Hi! Um... This is my first fanfic, so sorry if it's a little iffy at first. :) Also, I really suck at naming things, so my apologies for the crappy title. I'm not really sure where I'm going with this, I just had an idea for a story. So, if you like the first chapter(or even if you don't), please review so I can get better at this! Thanks, and I hope you like it! :D
I do not own One Piece, or any of the characters, so don't sue me. :P
He was sitting on the lion's head of the Sunny, watching as the sun sank below the misty horizon. A sudden flash of white light blinded him momentarily. When he regained his vision, he nearly fell backwards off of his perch in surprise. A small boat was floating in the water in front of him. Two men were standing in it, waving up at him. One had dark hair framing his face, an orange hat set atop it. His face was dotted with little freckles. He was bare-chested, wearing only black shorts and boots. Luffy recognized him immediately as his older brother. "Ace?!" he shouted, incredulous. He had watched him die right before his eyes only two years earlier in the war. So, how could it be possible for him to be standing there?
He shifted his gaze from Ace to the man next to him. He wore blue shorts and an open blue suit jacket, exposing his chiseled torso. A white scarf was tied loosely around his neck. He was missing a tooth, and his scruffy blonde hair was covered by a black top hat. Strapped around it was a pair of blue goggles. Luffy couldn't believe what he was seeing. No! It can't be… "Sabo?!" He gawked at his older brothers in utter disbelief. They laughed and shouted up to him, "Luffy! Get your ass down here! We've been waiting for you!"
It was then that he noticed the symbol on the black pirate flag waving above the boat. It was the same as the one they'd flown over their tree house all those years ago. He grinned widely, exposing all of his teeth. He grabbed the mane of the lion's head and stepped back, preparing to launch himself into the boat.
When he looked up, he realized that the boat was slowly drifting away into the mist. He panicked and rocketed forward, trying desperately to catch up. His brothers were still waving and calling for him, but their voices were slowly fading away. He reached out a hand to the brothers he had loved so much, but even with his rubber powers, he couldn't touch them. As he soared above the dark ocean, he called out, "ACE! SABO! Please, don't go! Don't leave me!" He continued to shout after them until he fell into the icy water with a loud SPLASH. He felt his strength drain away, leaving him to sink helplessly into the deep, dark ocean.
He flung himself into a sitting position as his eyes jerked open, his hand still reaching desperately after his lost brothers. He slowly lowered his arm when he realized he was back in his ship, on his hammock in the men's quarters. A quick glance around him revealed that he was the last one to wake up. He snatched his hat off the ground where it had fallen and set it safely atop his head.
He lowered the rim to hide the tears that were spilling silently from his eyes. He hugged his knees to him as his shoulders shook with grief. Soft moans of sorrow and regret escaped from somewhere deep inside his chest. He bit his lips tightly together to stop the noise. This was the first time he'd had a dream like this since setting sail from the Saboady Archipelago. He hated how weak and helpless it made him feel. He thought he'd moved past this, to continue his adventure, but it turned out he was wrong.
The door to the men's quarters flew open with a BANG, making him jump. He wiped his wet face with his shirt as well as he could before looking up at whoever had entered the room. It was Nami, and she was furious. "LUFFY! What the hell are you still doing sleeping?! Do you realize what time it is?! If you don't get up RIGHT NOW, you won't get any breakfast! Hey! Are you listening—" She stopped yelling when she noticed his arms still wrapped around his knees. She stepped into the room and kneeled in front of his hammock, staring up into his red face. "Luffy? Are you okay?" She tilted his hat up so she could see his eyes, still wet with tears. Her brown eyes were full of concern. "Did something happen? Was it a dream?" She wiped the tears from his eyes with her thumb, her hand lingering on his cheek before dropping back down to her side.
"Nami…" he said, staring down at her. He felt his lip quiver and pulled her into his arms. He rested his head on her shoulder and cried softly into her neck. Nami slowly brought her arms up to wrap tightly around her distraught captain. It was heartbreaking to see him so… vulnerable. He was usually so strong and confident, his smile rarely dropping from his face. But now, his whole body was shaking with sadness and regret. She didn't quite know how to deal with this side of Luffy. Normally, he wouldn't need this kind of comfort, but something had obviously happened to make him like this. She rubbed soothing circles into his back, waiting patiently for him to compose himself.
When his tears finally stopped, he stayed in her warm embrace for a moment, savoring the comfort it gave him. He reluctantly pulled back, slipping out of her arms. He looked down at the floor, not really sure what to say. He glanced up at her, noticing the wet patch running down her shirt. "Sorry," he mumbled thickly. "I ruined your shirt."
She hit him halfheartedly. "Shut up, you idiot, it's just a shirt. Are you okay now?"
He nodded. "Yeah… I just need a minute." She sighed and stood up to leave. She wanted to know what had caused this sudden change in him, but she didn't want to push him into doing something he'd rather not do. "Nami…" His voice made her pause, hand on the door handle. "Could you… not tell the others about this? I don't want them to worry." She turned to look at him and was surprised to see his eyes were boring into hers, pleading.
She nodded. "A-alright, I won't say anything." He looked away, releasing her. She opened the door and stepped out onto the deck. He sighed; half-wishing he was still in the navigator's arms.