The boy hung from the rope which was tied to the ceiling, the last rays of sunlight spill in through the cracks in the wooden hut. He could feel some of the warmth of the light, and tried to think solely on that, as he was feeling cold.

And yet part of his body was hot; his eyes were burning from the amount of tears he cried. He could not open his eyes any more, though he wanted to. He wanted to look at the one who was dealing the blows to his body, the one causing him the pain.

It hurt. Pain fleshed throughout his body each he was struck, he could still hear them. Their words were meaningless to him even if he could talk.

'Please let it end soon...' Luffy thought as he swung back and fore from another blow, the man's shouted caused his head to ache. 'Am I going to die here...?' He asked himself, his mind went to the only person he may love him, his grandfather.

'Forgive me...' Luffy thought as he lowed his head and gritted his teeth together, 'I sorry I not coming home any more...I' dying grandpa...' The painful tears slipped down his cheeks again, he did not know it had any left.

Luffy was barely conscious now, his thoughts there focus on his grandfather. 'Will you cry for me?' He wanted to laugh, his grandfather would not cry for anyone... 'What about Ace...will you cry for me? That I'm gone,' Luffy wiggled slightly as the pain came again, 'Does my life...mean anything to anyone? Will anyone remember me?'

Monkey D Luffy released his gritted teeth and relaxed his body, too exhausted to think; Luffy felt his blood pouring from his body, felt his heart slowly down, felt the darkness creeping over his mind.

'I gave up my life for your secret...' Luffy told Ace even though he would never hear these words, 'I would do anything just so I won't be alone, I would die …. for someone who would... loved me...'

'I was born alone,' His mind said to him softy, 'And I will die alone...sleep now...' Luffy felt his heart stop.

'No...' Luffy told himself firmly as he forced himself to squeeze his heart in his chest, '… I don't want to die!'

Luffy took a deep breathe inwards, filling his lungs of air. The ropes around his body pulled against his chest tightly 'Please! Please! Please beat for me, my heart! Please don't stop...' Luffy felt it, a beat. It was small and weak, but it was there. He gritted his teeth again and let his air out and took some in again.

Luffy's head was screaming as his heart began to beat strong again, he had forgotten the pain when he had been falling asleep, but now that he was waking up that pain was coming back. The voicing also, that he did not even know he could not hear, were coming back.

Luffy blinked but kept his eyes closed, some part of his head was breed and it was pouring down over his left eye.

'I want to live!' Luffy screamed to the part of his mind that said to sleep, 'And I will live!' The sunlight was gone he realized sadly as he felt the fist with the spikes come down again, he half wondered how long this had been going on. Luffy opened his eyes and looked to the ground, black spots were all over his vision. He glanced up at the one who was doing this to him and glared.

"I won't say...' Luffy managed to tell the pirate and if he could have, he would have smile at him. 'I won't say...' The man moved away and when he came back, Luffy could right about make out something shiny in his hands.

A loud crush to his left caused him to blinked, which was followed by loud war cries. 'Ace...?'