Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

Luffy woke up feeling groggy and a little stiff as he stretched in his bed. It took his mind a few seconds to clear enough to realize that he was the only one inside the room. He wasn't too surprised, though. His crew had allowed him to sleep in again. This had become a common occurrence ever since they'd left that mist island.

Normally, he would be slightly irritated by his crew babying him, but the events of that last island had left him drained and he appreciated the extra hours of sleep. He was also grateful that no nightmares had haunted him over the last couple of days. After everything he was forced to re-experience, he just couldn't handle bad dreams right now.

With one last stretch, Luffy jumped out of bed and headed out of the quarters. When the sun hit him, he flinched from the brightness. By the way it was positioned, he had slept through breakfast and it was close to lunch. The one thing he hated about sleeping late was missing a meal, and his crew didn't feed him in his sleep unless he was out for a couple of days. Oh well, that just meant he had to make-up for lost time.

Luffy grinned to himself as he made his way to the galley.

Normally, Sanji did not feed anyone past the designated meal times. If you missed breakfast, you had to wait until lunch to be fed. This strict schedule was put in place so Sanji didn't spend the entire day making individual meals for everyone. The cook also hated reheating food; something about the food losing its flavor.

There were exceptions, of course. Injured crewmembers were given meals based on their level of consciousness and all the women could get their meals whenever they wanted. Sanji also made light snacks for those who did miss a meal. Strict or not, Sanji wasn't going to let anyone not eat for several hours, not when something could happen that would delay or cease a meal from being served.

When Luffy entered the galley, unsurprisingly, there was no one inside except Sanji, who never seemed to leave the kitchen unless he was serving snacks.

"Sanji, food!" Luffy demanded as he sat at the table and banged his fists.

"Sheesh, you can at least say hello, rubber bastard. I'm not your maid," Sanji scowled as he barely turned his head towards Luffy. Despite the harshness of the words, it was half-hearted and most likely spoken out of habit than actual annoyance.

Luffy laughed in good nature. "Okay, good morning, Sanji!"

Sanji rolled his eyes as he brought over several plates worth of food. He had sensed Luffy waking up and already had his meal prepared. Most of it were scraps from breakfast, but Luffy didn't mind. He ate practically anything. "More like afternoon. Lunch will be served in an hour."

Luffy drooled eagerly as Sanji sat the mountain of food in front of him. He wasted no time tearing into his breakfast. He was so focused on eating that he failed to notice that Sanji didn't return to the kitchen like he usually did after serving food. Instead, he took a seat at the table and patiently waited for Luffy to finish eating.

He didn't have to wait long since Luffy inhaled everything within a few minutes.

"More food!" Luffy demanded, banging his plate.

"No, we will be having lunch soon," Sanji scowled lightly. "You can wait till then."

Luffy pouted. "Stingy."

Sanji reached into his suit pocket and took out a package of cigarettes. "Whatever. You don't get a full meal if you don't come on time."

Luffy lost his pout when he realized that Sanji wasn't quite acting like himself. This behavior had become rather commonplace over the last couple of days. He hated it. He hated how somber and quiet his crew has become since they left that island. It just wasn't normal.

He also hated how they treated him like he was made of glass or something. Yeah, he maybe a little messed up in the head, but he wasn't weak like he was that first day.

"Sanji..." Luffy started to say.

"We need to talk," Sanji said as he lit his cigarette.

Luffy sighed. He had an idea what the talk was going to be about. He had more than a few with his other crewmates over the last couple of days.

"It's about that island, right?" Luffy asked bluntly.

Sanji put his lighter away. "Yeah, but it isn't the mist one."

This made Luffy tilt his head.

"We need to talk about Omatsuri," Sanji said bluntly.

Luffy stiffened when he heard that name. He knew that Sanji, most among all his other crewmates, would want to talk about the events with the Baron. Still, he had hoped that Sanji would have forgotten since it was just one small piece of all the memories they saw.

Sanji sighed, blowing out some smoke. "About what I said..."

"Sanji, there's nothing to talk about," Luffy interrupted. "You said what you said out of anger. I mean...Chopper, Robin, and Usopp disappeared without us even noticing. We were all stressed and worried. None of us acted like ourselves."

"That's no excuse," Sanji said with bitterness in his voice. "There's absolutely no excuse for the way I treated you. Even if some within our crew was missing, I disrespected you as a captain and...as a friend."

"Sanji..." Luffy tried to say.

"I put everything on you. I blamed you for everything in my own frustration and anger," Sanji went on, not allowing Luffy to stop him. This needed to be said. It needed to be said over two years ago. "As a crew, we are all responsible for ourselves and one another. The falling out at Omatsuri was on all of us. Not just you."

Luffy shook his head. "No, Sanji, you were right. It was all my fault. I ignored that the Baron was tricking us and let him take Chopper, Robin, and Usopp right from under us. I also failed to keep the crew together, allowing everyone else to be caught. Then..." He couldn't finish. A stupid lump had formed in his throat. He was remembering things that he wanted to forget.

"Shut up!" Sanji suddenly yelled, snapping Luffy out of his dark thoughts. The cook was glaring at Luffy. He looked truly pissed. "Don't you understand anything, you stupid rubber brain?! It wasn't all your fault!" He took several breaths to calm himself. "We...we are the ones who abandoned you. The Baron caught us because we broke apart and abandoned one another. If we were thinking straight and attacked the Baron together, as a crew, then that whole thing with that shitty Lily wouldn't have happened!"

Luffy opened his mouth to speak, but Sanji wasn't finished.

"You did everything in your power to save us. I saw that," Sanji said in a soft voice. "You kept trying to free us even as that shitty Baron took away your ability to move and taunted you with each of our deaths. And...you were willing to die with us."

Luffy was quiet for several seconds as he played with his fingers. "What else could I have done? After the Baron...killed you...I lost my will to go on. What the Baron said about being alone...it hurt the most. I didn't want to be alone." He squeezed his hands tightly.

"And you shouldn't have been," Sanji said as he lowered his eyes. "For that, I am sorry."

There was a long, uncomfortable silence in the galley.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you," Luffy said slowly.

"You should be," Sanji said as he flicked some ashes off his cigarette. "You should have told us a long time ago about what happened on that island. You can't keep such secrets from the crew. Our experiences, both good and bad, are needed for us to grow. You also shouldn't have forced yourself to carry such a burden on your own."

Luffy continued to play with his fingers, looking very much like a little boy. "I was afraid..."

"That we would leave you if we knew what happened. That you have lost our trust," Sanji finished, repeating the fears Luffy talked about when was speaking to Sunny and when the entity taunted him.

Luffy nodded.

Sanji took several puffs of his cigarettes. "You really are a moron. After everything you put us through, with one crazy adventure after another, you really believe us getting eating by an overgrown plant would be a deal breaker?"

Luffy said nothing.

Sanji turned towards Luffy and looked his captain straight in his eyes. "Listen, Luffy, and listen well. Don't you ever blame yourself for our deaths. The moment we all signed on to become pirates, we willingly signed our lives away. We know that any day could be our last. That we could all die from some random event or some shitty pirate or marine who gets lucky. That's the risk we took when we joined this crew. You can't keep blaming yourself when shit happens."

"But I'm the captain," Luffy replied with some heat.

"So what?" Sanji asked with an equal amount of heat. "Unless you're god, and I'm not talking about that shit brain Eneru, you can't determine when we die. You can only do your best. On Omatsuri, you did everything in your power to save us. You didn't give up until the last of us were dead. That's nothing to be ashamed of. That's why we follow you, Luffy. We follow you because we know you'll give us everything you have and more. That's the mark of a great captain."

Luffy stared at Sanji with a blank expression.

Sanji stood up and made his way into the kitchen. He paused for a moment as he put out his cigarette. "Luffy, no matter what happens, no matter what troubles we'll run into in the future, you are the only one I will ever call my captain."

Luffy was close to tears as he stared at his cook. "Sanji..."

"Now get the hell out of my kitchen," Sanji said before hearts appeared in his eyes. "I have to get lunch ready for Nami-swan and Robin-chan."

Luffy didn't argue with Sanji. He gave a small smile as he left the galley.

As he left, he felt like a giant weight has been lifted off his chest. For the first time, he could finally look back at Omatsuri without feeling the overwhelming pang of guilt. It was a wonderful feeling. His crew had forgiven him.

The day passed normally as the crew sailed to Dressrosa to meet up with Law and Kin'emon. They knew that the death surgeon was going to be pissed with them for running so late, but it really couldn't have been helped. It wasn't like they were planning to stop on some cursed island and nearly have their souls eaten.

Luffy acted normal as he ran and played games with Usopp most of the day. Since his energy level was still fairly low, they played more low-key games like cards and jacks. Usopp was frustrated to find that even after two years, Luffy still somehow ended up with more cards then he started with.

"Luffy, can I see you?" Chopper called from his office.

Luffy gave the young doctor a wide smile. It was always odd to play games without Chopper. "Sure."

He got up and ran into the infirmary. Luffy's happy mood dissipated when he saw the serious, somber expression on Chopper's face. The young captain knew that he had to deal with doctor-mode Chopper. He hated when Chopper became all serious. He preferred Chopper when he was happy and goofing around.

"Can you take a seat on the bed? I want to run another check-up on you," Chopper said as he got his needles ready.

Luffy pouted. He hated check-ups. They were so tedious. "But I just had a check-up a couple of weeks ago and you checked me again just a couple of days ago."

"Well, I need to give you another one. I want to make certain that the mist didn't do any long-term damage to your body," Chopper said.

His voice left no room for argument. Despite his timid personality, Chopper became a monster when it came to performing his duties as the ship's doctor. Even Zoro was wary when Chopper became like this. He just had an aura that demanded respect.

Luffy sighed in defeat as he sat on the bed. For almost two hours, Luffy was subjected to multiple tests that ranged from blood work, physical exams, reflex tests, and breathing exercises. It was far more extensive than the physical that Chopper gave everyone after they had reunited.

"Your heart seems healthy and normal," Chopper said as he finished his latest test. "Although, maybe I should put a monitor on you to make sure."

Luffy gave Chopper a blank stare. "Chopper...what's wrong?"

Chopper flinched at the question. "Nothing's wrong. I just want to make sure that mist didn't do any damage. There's a lot about that island we just don't know and you were unconscious for almost twelve hours. Better safe than sorry."

Luffy shook his head and frowned. "You're lying."

Chopper paled at the statement. "I...I'm not..."

Before he could say anything more, Luffy poked the reindeer doctor across his chest, earning chorus of giggles from the younger boy as he attempted to protect himself.

"Tell me the truth, or do I have to tickle it out of you?" Luffy asked mischievously as he continued to mercilessly poke Chopper. He knew all the spots that drove Chopper crazy. He wasn't even really trying and Chopper was already giggling helplessly.

"Okay, okay, stop!" Chopper laughed as Luffy stopped tickling him. Once he finished giggling, his face became somber. "I was worried. I wanted to make sure that you were really alright. You...you really messed your body up trying to save Ace."

Luffy lost his smile as he stared at Chopper. "Oh, is this what this is about?" His smile returned. "Well, I'm fine, you see. So, you don't have to worry."

Chopper said nothing for a moment. "It isn't as simple as that, Luffy. Although you're physically fine now, you could have done long-term, permanent damage to your body. It may not show now, but in a couple of years you could eventually develop some serious health issues like arthritis, muscle fatigue, heart failure, strokes, or even cancer, to name a few. You...you've been too careless." He was near tears on that last part.

"But Chopper, I'm fine now," Luffy assured as he patted his body. "You shouldn't worry so much about what could happen."

"I'm the doctor, it's my duty to worry about your health for both the present and future!" Chopper yelled angrily, startling Luffy. "Luffy...you kept fighting even after your body was past its limits. Your body was already tired after you...after you lost ten years of your life fighting off poison. But you kept going after Iva gave you those hormones. You kept fighting and getting hurt, which made you very sick. When your body tried to get you to rest, you took more hormones and forced it to keep going." He took several deep breaths as he looked his captain directly in his eyes. "Luffy, you were at the edge of death. You could have died even if you had saved Ace and escaped because your body was becoming too tired to function."

Luffy took in this information with his usual blank expression. It was impossible to tell how much of Chopper's statement he understood, despite the young doctor's best efforts to simplify everything.

"But I lived," Luffy said in a matter-of-fact voice.

Chopper wanted to yell that it was because Ace died that Luffy was still breathing, but kept those words to himself. He didn't need to guilt-trip Luffy with that after everything he had just been through.

"Luffy, you have to take better care of yourself," Chopper said slowly. He wanted to make sure Luffy understood the gravity of what he was saying. "All this added damage and close calls are going to catch up with you one day. If you keep doing stuff like this, using your Gears carelessly, pushing your body beyond its physical limits, you really will become severely sick and die at a young age. Even if it doesn't kill you, you can ruin your body to the point where you can't be a pirate anymore."

It felt very wrong to Chopper to be having this kind of conversation with Luffy. It sounded like he was talking to some old man who didn't realized that he wasn't in his twenties anymore. Luffy wasn't an old man. He was nineteen, for God's sake. This should be the prime of his life. He shouldn't be talking about health issues and death.

Luffy shrugged. "I don't mind dying."

Chopper narrowed his eyes and glared at Luffy, causing the boy captain to flinch. It looked like he was going to go into his Monster Point without even using a Rumble Ball.

"I know you don't care! You never care about your life! That's why you do reckless things like using your Gears and going into a war with a sick body! You may not care, but I and the others on this ship do!" Chopper was shaking in rage at this point. He also appeared close to tears. "Dammit Luffy, I don't want you to suddenly drop dead when you're in your twenties! You have already lost ten years of your life! Do you think so little of yourself that you can't even try to be more careful!?" He took several breaths. "When you're hurt, Luffy, I'm the one who takes care of you. If you lay in this infirmary bed dying, how do you think the rest of the crew would feel? How would you feel knowing that I would have to watch you fade away!?"

Luffy ducked his head in shame. He should had known that Chopper would be particularly upset about Impel Down and Marineford. He did hurt himself pretty badly. He also knew that he was hurting his crew whenever he went out and got himself injured. It wasn't like he had death wish. Despite everything that had happened on that island, he still loved life. He wanted to be with his crew forever and have endless adventures.

At the same time, he would lay down his life in a second to protect his crew. That would never change, even if meant that his crew would someday have to watch him die. He would rather have his crew mourn his passing than him being forced to hold them as they lay dying in his arms like Ace.

Chopper took several deep breaths as he recollected himself. "I know I can't stop you from using your Gears or risking your health, but what I can do is care for any damage you may have done to yourself already."

Luffy blinked in confusion.

"I'm going to put you on a special diet," Chopper said, putting his hooves on his hips. "I'm going to make sure you eat extra fruits, vegetables, and carbohydrates. You will also be taking daily vitamins for now on. If you won't take the tablets, then I will give you an injection."

Luffy was taken off-guard by Chopper's statement. Sanji was the one in charge of the dietary needs of the crew except when one of them was sick, and then that duty fell to Chopper. For Chopper to suddenly take a proactive role in his food intake, he must be dead serious.

Luffy chewed his bottom lip as a sudden fear hit his heart. "Will I still be able to eat meat?"

Chopper said nothing for several seconds. "Yes. You can eat all the meat you want."

It would probably be better for Luffy's overall health to cut down on the meat, especially the red meat, but Chopper knew that was a lost cause. Luffy would never take to any diet he recommend if he took away his favorite food. Taking meat from Luffy was like trying to get Sanji to stop smoking or Zoro to stop binge drinking. As a doctor, he had to know what battles to fight.

Luffy smiled happily. "Okay, then."

Chopper sighed in relief. He was afraid that Luffy would fight him. "I'll tell Sanji and he can cook you the proper meals as soon as possible."

Luffy nodded. "So...can I go now?"

Chopper truthfully wanted to run several more tests on his captain, but that could wait for another day. He had enough lab work to keep him busy for the next several days anyway. Although, there was something else that needed to be discussed.

"Luffy, I have been studying up and...I want you to come to consultation," Chopper said in hesitant voice.

Luffy blinked. "Consultation?"

Chopper tapped his hooves together. "Luffy...when we were in your memory and saw what happened...I came to the conclusion that you have PTSD."

Luffy tilted his head in confusion. "PTSD?"

"Post-traumatic stress disorder. It is a common mental disorder that occurs after a person experiences extreme trauma," Chopper explained. "When you went to the war and watched...Ace get killed, it caused a great deal of mental distress for you. That stress is being transmitted into a mental disorder that has been causing you to have flashbacks, nightmares, and bouts of depression."

Luffy stared at Chopper with blank eyes. He obviously didn't understand a word Chopper said.

Chopper sighed in frustration. Talking to Luffy was like talking to a five years old child at times. "In other words, you're sick up here." He pointed to Luffy's head.

Luffy grabbed his head and looked slightly panicked. "You mean...my brain is sick?"

Chopper nodded; close enough. "You have been ill for some time, given what the entity was able to do to you."

Luffy frowned. "Is there anything you can do to make me better?"

"There is no cure, but we can manage the symptoms," Chopper said. "For example, I can give you drugs to help you to sleep at night so you won't have nightmares, as well as you coming here at least three times a week to talk about what happened."

"Talk?" Luffy asked.

"From what I read, talking is one of the best ways to help treat PTSD." Chopper's eyes became downcast. "Although, I'm no expert. I need to do a lot more studying and research if I wish to really help you. But I'll do everything I can. Robin has also offered to help since she, too, experienced this disorder. Together, we'll do everything we can to help you through this, Luffy!"

Luffy was stunned by the commitment in his doctor's voice. He was close to being moved to tears. Dammit, he was crying a lot lately. "Thank you, Chopper." He gave one of his signatures grins.

Chopper returned the smile. Things were still not better, but this was a good start.

"Well, can I go now?" Luffy asked bluntly, breaking the tender mood.

Chopper sighed as he shook his head. "Yeah, you can go."

"Yahoo, finally!" Luffy cheered as he ran out of the infirmary.

Chopper shook his head as he watched his captain leave. Luffy may be reckless, but he was going to do everything medically possible to make sure that his captain lived a long, healthy life, both physically and mentally. Luffy will be unable to gain back the ten years he lost and fully heal the mental damage, but Chopper would work to make the years that Luffy did have left were good ones.

Luffy was barely out of the infirmary when Nami called him.

"Luffy, can you come here?" Nami asked from over the railings. Although her voice was calmer than usual, Luffy knew by her tone that the question was more of a demand.

Luffy sighed. Looks like he couldn't go back to playing. "Coming, Nami!" He stretched his arms and rocketed himself to the upper level of Sunny.

Nami said nothing as she guided Luffy to the library. The room was empty, which wasn't unusual since only Nami and Robin really used it. It was unofficially the girl's sanctuary, especially since Nami drew her maps the library most of the time and it was suicidal to disturb Nami during her mapmaking.

Which was why Luffy was surprised when Nami led him to her desk and forced him to sit down. The desk was clear of any maps or sea charts, showing that Nami had cleaned up before she got him.

Before Luffy could ask what was going on, Nami placed a blank sheet of paper on the wooden desk along with a pen.

"What's this for?" Luffy asked as he grabbed the pen.

Nami leaned onto the desk. "I want you to write a letter."

Luffy tilted his head. "To who?"

"To your adoptive mother," Nami answered. "I bet you haven't written to her since you left Dawn Island."

Luffy stared at the paper. "No. I haven't really thought to."

Nami sighed as she rubbed her forehead. "I figured as much."

"What brought this on all of a sudden?" Luffy asked as he turned towards his navigator.

Nami said nothing for a second. "Luffy, how do you think Dadan must feel about what has happened these last two years? I mean, don't you think she's hurting too about what happened to Ace?"

Luffy flinched at the question. He was so lost in his own grief, shame, and regret that he never really considered Dadan's feelings.

"She lost her child in that war and you were pretty much declared dead for two years," Nami said softly as she reached towards her left arm and squeezed her tattoo. She had a distant look on her face. "I can only imagine the pain she went through, thinking that both of her babies were dead. It's the worst pain imaginable for a parent. To lose their child."

Luffy lowered his eyes and became silent for several seconds. "Did you know…that Ace was with Dadan and the others since he was a baby?"

Nami turned towards Luffy.

Luffy gave a sad smile. "Grandpa came out of nowhere and dumped him at her house and ordered her to take care of him. He even told her straight up that he was Roger's child. Had her cursing grandpa's name for days." He gave a humorless chuckle. "Dadan and the others had no clue what they were doing and couldn't even change Ace's diaper. Ace was so strong that he kept putting holes in the floor and walls when he fell over, trying to walk. I was lucky that I was older when Grandpa threw me with those bandits."

Nami gave a tender smile. "Ace told you that?"

Luffy nodded. "Ace and Dadan talked before he left. It was one of the few civil conversations they had. Dadan was upset about Ace leaving and didn't come to see him off." His eyes became misty. "She cried a lot when he left, but she completely denied it. At night, she would go through the picture books looking at old photos of him. She even had a photo book that followed his entire pirate career with a bunch of newspaper clippings and all his wanted posters."

He paused as he looked at the blank sheet of paper. He dimly noticed several wet spots on the discolored sheet.

Nami remained quiet, knowing that her captain was having a moment of reflection. She had a lot of those before she left Cocoyashi.

"The day before I left to become a pirate, she actually baked me a cake," Luffy suddenly said.

"A cake?" Nami repeated.

He nodded and gave a soft smile. "Yeah. It was chocolate. It had 'Happy Birthday' written on it. She knew that I would be too impatient to go out to sea to wait and have a celebration on my actual birthday. It was the first birthday cake I had since…momma died." He felt tears trickle down his cheek. "I never cared much for birthdays since momma died. They were just another day. But…they made that day feel special again. Like…" He couldn't finish the sentence as he wiped his eyes.

He was so emotional lately. Every little thing was making him cry.

Nami put her hand gently on Luffy's shoulder and squeezed in comfort. "A mother's love. There's nothing quite like it, is there?"

Luffy said nothing.

"Dadan, despite her hard edge and cold demeanor, did a lot for you. At the very least, I think she deserves a letter from her son. Something to let her know that you're okay. That she's not forgotten," Nami said in a very gentle voice.

Luffy gently touched the rough paper. He felt ashamed that he never got in touch with Dadan. After all that she had done for him, he owed her a couple of words. Besides, Ace told him to give Dadan his regards. It maybe two years late, but he promised. It was part of Ace's final wish.

"Okay…" Luffy said softly as he picked the pen back up.

Nami smiled and started to walk out of the room, wanting to leave Luffy in peace.

"But, can you help me?" Luffy suddenly asked, catching Nami off-guard. "I can't write."

Nami turned around and stared at Luffy in surprise. "You can't write? At all?"

"Well, I can write my name, Ace's name, grandpa's name, and your guys' names, but I've never really written before," Luffy said.

Nami continued to stare at Luffy. She shouldn't be so surprised. Even if this was Luffy, it wasn't unusual for most people not to know how to write anything besides their signatures. Also, Luffy had no formal education from what she seen. She supposed Garp wanted the marines to give Luffy his formal education after he joined. She should be grateful that Ace at least taught him how to read.

Nami sighed, but gave a small smile. After everything he has done for her, teaching him how to write would be the least she owed him and she always repaid her debts.

"Okay, I'll help you," Nami finally said.

For half an hour, Nami helped Luffy write his letter. Well, it was more that Nami wrote the letter while Luffy told her what he wanted to say. She didn't have all day at the moment to teach him to write and spell. She also wanted Dadan to be able to actually read the letter since Luffy's handwriting could best be described as chicken scratch. She would have an easier time translating Poneglyphs than trying to read Luffy's handwriting.

At the end, she did have him sign the letter, otherwise Dadan would tear the letter up, thinking she was being punked by some imposer.

By they time they were finished, dinner was ready. Before they left for the galley, Nami gave a time to when she could teach Luffy how to write. By her estimations, it would take Luffy at least two years before he was decent enough to write on his own. She didn't mind.

Dinner was just as loud and lively as usual as Luffy inhaled his food and stole from his crewmates.

Some within the crew wondered if they should tell Luffy that he didn't have to steal, since none of them were going to take his food. Given what they had seen of Luffy's childhood, his food-stealing habit, as well as him eating super fast, were developed as survival instincts since he had to fight for his food against bandits, his brothers, and wild animals.

Without speaking a word to one another, none of the Strawhats said anything to Luffy. At this point, the habit was too ingrained into their captain for him to stop. It would be like telling Nami not to steal anymore.

Besides, it kept the crew on their toes to watch out for their captain's stretchy, thieving hands. If they really wanted to stop him, they could do it by stabbing him with their forks.

From the corner of the room, Chopper talked softly to Sanji about the special diet Luffy would be on for now on. The cook wasn't upset by Chopper's request. He was actually quite happy that Chopper was taking such an initiative in Luffy's health.

He, like everyone else on the crew, was deeply concerned about Luffy's well-being and anything that could be done to help their captain was welcomed.

Buying the ingredients needed for the new diet would raise their food cost since he would be feeding Luffy almost as well as he does Nami and Robin, but Sanji was certain that Nami wouldn't mind. When it came to welfare of the crew, no price was too high for her.

By the time evening rolled around, most of the Strawhats were relaxing on deck and enjoying their free time. It would another day before they reached Dressrosa and the crew knew they should relaxed while they had the chance.

Zoro was on deck training with his many weights. The day was too nice to be cooped up in the Observatory, especially since calm days in the New World were extremely rare.

He was halfway through his sets when Luffy approached him. His face was unusually serious, not having its normal cheerful glow. Not too shocking, but still unnerving nonetheless.

Regardless, Zoro was happy that Luffy dropped the happy, carefree act around him. He found Luffy's forced smiles to be more disheartening than his frowns, or vacant expression.

"We need to talk," Luffy said bluntly once he got close to Zoro.

Zoro stopped swinging his weight and gently placed it on the deck along with the weight he had in his mouth.

"I figured you would," Zoro said as he reached for towel and wrapped his face. He was more surprised that he waited this long.

Luffy stared intensely at Zoro. "Why?"

Zoro looked into his captain's eyes and knew immediately that he was referring to Thriller Bark and his sacrifice to Kuma.

"You know the answer," Zoro said in his usual emotionless manner. "I did it to save you and the rest of the crew. There was no other way. Kuma was just too strong for us at the time."

"That's a lie," Luffy said as he put his hands on his hips. "You could have given me over to Kuma and no one would have been hurt. You didn't need to sacrifice yourself for me."

Zoro stared intently at Luffy. "You know that was impossible. No one on this crew would have been able to look at each other again if we had allowed you to be captured by Kuma."

After seeing Impel Down and what happened to Ace, the mere thought that it could have been Luffy if he was captured made him sick. And, unlike Ace, there would have been no rescue party for their captain.

They would, beyond any doubt, have gone after their captain and tried to save him, but they lacked the strength and resources back then. Two years ago, Luffy would have been beyond their reach if the government got their hands on him.

He would take Luffy's pain as his own if it meant never seeing his head on a spike.

"So you all stood up to a guy you couldn't win against, who also had a bomb, when everything would had been settled with one life," Luffy said. He almost sounded like he was scoffing them. "That's stupid. You guys really are idiots."

"No more stupid than us raiding Enies Lobby and declaring war against the government to save Robin," Zoro countered.

Luffy shook his head. "That's different."

"It's only different to you because it was your own life on the line instead of one of us," Zoro pointed out. "If Kuma had offered one of us in exchanged for the crew's lives, would you have taken it?"

Luffy was about to answer when Zoro cut him off.

"I know what you would have done. You would have refused and given your life to protect that person. In fact, you have," Zoro said with a coldness in his voice. "You gave your life up to Aokiji when we first met him on that island."

Luffy was left speechless.

"I saw the memory. You challenged Aokiji to a one-on-one fight. By him accepting, he forfeited the chance to kill Robin and the rest of us. He could only kill you." Zoro glared at Luffy. "You couldn't have known that you would be spared and you knew you couldn't win. You sacrificed yourself for your crew and did it in a way so that none of us would have seen you die; therefore, we wouldn't feel guilty about your death. It was a captain's order, after all, for us to return to the ship and take care of Robin."

Luffy said nothing, which told Zoro everything.

"So, you have no right to lecture me or any of us about being stupid about giving our lives away," Zoro said in a harsh voice.

"I'm the captain. I'm responsible for all of your lives," Luffy said, a bit of anger in his voice.

"And we've been through this. We're responsible for each other's lives. Stop being so selfish," Zoro countered. He was close to yelling. "I'm just the swordsman. If I die, I can easily be replaced. The only thing you would be missing is the extra muscle. You are the captain! You are the heart and soul of this crew. If you die, it would be the end of us. If I die, you will grieve, and will eventually move on. That is how a pirate crew works."

Luffy narrowed his eyes and gritted his teeth as rage filled his body. "Do you think that little of yourself, Zoro? You think I would simply move on and forget about you if you got yourself killed?"

Zoro looked Luffy directly in the eye. "I think as much about my life as you think of yours."

Luffy became silent, considering Zoro's words. "You didn't think that way two years ago. You put your dreams and ambitions before everything. You even made me promise to never stand in your way. Yet, you go and sacrifice yourself behind my back and say nothing. Why?"

"Because I don't value that promise anymore," Zoro said firmly. He needed to make Luffy understand. There would be no more secrets between them. "I haven't valued it in a long time. Not since your dream became a part of mine."

Luffy continued to stare blankly at him.

"Luffy, we've been through hell and back together. We traveled all through the East Blue and the Grand Line as brothers-in-arms. We laughed together, mourned together, fought together, and we made history together. Do you really think I would ask the man who saved my life on every level imaginable to gut himself over an old, stupid vow? A vow made before I realized that I have found my place in the world?" Zoro said with more passion than he realized he had. He numbly realized that he was using the same tone with Luffy that he used when he begged before Mihawk to train him. "That promise I made two years ago doesn't matter. The only vow that matters is the one I took when I said that I would never lose again. That means, I won't lose making you the Pirate King."

Luffy said nothing for several seconds. Zoro almost wanted to growl in frustration. Luffy had that stupid unreadable expression again.

"Can't you see, Zoro? It doesn't matter. Whether you value that vow or not doesn't change the fact that I broke my promise to you," Luffy said in a hard voice.

Zoro felt a chill run down his spine and settle in his stomach.

"When we met, Zoro, I promised you that if I ever stood in the way of your dream that I would apologize to you at the end of a sword," Luffy said without a trace of emotion. "I got in the way. Twice, if what that mist guy said about you and Mihawk is true. For over two years, you have been mocking me."

Zoro glared at Luffy. "How could you say something like that?"

Luffy closed his eyes. "You were mocking me because you were leading me on. Instead of telling me that our vow had been broken, that you gave yourself to Kuma to save my life, you had me believe that I was still honoring our promise. A promise that I took seriously."

Zoro felt his mouth go dry. Luffy was right. Without him ever noticing it, Luffy have done many things to ensure that he never lost his ambition or drive to become the greatest, such as never giving him an official position and never calling him out for dueling Mihawk instead of going after Nami. Luffy has honored that vow to the best of his ability and he dishonored his captain by never telling him that his feelings had changed.

He was a man of action, not words. For him, that vow became invalid after he lost to Mihawk. When he bowed his head before Kuma and offered his life, he didn't even consider that stupid promise.

Perhaps a part of him believed that Luffy knew. That his captain knew that his feelings had changed since that day in Shell Town. That he now considered everyone on this crew his family. That there was something more important than him becoming the greatest swordsman.

Now, seeing what he saw through Luffy's memories, he understood that despite Luffy's insight of his crew, he never noticed. Because Luffy allowed himself to believe that he was expendable, he blinded himself to the changes within his crew. He failed to notice how much his crew dearly loved him and how they were willing to sacrifice their lives and ambitions to make his dream come true. Perhaps he did know, but chose to deny it.

"Luffy…I'm sorry I never told you," Zoro said in an unusually gentle voice. "I did it because I knew you would blame yourself and that…"

"I might fulfill our vow," Luffy finished.

Zoro said nothing for a couple of seconds. "Yes. Whether you accept it or not, losing you, or anyone within the crew...would be far more painful than me never being able to use a sword again."

Luffy sighed as he closed his eyes for a moment. "I understand. But, the matter remains. A vow, once made, can't be broken."

Zoro felt his heart still and he was holding his breath.

"Once I become the Pirate King and help you all achieve your dreams, I will fulfill my vow to you," Luffy said in absolution.

Zoro's eye widened. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. "What?"

"You said that your dream has grown to include mine, right? If I die before I become Pirate King, I would dishonor you even more and crush the dreams of my crew. So, if I kill myself after I become the Pirate King and you become the greatest swordsman, then you won't be breaking your new vow."

Zoro blinked several times in surprise. Since when did Luffy become a lawyer? How did he even come up with this? "You truly value that archaic promise that much?"

"It was a promise made between men. A vow made between the man who will become the Pirate King and the man who will become the greatest swordsman in the world," Luffy said as he crossed his arms and looked Zoro directly in the eye. "Such a promise can never be shattered."

Zoro stared at Luffy in disbelief. "Why do you care so much? You've broken promises before."

Luffy tilted his head as if Zoro had asked a stupid question. "Because I honor any promise I make to a friend. And, because you were the first to call me captain, I can't turn my back on this vow. If I did, I wouldn't be worthy of being the Pirate King."

Zoro looked at his captain with admiration. He would rather die than break a promise to him, even if he himself no longer valued it.

He should have figured that this would happen. It was as Luffy said: a promise between men couldn't be broken. It could only be replaced with a vow of equal or more importance. The vow he made after he lost to Mihawk didn't negate the first vow. Without even trying, Luffy had found a big loophole. There was only one solution.

"Then, let's make a new vow," Zoro said, catching Luffy off-guard. "When you become the Pirate King and I become the greatest swordsman, we will have a battle. If I win, I'll claim your life."

Luffy stood silent as he took in Zoro's words. "What do I get if I win?"

Zoro gave his signature shark grin. "If you win, you get me."

Luffy blinked in confusion.

"If you beat me in battle, then I will pledge my sword to you until the end of time. Until your death and beyond, I will be by your side," Zoro said.

Luffy was struck by the vow and his eyes watered. "You..."

"Do we have a deal?" Zoro asked.

The two men stared at each other, having one of their wordless conversations. In a span of a few seconds, several words were shared.

For Luffy, he understood that the weight of this promise far outweighed the vow they made two years ago. Zoro was a free spirit, much like himself. For him to bet eternal servitude for a lost showed that he was either very confident that he would win, or just being stupid.

After looking at Zoro, he knew that neither were the case. Zoro wanted to lose. What would had been a fate worst than death two years ago, was something that he now desired. There wasn't even an ounce of hesitation in the older man's face.

Luffy had mixed feelings. One part of him deeply desired to have Zoro and everyone sail with him across the endless sea forever. It was a dream come true. At the same time, he didn't want anyone on his crew to be his servant. Being a pirate was all about freedom, after all.

Zoro kept looking at Luffy and through his eye, he assured his captain that their relationship was not one of master and servant. This was a vow between friends. Between family. When he reached the top of the world, Zoro wanted to be by his side.

Luffy gave a cocky grin as he held out his hand. Zoro did the same as he grabbed onto his captain's hand and squeezed it firmly

"It's a promise," Luffy said. "I won't lose to you."

Zoro grinned at his captain. "You better get stronger. When the day of our battle comes, I won't hold back. If you're truly the Pirate King, you should easily be able to handle the greatest swordsman in the world. Otherwise, killing you would be putting you out of your misery for embarrassing yourself."

Luffy laughed. "Yeah."

Zoro couldn't stop himself from grinning. For as long as he had lived he never imagined he would look forward to the day that he lose. And he would lose. When Luffy becomes the Pirate King, he would be stronger than anyone, including himself, and he couldn't be happier. What fate could have been better than becoming the right hand to the future Pirate King?

"Then, there's only one thing left to do," Luffy said as he closed his eyes.

Zoro lost his smile, baffled by Luffy's statement. What was left?

Before he could contemplate the meaning to Luffy's words, Luffy slammed his fist into Zoro's jaw, sending the swordsman sliding across the deck, breaking several floorboards.

All activity on the ship stopped as the crew looked at Luffy in surprise. The crew noticed for a while that Luffy and Zoro were having one of their private conversations and purposely kept themselves busy so they wouldn't overhear. Now, they couldn't ignore what was happening.

"Zoro, are you okay!?" Chopper yelled in panic.

He started to rush over towards the swordsman, but Sanji held out his arm, stopping the young reindeer. This was a moment between Luffy and Zoro. Two years has been building towards this.

Zoro sat up on the deck and rubbed his sore jaw. "What the hell!?"

Luffy tilted his hat down, covering his eyes. "I told that mist guy that as soon as I got back, I was going to kick your ass. Get up. You're not getting off that easy."

Zoro lifted himself off the deck and stared at Luffy. There was a slight pause.

"What are you waiting for? Get your swords and fight me," Luffy ordered before he gave a wide, almost demonic, grin. "I won't be satisfied kicking the ass of someone who won't defend themselves."

Zoro gave his shark grin as he went to the side of the ship to retrieve his swords. He also grabbed his bandanna and wrapped it around his head.

"So, you want a preview of what to expect?" Zoro said as he unsheathed his swords. "Fine by me. Just don't cry when you lose." He stuck his precious white sword in his mouth.

Luffy chuckled as he charged Zoro.

Within seconds, Luffy and Zoro were fighting across the deck. It looked very similar to their fight at Whiskey Peak except without the malice. All the Strawhats could also see the huge grin on Luffy's face as he fought his swordsman in the match. He was undoubtedly having the time of his life.

"What a bunch of barbarians," Sanji scoffed light-heartedly as went back to delivering Robin and Nami their fruit drinks.

Nami had smile on her face as she took the offered drink. She was happy to see Luffy acting more like his old, stupid self. "Ah, boys will be will boys."

"Indeed," Robin chuckled as she sipped on her drink. "This is especially good today, Sanji."

Sanji spun around in joy from the compliment. He had hearts in his eyes and a huge stupid grin on his face. "Thank you, Robin-chan!"

"Hey, don't tear up Sunny!" Franky yelled as he saw more parts of the deck break under the force of the two monsters' attacks. "Dammit, that's going to take me all day to fix! Show the ship some respect!"

"Give it up," Usopp said as he patted the cyborg on the back. "When they get like this, it's best just to sit back and just repair the damage once they're done."

Franky folded his arms and grunted in frustration. "I swear." He caressed the mast of the ship. "I'm sorry, Sunny, for having these two morons are crewmembers. I'll patch you up as soon as they're finish."

Chopper gave a small sigh as he rubbed his eyes. He had better get the bandages and disinfectant ready. Hopefully, there would be no broken bones.

"This fight needs some music!" Brook suddenly exclaimed as he took out his guitar and started to play the song from Luffy's mushroom-induced hallucination. It felt fitting.

As the two pirates fought and listened to the music playing in the background, Luffy felt his heart become lighter. He was truly surrounded by those who loved him. Like Shanks had promised so long ago, he had found true acceptance.

This was his family.

'WE ARE!'