of time before it all falls apart. She will keep them safe for as long as she can, then she will leave. 

Gan Fall just sighs, pushing himself off of the log he had been sitting on and walking over to his lance. His footsteps crunch over the branches on the ground. “Fear of love is not something I would wish upon anyone.” 

And he does genuinely sound saddened by her words. His shoulders are slumped as he looks back at her and Robin is frozen. Afraid? Robin is afraid of so many things, mostly of disappointing those whose dreams she carries on her shoulders. Of leaving them behind, forgetting what they sacrificed for her to be able to live. Why did they have to leave her like this? Alone and bitter. Angry.

“I am not afraid!” She yells, standing from her spot. But Gan Fall just looks sad. Like he’s watching a fish try to breathe on land. Hopeless and painful. Only a stupid fish would keep trying, knowing the results. Robin’s voice shakes when she speaks again. “I’m not. I can’t be.”

“My dear, fear is nothing to be ashamed of. We are all products of our past. Of the circumstances that led us to where we are.” Gan Fall glances back at the pirates, still dancing into the night. “And despite whatever may have happened to you, I would say you ended up in a pretty good spot.”

Robin doesn’t cry. She hasn’t cried since Ohara burned. Since she survived because of the countless sacrifices made in her name. She refuses to cry. Refuses to acknowledge her pain because it cannot be near the pain that those before her suffered. Because she’s just a Devil. But she does stare at the fire, eyes misting in the smoky air. 

Zoro is fucking tired of people telling him what to do. He follows exactly one person, and Luffy would never abuse that power. Not like this asshole. Not like the man claiming to be God. Zoro refuses to die because some guy told him to. If anyone is dying, it’ll be Enel. Zoro never believed in God anyway.

“You pitiful mortals think you can beat me? I am God. I am power—”

“Ah, shut up. I don’t give a shit who or what you are. I’m gonna kill you right here, right now.” Zoro shoves Wado between his teeth and reaches down for the other two. His fingers slide into the worn grooves of their woven handles and it feels almost like coming home. 

Robin stands beside him and Nami is behind them both, holding Chopper in her arms. He’s breathing, Zoro knows that for sure. Chopper is a fighter when it comes down to it and he would never abandon his friends. Zoro knows he’ll pull through. He has to. (Zoro doesn’t think about what Luffy would do if he lost one of his Nakama. Doesn’t think about the promise he made to Ace to protect Luffy from himself. Doesn’t think he could if Luffy found out that Enel had killed one of his. No, Zoro doesn’t think about any of this because it doesn’t matter. Chopper will make it and the entire crew will be fine. Even the shitty cook.)

“Where the hell is Luffy?” Nami hisses from her spot tucked behind a crumbling wall. Zoro risks a glance back, knowing Robin will cover him if he misses anything, and sees Nami wrapping Chopper’s wounds. It’s nowhere near the quality that their doctor usually uses, but it’ll keep him breathing. 

“Our Captain is probably on his way.” Robin says, a laugh under her voice. Zoro looks over at her and he can see the same fondness in her eyes that lives in every member of the Straw Hat Crew. “He is always chasing adventure. This is sure to gain his attention.”

Zoro is about to respond when he sees a flash of light. That’s lightning. Coming right toward him. Shit. He can’t move. Nami and Chopper are behind him and it’s Zoro’s job to keep his crew safe when Luffy’s not around. He sends a quick prayer to gods he doesn’t believe in and lifts his swords to block the blast. It still feels like he got hit by a sea train. His vision whites out and he can practically see Kuina’s face looming over him as his back hits the ground.

“Gotta do better than that if you wanna beat me, Zoro.”

The promise he made to his captain. The promise he wants to keep more than anything. He can’t let something like this keep him down. Not if he wants to be worthy of being the Pirate King’s first mate. 

“I—I won’t fail again, C-captain. I’ll never—I’ll never lose again.” 

“I expect nothing less from my First Mate.”

He’s gotta get up. Even if his muscles are stiff and his hands refuse to loosen on his blades. He has to push himself up or this was all for nothing. His bones creak and he can see at least three of Nami’s face hovering over him. A laugh forces it’s way out of his chest as he realizes just how much she looks like Kuina when he would do something stupid. Annoyed and (just a tiny bit) concerned. The laughter quickly devolves into a cough as Zoro forces his body up. He can hear fighting, but it sounds far away. Nami opens her mouth to say something, but no noise comes out. At least, nothing Zoro can hear.

“Wha’?” He mumbles, fists still clenched around his blades. He glances over to see Wado a few meters away. Nami grabs his wrist when he tries to reach for it. “Wha’re you doin’?” His voice sounds distant to his own ears and he smacks the side of his head a few times as if that will clear it up.

“Just take a single minute to rest, Zoro.” Nami says, leaning back to grab Wado and place the sword in his lap. Her hands are gentle on the hilt and Zoro almost wants to cry. Or maybe that’s the concussion. Probably the concussion. “Robin and Gan Fall can handle Enel for a minute.”

Zoro doesn’t have a minute to waste. He’s not going to become the best in the world by sitting around and letting others fight. He has to get up. He needs to help them. That’s his job as First Mate. He can’t let them get hurt because he was resting. “I need to—”

“Rest.” A weak voice calls out. Zoro’s head swivels faster than he thought possible with his stiff muscles and he sees Chopper sitting up slowly. The reindeer is slowly going through the process of straightening out the bandages Nami had haphazardly applied. “You need rest, Zoro. Doctor’s orders.”

“I can’t just, just…” Zoro stares at Nami and he knows he looks hopeless. Like he’s drowning in the idea of not helping his crew. “I can’t—”

“Zoro.” Chopper’s voice is more stern this time. His eyes are hard and he’s standing over Zoro’s form, looming over him. “You’ll never be the world’s best swordsman if you die. You’ll never be the Pirate King’s first mate if you die.”

And Zoro feels like he’s been hit in the chest all over again. He can’t give up but he can’t keep going if he dies here. Seas, why can’t life be simple. Zoro just wants to kill the people who hurt what’s his. Including assholes with god-complexes. But Nami is looking at him with something like desperation in her eyes and Chopper’s smile is so sad. Zoro sighs. 

“Shit,” The word is lost under the fighting around them, beneath Zoro’s heavy breaths. He flops down onto the ground, ignoring the way his head seems to rattle as it hits the rocks. “One minute.” Is all he says as he closes his eyes. He’s still listening, still feeling the movement in the air around him. He trusts Nami and Chopper to keep him safe with his eyes closed. Small, cloven hooves rove over his body, searching for unseen injuries. He winces as Chopper pokes at his side and opens his eyes just enough to glare at the reindeer.

“Sorry.” Is all he says. Zoro doesn’t think he looks sorry at all.

Luffy has no idea where he is. It's not completely uncommon, Luffy often wanders aimlessly in search of a new adventure. Except, the last thing he remembers is rumbling. Then darkness. Still darkness, actually, but this time it’s due to lack of light and not because he’s out cold. He can feel life all around him. Pain and anger and grief surrounding the dark tunnel he’s in. 

“Is there someone else in here?” Luffy mumbles, mostly to himself. He can’t feel another presence. Something is wrong. Luffy tries to breathe, but it all feels wrong. The tunnel feels like its getting smaller by the second. A piece of seaweed passes through the water, gently caressing his ankle. Suddenly, Luffy is in chains again. 

Again?

Luffy can’t hear anything. It’s silent and dark and Luffy hurts . Why didn’t he kill the other one? Why did he have to be so kind when it just causes him pain. Suddenly, a door opens in the distance and heels click on the ground. Luffy knows that sound. He knows what comes next. He curls in on himself, trying to hide in the bare room. The clanking of his chains is almost deafening. The door to his prison opens and Luffy is blinded by the light. It’s too much, too bright. Her smile is too sharp, her words too loud. As much as Luffy had hated the silence, he hates Her more.

“Pet, have you learned your lesson?” Her voice is too soft for her sharp teeth. The ones that have never been dirtied by digging into flesh like Luffy’s have. Another voice speaks but Luffy can barely hear it. Everything is too loud. When She speaks again, it’s not to Luffy. “I do hope it’s not damaged. I didn’t want to put it in solitary but I suppose this is the price you pay when a pet doesn’t obey its master. Discipline. That’s what you needed, pet. This is what happens when you break the rules.”

She sighs and a large shadow makes its way into the room. Luffy scrambles back against the wall, but the room is too small. He can’t escape. He can’t talk. He can’t—

O…Okay?

The voice is different. Soft and kind and maybe even a bit scared. None of these people in his memories (memories? dreams? nightmares?) were ever scared of him. Only disgusted. 

Okay?

The voice asks again, and this time Luffy smiles. It’s small and broken and maybe a little bloody, but it’s a smile. “Okay.”

Something like warmth comes from the soft walls of the cave and Luffy can hear his own breaths. He is alive. Luffy is alive and he needs to help his crew. Refuses to abandon them, even if by accident. The whole cave shifts and everything shakes around him, but Luffy stays on his feet. Right. He has to get out of here, first.

“Can you help me get out of here?” He calls, hoping the mysterious voice will hear him. It’s coming from all around and Luffy can’t help but think of Laboon. “I gotta help my Nakama. They’re fighting Enel right now.”

There’s a rumbling as the cave shakes once again, but this time Luffy falls. He tumbles across stone and metal and wood, hands slipping from every hold he can find in the pitch darkness. Something shimmers as it passes by, catching Luffy’s eye. Light! He looks down (or maybe up, he’s not quite sure) and sees the bright sunlight. Izou had told Luffy once that if he were ever in a dark tunnel near death, he should never walk toward the light. He should stay where he is and wait for one of his siblings to find him. But Luffy doesn’t really have a choice right now as he falls and he can’t just wait around while his Nakama fight for him. That’s not what a Captain does. Luffy thinks Izou will understand.

Fr…Free…Free

The voice speaks once again as Luffy hits the ground. He looks up to see a snake as big around as the thick trunks surrounding them. It’s eyes slant down and Luffy recognizes the kind of emptiness that shines there. 

“My friends! Have you seen them? My First Mate is Zoro. He’s got three swords and he’s strong. And green.” Luffy glances around as if Zoro would pop out of a nearby bush before his eyes catch on the moss covering a tree root. He points at it and yells up to the snake. “Like this!”

Zor…Zoro

“Yeah, Zoro. Shishishishishi.” Luffy can’t help the smile, the laugh as he thinks of his First Mate. “Do you know where he is?”

F…Follow…Foll…

“Okay!” Luffy trusts this creature. Trusts that he can defeat it if need be. Trusts that he won’t need to. “By the way, I'm Luffy, what’s your name?”

Nola

Sounds of battle ring out and all Usopp can do is trudge along through the forest, Sanji hanging from his back. Merry had been compromised when Enel found them there. Land isn’t much safer, but Usopp would rather the island catch fire than Merry. Luffy had promised this wasn’t her last journey with them and Usopp will make sure that is true.

“Urk—” Sanji groans as Usopp pulls them over a fallen branch. The break is clean and fresh, but it’s easier to look at than the unbreathing bodies littering the ground. “‘sopp…”

“I got ya’, Sanji. You’re an idiot for jumping in front of me, you know that?” Sanji just chuckles against Usopp’s shoulder as Usopp tries to remind himself that their Chef is alive. He is laughing and almost-walking and, most importantly, still breathing. Usopp would carry his Nakama across every Sea if it meant they would keep breathing. “Are you sure we have to go toward the fighting, though.”

The kick Usopp gains in return is nowhere near Sanji’s normal power. It makes Usopp thankful for the first time that his friend is not at full strength. 

They continue to trudge through the forest slowly, both ignoring bodies as they make progress at a snail’s pace. Usopp now realizes that he should probably work out more. Any of the others would probably just throw Sanji on their back and carry him, no matter how much he would protest. Then something crashes into them both, sending Usopp flying into a tree trunk and Sanji crashing to the ground. Usopp is prepared to fight, to defend his Nakama to the best of his ability. Then he hears the laughter. 

“Shishishishishi. Sanji, Usopp, I found you guys!” Luffy’s voice rings out. His limbs are wrapped around Usopp and the tree, pinning him in place. Sanji makes a noise from his place on the ground and Usopp looks around his Captain’s straw hat to see the largest snake ever. It’s body is big enough to rival the trees around them and Usopp goes entirely still (except for his knees, which shake against the bark).

“Luffy, there’s a giant snake.” Is all he can force out, voice choked and small. He glances down at Sanji, keeping a careful eye on the way the Chef moves. He’s regaining movement, that much is evident, but not enough to defeat a beast like that. The arms around Usopp unravel and suddenly Luffy is dancing over to the creature.

“This is Nola.” Yes, because that explains everything. Wonderful. Usopp wants to slap Luffy but he knows it won’t do any good. Instead, he makes his way over to Sanji and helps him up from the ground. Luffy watches the movement before turning to the creature and whispering into its ear. It lowers itself down until the large snout is only a few feet from Usopp. He just barely stays standing but decides that he is definitely going to change his pants later. For no particular reason. “Sanji is injured. Nola says he can ride.”

“Is this thing safe?” Sanji asks, nudging the scales slightly with one foot. He already sounds better than before. “Like, it's not gonna eat me, right?”

“Of course not!” And Luffy sounds offended for the snake (Nola, Usopp remembers, its name is Nola) as he stomps his foot. “Nola doesn’t eat friends. And since we’re friends and you’re friends with me, you’re all friends by indention.”

“Extension.” Sanji says absently, stepping forward to begin climbing onto the creature. He looks warily at Luffy one last time. “Captain’s orders?” Usopp can tell he wants a no. Luffy nods. 

Sanji lets out a noise that might have been fuck it before beginning his climb. The fact that he even makes it atop the snake makes Usopp feel better about his recovery. 

“Alrighty then.” Sanji pulls a cigarette from the metal case in his breast pocket, lighting it with a match and breathing in deeply. “Where’s that shitty mosshead?”

“Nola’s taking us there. He’s fighting someone strong.” Luffy’s smile twitches slightly as he glances off in the direction they’re headed before turning back to Sanji. “I’m gonna kill that guy if he hurts Zoro.”

Usopp expects his voice to be dark and rough, like it usually is when he talks about murder. But he has a grin on his face and his eyes are bright. Luffy knows Zoro won’t lose. He knows his crewmates, his Nakama can handle themselves. Knows they won’t get in his way when it comes to killing this Enel guy. 

“That idiot’ll be fine. If I can’t kill him, that asshole won’t be able to.” Sanji says, taking another long drag of his cigarette and laying back on the giant snake’s back. It looks comfy. Usopp almost wants a ride. 

“ Shishishi , you’re right Sanji.” Luffy’s smile is still forced, but his eyes are bright and his fists are loose. They’ll be fine.

Everything is, indeed, not fine. Luffy freezes where he is, taking in the wreckage before him. Nami and Chopper hover over Zoro, who lays on the ground. Robin stands next to Gan Fall and some other man who Luffy thinks he recognizes. But that’s not important. What’s important is the blood running down Robin’s side, the scorches in her clothes. What matters is the bandages wrapped around Chopper, the way Nami’s hands shake. What matters is the fact that Zoro isn’t moving.

Anger is familiar to Luffy. Grief is new, but he thinks it might have been a close friend in the past. Anger, though, anger flows through Luffy’s veins. It pumps through his body like red-hot blood, boiling as he sees his Nakama suffer. He feels his fists clench, hears his blood pump in his ears, fast and loud. 

“Luffy?” Usopp says behind him, and it shakes the Captain out of his trance just enough to remember that Sanji is hurt, too. This so-called God has hurt his Nakama and he will pay the price. 

“Get Sanji and the others and get out of here. Take Merry back to Angel Island.” His voice is hard as he steps toward the fight. Danger rolls off his shoulders, Haki seeping into the air, boiling with barely contained rage. Enel flinches slightly, turning to face Luffy. Luffy smiles, knowing his teeth look too sharp in his mouth, his lips stretched just too far.

“But what about—” Luffy spins his head around to stare at Usopp. He forces himself to take a deep breath when he sees the fear on his Nakama’s face. Fear that he caused. When he speaks, however, his voice is anything but gentle.

“That’s an order.” Luffy turns to look at Sanji next, mouth open as if he is about to protest. His eyes harden just slightly. “You too, Sanji.”

“Captain…” Usopp’s voice is quiet but strong. Luffy is glad he didn’t scare Usopp so much that his Nakama became afraid to speak his mind. The last thing Luffy wants is for his Nakama to fear him. He knows how that feels, somewhere deep inside.

“Keep our Nakama safe, Usopp.” Luffy lifts the hat from his head and drops it onto the Sharpshooter’s. Usopp’s eyes go wide and Luffy smiles, something soft. “I’m trusting you.”

Usopp just nods, tears welling in his eyes as he rushes around Luffy toward where Zoro lies on the ground. Luffy turns toward Enel, smile turning acidic as he pushes a wall of Haki toward the man. He will destroy him.

Six people. Six people will live through this game Enel has created. Enel and five others. Maybe, if they’re strong enough, smart enough, he’ll let them join him. Every God needs attendants, after all. The only issue with Enel’s plan is the boy in the Straw Hat. Him and his stupid crew have destroyed Enel’s plans. Forced them to move forward faster than he would prefer. But it doesn’t matter in the end. Because Enel is God. He will have what he wants and no one will stand in his way. Especially not some upstart pirate wannabe.

At least, that was what Enel had thought before the crushing pressure came down on him. It was like gravity had increased tenfold and Enel barely kept himself standing. 

“You think this is enough to defeat me? Try again, lowly human.” He just barely manages to hide the strain in his voice as he smiles at the Straw Hat. 

“Call me that again,” The boy says, voice a growl as his shaggy hair casts a shadow over his eyes. Enel shivers just slightly at the tone. “See what fucking happens.”

And Enel has never been one to back away from a fight. Has never encountered a fight he couldn’t win. This will be no different. 

“Perhaps I shouldn’t. After all, with how weak your little friends are, you must be nothing more than an insect before me.” His grin grows maniacal, teeth exposed to the light as it stretches across his face. “I am God. You are nothing. Your people are nothing. I will destroy you all and take my true place of power above everyone and everything.”

There is no answer in response, just a punch to the face. So fast that Enel physically cannot react quick enough to dodge. A volley of punches follows after and it takes all of the concentration Enel has to move out of their way. There is something about the boy’s movement that Enel cannot trace. His skin is red and his movement is faster than what Enel had previously observed. Something is different. Enel feels his breaths quicken with his heart.

“What are you?”

The words were not the right thing to say as the boy lunges at Enel with a growl, pinning the man down with his stretched limbs. Enel can barely think with the speed at which the boy is moving. When he finally does speak, his voice is harder than the rock beneath them and it seems to shake the very core of Enel’s being. 

“Monkey D. Luffy. I am the Captain of the Straw Hat Pirates,” The scowl on the boy, Luffy’s, face morphs into something like a grin. “And the one who’s going to kill you.”

Enel tries to breathe. Tries not to panic. How is this child so strong? Who is he? Enel sees the sky past Luffy’s head and closes his eyes. That’s right. He is still God. He still has the power here. The indomitable power of lightning. He calls upon it, feeling the tug in his chest.

The bolt of lighting that comes down is one of the biggest Enel has ever called before. White-hot and fast, it blasts through them both, slamming into the ground where Enel had been pinned just seconds ago. He tries to sit up, but something is still on top of him, holding him down. Enel opens his eyes to see Luffy still hovering over him, pinning his limbs to the dirt below. His clothes smolder as he breathes above Enel’s form. 

“You think this is enough to defeat me? Try again.” Luffy parrots Enel’s words, smiling with razor sharp teeth. This isn’t right. No one could survive that blast except Enel, who is lightning itself. How did this boy—Luffy leans down close to Enel’s ear, whispering. “I’m going to kill you now.”

Enel finally does panic. His body becomes lightning, zipping away and out of Luffy’s grip. He keeps running, flying away from the monster that is, no doubt, chasing after him. The image of Luffy’s grin is burned into Enel’s mind and he sees it with every blink. What is this child? Surely not human. Maybe…Enel wants to push the idea away, ignore it and keep fighting, but it refuses to leave. Maybe this Monkey D. Luffy is a God all his own. Maybe Enel had no hope of winning.

He races up the large central stalk of the ruins, hiding in the conductive plant tissue as he searches for what he knows is there. A weapon. But when he arrives, he finds more than just gold. Luffy stands there, seeming taller than life above Enel. The bell stands tall behind him and Enel knows this is his only chance. He lunges for the bell.

Luffy gets there first.

The following moments are less of a fight and more of a struggle. A struggle for Enel, that is. Luffy doesn’t seem to even break a sweat, his red skin shining under the unblocked sunlight. 

“You are a monster.” Enel spits out, writhing in Luffy’s hold. It’s no use. The boy is strong. Unnaturally so. Enel thinks that maybe he never had a chance against this boy after all. That he was fated to die by Luffy’s hands. 

“Only sometimes,” Luffy said. His head was haloed by the sun, casting shadows across his face. His eyes glowed with mirth as Enel felt a hand rip through his chest, tearing out his heart. 

Mont Blanc hears the bell and knows. He knows Noland was not a liar. He knows the gold is real. Mont Blanc doesn’t care about any shitty gold, though. Just sighs as an invisible weight lifts from his shoulders. Even if the Straw Hats are the only other people who know what that bell means, even if no one believes Mont Blanc, he doesn’t care. He knows. That’s more than good enough.

“Hey, Nola, could we have some of your gold?” Luffy asks. Nami just stares at him. Can’t bring herself to look away, actually. He fought God and won. She knows her Captain is strong, the strongest, but he keeps getting more and more powerful. Nami knows he will never use it against his Nakama. She almost feels bad for their future enemies. 

“Gold?” She asks, nervously glancing at the giant snake curled around one of the even bigger tree trunks. 

“Yeah!” Is Luffy’s response. As if that makes any sense at all. There is a moment of silence before Luffy speaks again. “She says we can take whatever we want. It keeps giving her stomach aches anyway.”

“Wait, stomach aches?”

The snake opens its mouth wide and Nami almost screams. Luffy was wrong. This thing is going to eat them for lunch and then move on to all of the other people on this godforsaken sky island. Nami does scream when Luffy walks right into the maw, a wide smile on his face as he gestures for the others to follow him. Zoro grabs an empty bag and follows without hesitation. Sanji is close after, smiling up at the snake and giving it a gentle pet before walking in as well. 

This is wrong. Nami actually died fighting Enel and this is all a crazy hallucination. Maybe this is what Hell is? Forced to watch as her friends walk into the maw of a beast of their own free will. A hand on her shoulder forces her to breathe again. 

“They will be fine, Navigator-san.” Robin says, watching as the boys waltz into the snake’s mouth, seemingly without a care in the world. Nami notices Usopp slowly backing away. She gets it. 

“Not my name,” Nami says instead, crossing her arms as she glares up at Robin. The older woman glances at Nami, and the redhead can see something shine in her eyes. Some unnamable emotion that Nami can’t quite put her finger on. Robin looks back at the snake again, the jaw still wide open, before speaking again.

“Nami-san.” Robin’s voice wavers as she pointedly looks anywhere but at the woman in question. Nami smiles and looks away from Robin, waiting more calmly for her Nakama (if only a little bit).

“Just Nami, okay?”

“Okay.”

-

Sabo is being punished. That is the only explanation for why Dragon had sent him to this deserted island in the middle of bumfuck nowhere. Sabo knows the New World like the back of his hand, but he had never once been to this area. The island is devoid of any fauna, only plants and the occasional buzzing creature flying from flower to flower. The official excuse for exiling Sabo to the stupid island had been to scout the location. Dragon was considering building another base and he wanted to make sure no one was around the area that would be suspicious. Sabo thinks it was actually because of the three separate episodes he had during the past week. Sure, he wasn’t exactly field-ready at the moment due to his memories assaulting him when he least expected them to, but he could at least stay back and do paperwork. (On the other hand, maybe the assignment wasn’t so bad.)

The real issue, however, is that Sabo is almost out of food. For how long he had been part of the Revolutionary forces, the people who stock his boats never seemed to realize he ate through most of it within the first day. He still had enough rations to get himself back to base if he was careful. Even better if he could harvest some fruit on this island. So, as he used his pipe to whack branches out of the way and search the island for any kind of intelligent life, he gathered all the non-poisonous fruits he could. By the time he had searched the whole island and made it back to his boat, he’s absolutely starving. Even snacking on some fruit while walking hadn’t helped much. 

He rummages through his bag, pulling out a particularly interesting looking fruit. Its bright yellow color had caught his eye along with the jagged edges. Sabo recognizes the fruit from somewhere but the feeling isn’t foreboding so he assumes it’s fine to eat. Shrugging, Sabo holds the fruit with both hands and takes a bite. 

That’s when lightning strikes.