I was given some very good constructive criticism by a reviewer and revamped my first chapter, as well as my second and third. Enjoy! (as of July 18, 2011)

I don't own One Piece. Eiichiro Oda does.

Chapter 1: As Death Approaches

Upon the execution block stood Straw Hat Luffy wearing a red, open short-sleeved vest, revealing an X-shaped scar upon his chest, blue shorts cut at the knee, and a worn scarlet captain's cloak, as well as his signature straw hat. Though he was on his knees, hands bound in thick cuffs on his lap, his head was raised high and his chest puffed out in pride.

"The 'Pirate King' Captain Straw Hat Luffy, otherwise known as Monkey D. Luffy, stands here charged with the crimes of killing Marine personnel, declaring war against the world government, and for the crime of being a pirate, all of which are punishable by death," announced a marine through a den-den mushi.

Two men walked forward holding weapons made for the public execution of such criminals. The weapons looked to be elongated swords with extended wooden handles. At the signal of the marine, both men raised their blades, readying for the execution of the second Pirate King.

A lull in the audience's chatter occurred, and Luffy looked out into the crowd. There he saw a figure easily making their way through the crowd toward the execution stand, for the people he approached would move out of the person's way, and close in again after they had passed. The figure was of a grown man's height and wore a black cloak, with no other characteristic visible to Luffy.

The cloaked man passed the crowd and walked the long flight of steps to the execution stand, where he then approached Luffy. Time had seemed to stop, for the crowd's faces seemed frozen, and as Luffy glanced around him, the executioners and Marines were still as well. Then he focused his attention onto the mysterious figure.

Luffy raised his head to see this man's face, and found it was only a sinister skull, and his hands were skeletal as well. He wore a dark black cloak, covering his head to his wrists and ankles, and black shoes.

"Brook?" Luffy asked, puzzled.

He shook his head slowly.

"Death?" Luffy paused. The skeletal being did not move.

"My whole life I had wanted to be King of the Pirates, and I've accomplished my dream and so much more, but I had never thought there would really be an afterlife!" Luffy said, somewhat taken by surprise.

Death stayed silent.

"Will... I be able to watch over my nakama?" Luffy asked hesitantly, and hopefully.

"If you wish," Death answered in a raspy voice, like dry sand.

"Then I'm ready to go, Death," said Luffy, satisfied, and smiled.

Time resumed, and one brave soul took the chance to ask, "Where did you leave One Piece?"

"So you want fame and fortune? Shishishshi," Straw Hat Luffy laughed. "However, it's not mine to give. I haven't moved it, if that's what you mean, but you can go searching for it!"

And with what's said cannot be unsaid, the second Pirate King was executed. Death, unnoticed by all, reached forward and daintily pulled the second Pirate King's soul out of his body, and disappeared. As Luffy's head rolled however, a breeze picked up his straw hat into the wind.

"Seis Fleur." A line of six forearms and hands reached out, retracting with the straw hat in hand. A different cloaked figure reached out to grab the hat. "It still feels like it's too soon," says the figure. Three sword handles stuck out from beneath his cloak.

"It may feel like it, but only Luffy could choose when it was time for him to die," said a female voice inside a cloak. This speaker held a blue bo-staff with 3 sections.

"Nami," said another man, "would you make it rain?" This was asked by a man whose only prominent feature beneath the cloak was a very long nose.

"Of course." Nami rearranged her Clima-Tact to create a large, dark cloud above the whole plaza, then sent the rain pouring.

"A fit ending for a great warrior of the sea, such as Luffy," commented the long-nosed man.

*sniff* *sniff* went a midget-sized cloaked figure, with reindeer horns sticking out from underneath.

"This is so not super," said a hulking cloaked figure.

"But our captain fulfilled both his dream and helped fulfill ours. There's nothing we could have done except follow his wishes," commented another cloaked female voice.

"Oh the tears are pouring out of my eyes today, though I don't have any eyes," said a tall cloaked figure.

"Then let us meet again in five years, and every fifth year after," said the swordsman. "Luffy wouldn't have wanted us to completely forget about our nakama."

"Yes!" said everyone in reply.

This story will be updated with a new chapter twice every week on Sunday night and Wednesday night at 11:00.

A/N (added July 7, 2011): So I've noticed that many people visiting my One Piece fanfic do not read past the first chapter, but I promise to you all that from chapter 7 on-wards, they'll be more than 2,000 words per chapter (at least)! I'm going to be putting more effort into making my updates contain more content now that I've got more time on my hands. And trust me, I know there are a lot of fanfics that are based at a time after Luffy's death, but I will not be using all the same islands that the Straw Hat Pirates have adventured on and I am making my own islands and setting, and the plot is different as well. So please, I encourage you to read on!