Hey everyone - hope you're all doing well. This is a fic that I recently started working (in addition to my Fairy Tail fic as well as one more crossover that I'm working on). It's a memory fic - drawing inspiration from one of my favorite stories on this site, Warm Memories and Brotherly Bonds by RoseDragonWitch. Hope you all enjoy it.
-o-
The Straw Hat Pirates finally made landfall on the next course of their journey within the New World.
Monkey D. Luffy was the first to erupt from the Thousand Sunny. As always, he had a massive grin on his face. He took in the surroundings and quickly urged the rest of his crew to follow. Decked out in the straw hat he received from "Red-Haired" Shanks (the one thing he hardly ever let go of) that covered his jet black hair, his trademark red vest - which was left open and showed the slightly red "X" shaped scar on his chest; the scar that he would remain for the rest of his life as a mental and physical reminder of why he needed to be separated from his crew for two years, blue shorts with cuffs, and a newly added yellow sash around his waist, he excitedly began to look around for anything that was edible - or at least somewhat edible.
Following him was Roronoa Zoro, who was surprisingly awake. Or at least, he had just woken up - evidenced by the fact that he let out an audible yawn as he jumped onto the sandy beach and took in his surroundings carefully. His light green hair was cut short and a scar ran vertically through his left eye, which was always shut now. A scar that was given to him two years ago was visible and stitched up, a reminder of the first time he experienced a significant defeat in years. He wore a green striped haramaki as well as dark green robes. He had a black bandana tied to his upper left arm - the bandana he would tie around his head whenever things got really serious. On his right side, he carried three swords - indicative of his three sword style, Santoryu. One was the Wado Ichimonji, a legendary sword and one that held great personal importance to him; one was Shusui, a sword belonging to a legendary samurai from Wano Country; and Sandai Kitetsu, another legendary sword that he had received as a gift from an excursion the Pirates made to Loguetown a couple of years ago.
Sanji, or "Black Leg" Sanji as he was known by the marines, followed Zoro. As always, he was smoking. Like Luffy, he was looking around the island for what was edible. He took great pride in his culinary abilities (in fact, he was named the best cook in all of East Blue a couple of years ago as a part of a competition he took place in in Loguetown). His blond hair fell over his right eye, leaving only his left eye and swirly eyebrow unobscured. He wore a gray dress shirt, over which he had on a light blue skinny tie. Topping it all off, he wore a black overcoat with six gold buttons that went down each side and black slacks.
Franky the Cyborg was next to follow. Franky underwent drastic changes during the two years he was separated from the rest of the crew, adding several super weapons to the already extensive armory known as his body. Using blueprints from the legendary scientist, Dr. Vegapunk, Franky was able to make his hair configurable with multiple styles; his shoulders, arms, and torso were much larger than before as well. In his huge arms, he had another set of smaller, robotic sized hands that could be used for eating and drinking. On his shoulders were red balls with BF-37 written on them. He was wearing a red coconut tree Hawaiian shirt as well as red swim briefs. He opted to go for his pompadour hairstyle that he always wore before the two-year period in which he was separated from the rest of the crew.
The adorable reindeer and youngest member of the group, Tony Tony Chopper, was next to follow. Mistaken for the crews pet, Chopper is the doctor of the crew and undoubtedly one of the most intelligent members - on par with Nico Robin. A reindeer that ate the Human-Human Fruit, he could now easily converse with other humans. He was wearing a large blue cap that had white ovals around a white ring, inside which was a red circle with a white "X", which he wore over his previous pink hat. He wore a white and yellow vertical striped tank top as well as orange shorts. He was happily exploring the island as well.
Nico Robin was next to follow. Beautiful before the two-year period in which she was separated from her crew, she had blossomed even further. Her dark hair went down to her lower back and was pulled back, revealing her face in full force as opposed to the bangs she usually wore. She wore a pink sari-like skirt that was tied on her right side, as well as a short blue leather vest that exposed her stomach as well as a decent amount of cleavage. She wore a purple backpack around her left arm and her orange sunglasses rested atop her forehead as she took in the sun of the island they were on.
Nami jumped down after Robin. Her fierce orange eyes surveyed the island intently, but she wore a soft smile - happy that they were on a peaceful, tropical paradise as opposed to the hellish landscape of Punk Hazard. Her beautiful, flowing orange hair went down her back as she wore an orange bra and tight low-rider jeans that exposed her hips. The New World Log Pose was on her left wrist, as well as the tattoo she had gotten a couple of years ago.
Brook, resident musician, was the eighth man off the ship. As always, he was impeccably dressed - even more so than Sanji. He wore heart-shaped sunglasses, a yellow feather boa, a top hat with a large crown, orange flowered pants, a black overcoat under which was his skeletal figure - and to top it all off, a beautiful light blue bow that fell to his chest. In his hand was his trusty cane sword - the one that earned him the nickname the "Humming Swordsman" (although, most recently he went by "Soul King" Brook).
Last but not least was Usopp, the sniper of the Straw Hats - following in the footsteps of his father, Yasopp (another celebrated sniper who was a crew member with the Red Hair Pirates). He became much more muscular during the two years he was separated from his crew (impressive, considering the weight he gained immediately after the separation). He wore goggles around his neck, as well as earmuffs. He had a soul patch as well as fluffy black hair jutting out from the back. He wore red suspenders and yellow pants and carried a large green slingshot.
Finally, with the Thousand Sunny safely docked, the crew began to enjoy themselves on the beach - although, none more than Luffy.
"TROPICAL PARADISE!" Luffy yelled as he excitedly raised his arms to the sky, happy that they came across their second island in the new world.
"I must say, it is nice to be able to relax a bit - especially after Fishman Island and Punk Hazard," Robin commented as she sat down on the warm sand next to Nami. Sanji, as always, weighted on them hand and foot while Zoro, of course, went sleep near under a palm tree. Brook obliged his team by playing them Binks Sake, which was still his favorite song - while Franky continued to dazzle Chopper and Usopp with his transformations.
"I'm gonna go find some meat. MEAT. MEAT. MEAT!" Luffy chanted as he ran off to the heart of the island.
"Our idiot captain is going to get lost," Sanji sighed as he gave some lemonade to Nami, who closed her eyes and relaxed.
"Don't worry about it. This island isn't that large, and our log pose should reset soon. I'm sure we can find him quickly if we really need to. For now, I just want to relax," Nami said, content.
"Do you know the island we're on, Nami?" Robin asked, interested as she looked around.
"Mmm?" Nope. I asked Tashigi, but she said that she hasn't heard about it," Nami said, still smiling.
"Interesting. I would think that the Marines know most of the islands in the New World. I'm going to go have a look around," Robin said as she got up. She was interested in seeing if there were any important historical sights to see on the island - even more so if it hadn't been touched or even noted by other Marines or pirates.
"Shall I accompany you, Robin?" Sanji asked with hearts in his eyes.
"I'll be fine, but thank you," Robin said, flashing him a sweet smile. It was too much for Sanji, who fainted. Zoro opened his eye slightly and snickered at the sight of his friend and rival - he was always weak around women.
-o-
Elsewhere on the island, Luffy was having no luck in finding meat. He found plenty of mushrooms, plants, and fruits - but nothing to sate the carnivorous side of him. As he looked around, he climbed higher and higher the middle of the mountain, which rose a good distance. He quickly reached the top and surveyed his location, hoping to find some evidence of meat - alas, there was none - only some dumb old ruins in the distance. Sighing heavily, he began to descend down - by taking a jump. He landed right in front of Robin, who was making her way through the foliage.
"Hey, Robin!" Luffy greeted his companion.
"Hello, Luffy. Find what you were looking for?" Robin asked.
"Nope. No meat," Luffy replied, deadpan. Robin smiled as she continued her trek, Luffy in tow.
"What're you looking for?" Luffy asked.
"Nami said that the Marines were unaware of this island. I was hoping to find something interesting," Robin said.
"Oh. Like those old ruins?" Luffy said offhandedly. This caused Robin to stop dead in her tracks. She slowly rounded on him, giving him a surprised look.
"What's wrong? Are you ok?" Luffy asked.
"You said old ruins?" Robin asked, making sure she heard correctly.
"Yup," Luffy said.
"Could you show me?" Robin asked. Luffy shrugged but nodded and began leading her east. They continued going through the heavy foliage - which was unrelenting. After a long walk, they finally found them. Robin's eyes widened in surprise as she saw what appeared to be a stone doorway leading into the long-abandoned ruins. Luffy followed, slightly interested as well - although, only for the adventure aspect.
"Cool," he whispered as Robin led him through. She examined the architecture of the building. It was fairly simple - a large, cube-like building with a single entrance and a cavernous interior. As they approached the middle, they saw a large ring surrounding the room. There were runes and words around the ring, which Robin began to read. Luffy looked on in interest.
"You can read that, Robin?" he asked quizzically.
"Sort of. It seems to be a warning," Robin said, although she wasn't in the slightest perturbed - plenty of old ruins like this had their warnings and stop signs.
"What does it say?" Luffy asked excitedly.
"I can only make out some of the words. These words mean 'hell', 'memory', 'endure', 'share', 'emotion', and 'monster,'," Robin said as she pointed to several words that were written on the ground. The others, she couldn't make out very well.
"AWESOME. WHAT DOES THAT MEAN THOUGH?!" Luffy asked excitedly. Monster meant ass kicking which meant a roaring fire which meant meat - or so the train of thought went through Luffy's mind.
"I'm not sure. I assume it has something to do with a monster forcing people to share and endure memories - in a hellish way, perhaps," Robin said. She looked around and found another door that seemed to lead into another room in the building. She tried to open it, but it wouldn't budge. She tried some of her powers on it, but nothing.
"Let me try," Luffy said as he gave the door a punishing punch. To his and Robin's shock, however, the only that hurt was Luffy's hand.
"OWOWOWOWOWOW!" Luffy hollered in pain as he held his now throbbing right hand.
"That hurt?" Robin asked, surprised.
"Yeah! I don't get it! This door is tough!" Luffy stated. They continued their attempts to open it, but it was futile - it hadn't even budged an inch. Robin sighed.
"It's getting late out. We'll come back in the morning with the others. Maybe if we combine our efforts, we can get something done," Robin said.
"If you say so," Luffy said, although Robin could tell he didn't really care. She heard his stomach growl, so only one thing was on his mind. They left the ruins, with Robin giving it one last glance. As they crossed the threshold, she felt something unpleasant in her stomach - nervousness.
-o-
The door softly rumbled open. A black, slimy substance slithered out. It morphed into a long, black snake and began to lick the air around it. It hissed in pleasure as it tasted the pain of the man the visited its home. It began to slither out and towards the camp of the Pirates.
-o-
Unbeknownst to the Straw Hats, they weren't the only presence on this island. As the slimy snake made its move, another man's eyes shot open.
"No…," the man whispered as his body shot up. Wearing white robes, the man had long white hair and a long white beard that went down to his waist. He couldn't sense the presence of the Straw Hats, but he sensed the presence of something even more terrifying: a monster he thought was locked away for good. He closed his eyes and held a white staff to the floor, feeling around. He noted their presence now - he was no longer alone on the island.
-o-
"R-r-ruins?" Usopp said, slightly horrified at the prospect.
"M-m-monster?" Chopper asked, as terrified and horrified as Usopp.
"H-h-hell?" Nami asked, rounding out the Weakling Trio.
Brook added his shriek to the conversation for good measure.
"What does it mean?" Zoro asked.
"I'm not sure. There was a door that Luffy and I weren't able to open or break through. I want all of us to try it in the morning," Robin said.
"Anything for you, Robin dear," Sanji said, hearts in his eyes. Zoro just sighed but nodded in agreement - the prospect of fighting a monster on this otherwise uninhabited island was rather exciting for him.
As everyone finished eating, they laid out sleeping bags and tents - deciding to sleep under the stars that were shining over the beach as opposed to the comfort of their beds on the Sunny.
"Wow, that is beautiful," Nami whispered as she looked at the night sky. With absolutely no light pollution, it was as if someone had sprinkled a copious amount of glitter against the black canvas. Thousands upon thousands of stars were completely visible to the Straw Hats, all of whom stayed up for hours simply admiring the sight.
"Wow! So pretty!" Chopper exclaimed as he sat up slightly to be a few inches closer to the gorgeous sight.
"Didn't you see sights like these on Drum Island, Chopper?" Nami asked.
"Not really. It was always snowy and cloudy, so the stars were almost invisible. I don't think I saw many until I started sailing with you guys," Chopper said.
"You see those three stars really close together, Chopper?" Usopp asked, pointing to Orion's Belt.
"Yeah," Chopper said.
"That's Brave Warrior Usopp!" Usopp declared.
"WOW! REALLY?!" Chopper asked, stars in his own eyes.
"Mhm. I was the first person to discover those stars, so they let me name them!" Usopp explained.
"You're so awesome, Usopp!" Chopper said, excited that his friend was so cool, he named the stars.
"Usopp," Nami said warningly, making him cough slightly.
"Robin, what is it when stars make a picture in the sky?" Chopper asked.
"It's called a constellation," Robin answered.
"A constellation. Wow," Chopper said, still awestruck by the beauty.
One by one, everyone eventually dozed off into a peaceful sleep. Chopper was first, followed by Usopp, Franky, Brook, Nami, Sanji, Robin, Zoro, and finally Luffy.
-o-
As the pirates slept, none of them noticed a black, slimy snake slithering around them. It left slight bits of residue in the sand, which sank - making it appear completely untouched. The slimy snake went to Chopper and began licking the air around him. It waited for a moment but eventually moved on to Usopp. Again, it licked the air. However, it wiggled its snout slightly - as if smelling something off about him. The snake made the same motion for Franky. It ended up passing Brook completely - as if not even noticing that he was there. The snake licked the air around Nami, Sanji, Robin, and Zoro - only slithering around Robin for an extended period of time. But finally, it moved on from Robin. Finally, he reached Luffy. As the snake began to slither around his figure, it picked something up - something delightful, something delectable. There was something about Luffy that drew the snake closer and closer. Slowly, it slithered on to Luffy - who didn't seem to feel the snake at all. It began to lick Luffy's face as if tasting him before it made its move. Although not visible to Luffy, the snake gave a vicious smile as it slithered off of him. It repositioned itself around Luffy's head, still tasting the air around him. Pain. Grief. Anger. Hope. Compassion. It was there - all of it. The plethora of emotions that raged in the invisible aura of the boy was a cornucopia.
Slowly, the snake began to morph yet again. However, this time, the transformation was vertical. Over the course of the next few hours, it began to slowly take the shape of a humanoid with long, muscular arms and legs - standing an impressive seven feet tall. The body was fluid and a slimy black, with no distinguishable facial features. The hands and feet each had five digits, it had ears, and what looked like a nose - but that was it. Impassively, it stared at Luffy and his companions. The figure position his hand above Luffy. Multiple tendrils began to jut out, all of which slowly raised Luffy's body, which was still - the movements were so gentle and discreet, they didn't wake the pirate. With one final glance at the others, the figure took Luffy into the foliage and began to head back to the ruins.
-o-
The unidentified man made his way to the beach. Due to his old age, he wasn't able to move as quickly or fluidly as he'd like - but he knew that he had no time to waste. Trying to push his body as much as he could, he picked up a slight pace. Even still, his endeavors only got him to the beach as dawn broke over the sea and the sun began to rise over the greenery. He spotted eight figures still asleep - and to his horror, the presence of a ninth was missing.
"WAKE UP YOU FOOLS!" he roared. Zoro was the first. His eye shot open and he drew his sword, staring intently at the old man that appeared. Sanji was second. Upon noticing Zoro's stance and the presence of the new arrival, his right foot was engulfed in fire. Like Zoro, he was giving the old man a hard stare. Robin followed. As she looked around, she found that Luffy was missing. She saw the old man and crossed her arms over her chest, narrowing her eyes at him. Nami, Brook, Usopp, and Franky followed at the same time and all of them were pointing their weapons at the arrival - with Usopp shuddering slightly. Chopper was the last to wake up and did so in an adorable fashion as opposed to shooting up with the rest of them. However, as he saw the old man, he quickly got into a fighting position. As the others looked down the line, they noticed what Robin did: Luffy wasn't there.
"Where's Luffy?!" Zoro shouted.
"Don't ask me!" Sanji retorted, not taking his eyes off the old man.
"Did he already go to the ruins?" Nami asked.
"No… no… it can't…," the old man whispered, his eyes opening wide.
"Who're you, old man?" Zoro asked.
"My name is Caspian. I am the guardian of the island - as I have been for the past several decades. Who are you, is the pertinent question," Caspian stated as his eyes went over each of them.
"W-w-we're pirates, old man! So don't mess with us!" Usopp said in a high pitched voice as his knees trembled in fear.
"One of you is not here! Where is the other boy?" Caspian asked them.
"We were about to ask you that," Nami said.
"When did you arrive here?" Caspian asked, ignoring Nami.
"Sunset yesterday," Robin stated.
"Sunset… sunset… and the ruins! Did any of you go to the ruins?!" Caspian asked loudly.
"Stop yelling!" Sanji shouted. Caspian, however, stared intently at Robin who nodded.
"Our captain and I visited them yesterday. Why?" Robin asked. To the crew's surprise, the knees of the old man began to wobble heavily and he fell to the ground, breathing heavily. Chopper rushed over and pulled out his stethoscope - he quickly began observing the man, who didn't attempt to push him off. Everyone was silent for a few minutes as the man collected his demeanor and began speaking again in an even voice.
"You made a grave mistake, then. Tell me - the boy. Who is he? Thank you, Doctor," Caspian said as he slowly got up with Choppers help.
"He's our captain; we're pirates. Straw Hat Pirates," Franky stated.
"That's neither here nor there. The man, I mean, the man! What kind of PERSON is he?!" Caspian asked, a bit irate.
"What do you mean?" Robin asked.
"Is he good? Bad? Wonderful? Terrible?" Caspian asked.
"Why do you want to know, old man?" Sanji asked.
"If you love him, answer my questions. Otherwise, it's very likely you'll be leaving this island without a captain," Caspian stated.
At that, the mood of the crew changed - Usopp, Nami, Brook, and Chopper's mouths dropped to the floor as they looked at Caspian with fear in their eyes. Zoro, Sanji, Franky, and Robin's eyes narrowed even further as they pierced Caspian with their gaze, refusing to believe what they heard.
"What do you mean?" Robin asked.
"I mean that he will die. I can't simplify it any further," Caspian stated.
"Who are you?" Zoro asked.
"I see this is going nowhere until I answer your questions, then. My name is Caspian. For the past several decades, I've acted as guardian to this island - stopping others from setting foot here. It's a duty that I admittedly have been lax in for at least forty years. However, I felt something last night that I have not in all those years - something terrible, something horrible. Answer my questions now," Caspian said, rushing through his statement.
Robin, Sanji, Zoro, and Franky exchanged nods while the other four simply held on to each other and shivered.
"Your question was 'What kind of man is Luffy?' He's a kind person. A large heart, a significant will. He dreams of being King of the Pirates," Robin stated simply.
"This Luffy… Has he suffered significant trauma in his past?" Caspian asked.
"What kind of question is that? You want his life story?" Sanji asked. Robin, however, answered.
"His step brother died two years, and he was given a large scar on his chest," Robin said. Caspian opened his mouth to speak but closed it without saying a word. He soon closed his eyes and was silent for a moment before he nodded. He turned away from them and looked to the east, to the ruins.
"If you leave now, you should be ok," Caspian said.
"WHAT? YOU DON'T EXPECT US TO LEAVE WITHOUT OUR CAPTAIN, DO YOU!?" Nami screamed at him, pointing her Sorcery Clima-Tact at him.
"I do expect that. If you value your lives, you would be wise to," Caspian said.
"Hold it, pops. We're not leaving without Luffy. That's that," Sanji forcibly declared. Caspian looked at him before turning away again.
"Then you'll die with him as well," he stated ominously. Usopp, Chopper, and Brook resolved themselves and stopped shivering.
"Look here, sir! We are not leaving without our captain!" Brook declared. Usopp and Chopper nodded vigorously in agreement.
"Please, start from the beginning," Robin asked. Caspian turned again to look at them and closed his eyes.
'His crew seems to love him. Perhaps… we'll see,' he thought.
Opening them again, his eyes looked over each crew member.
"This island is known as Memoria Insula. Memory Island. You may or may not have noticed a strong presence in this place - if you haven't, it's fine. But there is a powerful presence at work here. Since the world was formed, this island, in particular, has simply always been. From a nomadic tribe on the Red Line, every several decades, a person is sent here - I was the latest - to protect this island as guardian. Those ruins that you disturbed? They are home to an entity that has lived here for as long as our legends have been told. An entity that feeds off of emotions - a parasite, if you may. It latches on to souls such as your captain - those that have recently suffered some form of trauma - or that have particularly difficult pasts; those that have wounds inflicted on the mind or heart. You see where I am going with this. This entity - we call it Parallax - puts its prey in a stasis and slowly feeds off of them for years in its private chamber. The last soul that came here… he somehow woke up during the process. Screams such as that I've never heard in my life. It hasn't fed since then, however - which is why it's surprising how quickly it moved this time. I fear that it is too late for your captain," Caspian said.
At this point, everyone's mouth was agape at what they just heard. An ancient entity that feeds off the emotion of its victim? It sounded too ludicrous to be true.
"That's impossible," Usopp finally said, sweating bullets as his heart was in his throat.
"No. It's what's happening," Caspian said.
"Let's go. We need to free Luffy!" Zoro said as he began to rush off into the foliage. However, he fell onto his backside quickly - there was a barrier blocking him.
"What's this? I don't remember it here before," Robin said as she felt the barrier.
"I put it up just now to stop you from doing something foolish," Caspian stated. Sanji got close to the old man, who didn't flinch.
"Let us go. We need to find our captain," Sanji stated dangerously.
"Your captain is doomed. Please, leave this island! Save yourselves! I will imprison Parallax once again," Caspian said.
As Caspian spoke those words, a terror crept into the hearts of everyone there. The darkness seemed to descend on the island as the water suddenly began to thresh more and more. Caspian fearfully looked around. Finally, a voice spoke - a disembodied voice that came from everywhere.
"That's all you can hope to do, isn't it old man? Leaving this… Monkey D. Luffy to his fate while you seal me away, hoping that no one finds this island. You old fool," the voice said.
"WHAT WAS THAT?!" Usopp loudly asked as he hugged Chopper and Nami, all of whom were scared straight. Even Zoro and Sanji - two monsters in their own right - seemed shaken.
"I am Parallax - the entity of this island that the old man speaks of. Your friend is with me. I promise you eight that no pain will befall Monkey D. Luffy," the voice said.
"YOU'RE GOING TO KILL HIM, AREN'T YOU?! WHAT THE HELL DO YOU MEAN HE WON'T FEEL PAIN?!" Sanji roared into the air.
"Yes, I will consume him. But he won't feel any pain whatsoever during the presence - in fact, he's quite content right now. Ace. That is his step brother, no? They're enjoying a moment right now. I will make his final moments painless and joyous," the voice answered.
"GIVE US OUR CAPTAIN BACK!" Chopper yelled, tears streaming down his eyes. He didn't believe Caspian before - but after hearing the voice of the entity, fear, and terror for Luffy were prominent in his heart.
"I cannot do that, reindeer. It's been decades since I've last eaten. I will not give up this meal," the voice said.
"HE'S OUR CAPTAIN! HE'S OUR FRIEND! YOU CAN'T EAT HIM!" Nami yelled.
"I can and I will. I recognize your right to attempt to save the boy, and you may try as such. Just as much, you will recognize my desire to eat him. I trust the old fool can tell you about how you may help your dear friend. But perhaps he's lost the heart to attempt to do so - and all he can do is try to imprison me at this point," the voice said. With that final sentence, the darkness that swelled over the island disappeared as the water again became still. Zoro and Sanji rounded on the old man, who still didn't flinch.
"So there is a way we can save him?! Why didn't you tell us?" Sanji asked. Caspian closed his eyes and took a moment before speaking again.
"If you fail, you will die. There's no other way to put it," Caspian stated.
"That's fine," Zoro said, no doubt in his heart.
"Bring it on," Sanji replied.
"We're not leaving without our captain," Robin stated.
"Whatever it takes," Brook stated.
Nami, Chopper, Usopp, and Franky all vigorously nodded.
"You fools. You don't understand. Parallax will consume you! He WANTS you to try and save your captain - if you fail, it's more food for him! Please, just leave!" Caspian pleaded. The others refused to back down, though.
"If it was Luffy, he would've broken that barrier down and busted us out by now. Tell us what it'll take. We're not leaving," Zoro forcefully stated. Caspian opened his mouth as though he were about to argue, but closed it. His hand began to shake as he nodded.
"Follow me. I will explain on the way," he said as he led them into the foliage, in the direction of the ruins.
"This entity - while it feeds off of all emotions in a person - willpower, hope, rage, fear, love, compassion, greed, etc. - enjoys grief the most. It's the emotion it always searches for when it finds a victim - the rest, while it does feed off them, don't sate its desire. What your captain went through with his stepbrother - it has impacted your captain in a way that he has not gotten over it. Don't ask me why I don't know. Perhaps there's something underlying that has been gnawing at his soul that he hasn't noticed, or hasn't confronted. Regardless - his problem at the very least is psychological, and possibly physical. There is one way to help him - one. And that is to help him confront whatever it is that is causing him pain. Parallax, whether for malice or magnanimity, has allowed companions of his victims to attempt to save their friend. In the whole of history, perhaps a couple have succeeded - none of them in the last few hundred years," Caspian said.
"What do we have to do?" Robin asked.
"You will be exploring the memories of your captain - without his permission, I might add. What you will see, I do not know. Undoubtedly, they will be important moments in his life - or moments in which he felt strongly about something. Some of them might not even mean much to you, but they do to him. Regardless, you will watch his memories - which you will not be able to interact with or change in any way as they have already happened. After you have viewed everything, you will be sent into his mind - deep into his mind - where you will attempt to reach him. From there, he can fight against Parallax and push it off - with your help. Be warned that the fight isn't purely mental - you will have to fight Parallax as a physical entity as well, but what form it will take I do not know. As you explore his memories, Parallax might delve into yours - although there will be no way of knowing for you. I will attempt to stop it from doing so, but I make no guarantees that you will make it out of those ruins alive," Caspian said.
Chopper, Nami, and Usopp were all sweating bullets but they continued to follow - they wouldn't abandon Luffy to such a fate.
"I will say this: that as long as your captain is in his stasis, he will feel no pain. He likely isn't even aware of what's going on right now. It is highly likely that he will enjoy his final moments. This is your final chance to turn back - beyond this point, there is no guarantee I can make you, no solace I can offer," Caspian said as they approached the ruins.
"We're doing this, old man," Zoro said as he walked into the ruins with an air of confidence - although, he had to admit that he was a bit afraid. The rest followed - each with varying degrees of fear and confidence. However, as they entered the main chamber of the ruin, their eyes shot up in shock at what was in the middle.
A straw hat lay on the bottom, which Robin quickly picked up with her devil fruit powers, not daring to approach the thing in the middle. She looked to the side and saw that the closed door was now open. She felt a pang of terror go through her as her lips parted slightly - wondering if she was the reason behind this?
"I can sense your fear. No, you didn't wake me with that loud racket. I woke later as I sensed the presence of Monkey D. Luffy. The boy has quite the presence, as I'm sure you all know well," the eerie voice from earlier said. However, this time, everyone set their eyes on the black mass in the middle. What looked like a human body of roughly Luffy's proportions was there, with black tendrils gently moving autonomously around it. Suddenly, the mass around the face separated. To everyone's shock and horror, Luffy was laying there, eyes closed and content - almost as if he were sleeping.
Zoro rushed forward, hoping to cut the tendrils way - but they wrapped around him and held him in place. Sanji was next, but they did the same for him. The tendrils ensnared everyone and held them in place - but all of them remained awake.
"The old man already explained to you what you must do. I will give each of you a tendril to hold on to - and with it, you will enter the subconscious and the memory of your beloved captain. You will have a fair chance to save him, and I will have a fair chance to feed on you all. If you try to attack me in such a way again, I will sever his head from his body and feed off your ensuing grief. I do not wish to do so; I haven't tasted such pain as his in ages. You have one more chance: leave now and you may do so in peace - I will not release your captain, however. Stay, and know that you risk your own lives for a small chance at success," the entity stated.
"WE ACCEPT!" Zoro roared as everyone else did in agreement. There was no turning back for them; they would either reach the end of the Grand Line as a crew, or all would die trying. Each recalled that Luffy had at some point saved them from death; if they turned their back on their captain now, they would deserve the painful ends they had waiting for them.
"Very well. I assume you'll stay and protect them as best as you can, old man?" the entity asked. Caspian simply nodded as the entity gave a mirthless laugh. It set them down and extended a tendril to them which they grasped tightly.
"You will all be able to see and interact with each other. In the memories, your captain won't see you - nor will anyone else. As such, this is from his eyes as he's seen or heard things. May whatever God you believe in be with you," the entity said. With that, they were all plunged into darkness.
-o-
Zoro was the first to wake. As he looked around, he saw only darkness.
"Zoro," came a voice from behind him - Robin.
"Robin - hey. Seen the others?" Zoro asked.
"You guys!" came Nami's voice. She was holding Chopper in her arms as Usopp was right behind them.
"Robin! Nami!" came Sanji's lovey-dovey voice as he appeared, followed by Franky and Brook.
"We're all here. Is Luffy here?" Zoro asked, looking around.
"I don't think so. Like Parallax said, we'll be looking at his memories. He won't be aware of us," Robin said.
"I feel kind of… dirty… for doing so," Usopp said, uncomfortable.
"It's for Luffy," Frankly said, giving him a nod. Usopp nodded in return.
A bright light encompassed them all - and before they knew it, they were in a small village. Along a dirt road walked a tiny, familiar boy.