So, this series of stories will always be marked as complete since they're one-shots, but I will post other things.
Obviously, I don't own One Piece...yet.
Luffy was surrounded with people who loved him. His crew laying down in their own hammocks nearby. The sounds of their peaceful, sleeping bodies enveloped him in comfort and reassurance.
So, he didn't understand how he could still feel as though that gaping hole in heart was wider than ever. He felt so empty and yet so full. The pressure of his feelings threatened to rip their way out of him in the form of a piercing scream.
But he didn't want them to hear. He wanted them to know, but he didn't. Why couldn't they figure it out on their own? He didn't want to acknowledge it himself.
In a desperate attempt to hide his scalding emotions, he let a silent scream claw its way out. He didn't know that you could scream like that, without sound. He didn't care though. Luffy was just glad to feel a minute relief from the intense pressure that threatened to make his chest explode.
And then suddenly Luffy thought of him again—the way he would tease him lovingly and just sit by his side when he was too tired to continue on for the day—and another scream would bubble up inside him like boiling water. He silently let it out again, tears streaming down his now red face.
The chasm in his life wouldn't ever be fully filled. He remembered the way how his blood covered his hands. The crushing despair and denial when no one could heal him. How he died with a gaping hole in his chest, all for Luffy. He let out another silent wail.
And that was all he could do. He could ignore the pain during the day, hiding it behind grins and laughter. He used it to fool himself just as much as the others. However, when it was night and he was somehow so alone and yet surrounded by people, there was no masking it.
His only hope was that, one day, the pain would start to fade.
