A/N: I love One Piece so much and I'm so touched by the characters and how much they're willing to do for each other. This is kind of a long one shot that travels through the time gap and contains SPOILERS. So, if you haven't gotten that far yet, I apologize and kind of thinking...what are you waiting for? :x well anyways, enjoy this one and read my other ones if you have time! This one is about all of them and my take on what happened, so scenes really don't appear that much (and I usually skipped the ones that showed them...teehee so if I get somethings wrong, oops!) Also, this fic is not really set in any time...it might get confusing but if it does, please leave a comment and I'll respond and fix it up.

Disclaimer: One Piece is amazing but not mine. Of course.


They say that when you lose something; one by one, you lose your will to live; bit by bit as well. Then say when you're stranded alone with no hope for survival, you lose your life.

But in reality, it's when you give up do you lose everything.

.::x::.

The Straw Hat Pirates knew this as a fact. They were stranded on different islands. Their chance of survival was almost not there. The percentage of them finding each other again was slim but the chance of them seeing each other again healthily were slimmer.

Their worries lied among the first mate of the crew: Roronoa Zoro. When Kuma had sent him away, he was unable to move, beaten by Kizaru until he coughed up his lungs and blood. His body was barely in tact. He was near death and his wounds were inhumane. He needed treatment fast, but no one knew where he was.

But Luffy trusted Zoro. He trusted that Zoro would not let himself die before he became the world's greatest swordsman. He knew Zoro well and that he was alive and training somewhere. He not only trusted Zoro, but he trust all his nakama. They will all return to the crew. They will be stronger than ever before. Sure, at the moment they were stranded away from each other, yes, they were all alone, but no, it's not the end. Far from it. In two years, they will meet again in Saboady Archipelago. He was excited to see how much they've improved in two years.


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Zoro woke up with bandages wrapped messily around his wounds. He got up and looked around. He saw his swords were not at his side and he got off the bed. Suddenly, a ghost like thing that he remembered from Thriller Bark appeared in front of him and passed through him. He groaned as he started to be negative. Perona, the negative ghost girl looked at him and said something to him as she called off her technique. Zoro looked at her and looked around.

"Where are they?"

"What? Your swords?"

"That too, my nakama..."

"I only saw you. They were probably sent elsewhere." Zoro knew this was going to be the answer he was going to receive. Perona noticed his expression and decided to leave him alone when his eyes clench shut tightly.

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Nami looked around to see an old man with small wings poking at her. She looked around and knew she landed here alone. She bit her lips to prevent her tears from falling. She was worried; she didn't want to say so, but for Zoro, for Luffy, for Usopp, for Robin, for Franky, for Chopper and for Sanji. She was weak. She let a single tear fall when the old man set her down in a bed in the spare room of his little house.

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Usopp woke up in a forest alone. He looked around, shouting the names of his nakama and when he heard no reply, he knew he was very alone. He thought back to all the fun times they had together and wondered if that was it. If it was the last time they were going to see each other. His lips quivered and he missed everyone and everything; even Zoro's scary death glare. He wondered if he could be brave enough to fight back and not need protection if he ever saw them again. He bit down on his lips to prevent a wail from passing his lips. He furiously wiped his eyes and couldn't help but believe that he was the weakest of the whole crew.

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Sanji rolled over and found himself in a pink room with pink frills, pink blanket, pink furniture ...just basically pink everywhere! He looked at the bed he was in and saw a pink sheet covering him. He saw his clothes on the pink armchair a distance away. He quickly flung the blankets away and saw he was wearing a dress. His eyes widened and he ripped the dress away from his body and hurriedly put on his clothes. He sighed at relief at the familiar clothing and sunk into the armchair. He stood up, walking around the room before opening the doors. He wanted to see if he could find any of his nakama. He grinned at the memory of Luffy first calling him his nakama. Then he sighed, he had a gut feeling that he was alone. He never felt so worthless and unable to defend anyone until now. He missed everyone, even the marimo. He bit his lips and allowed a single tear to fall down his face as he leaned against the wall.

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Chopper woke up as he was pecked by huge birds that were trying to eat him. He screamed and tried to run. He succeeded but rolled down the huge leaves of the gigantic trees. He cried out the names of his nakama, hoping they would come for him. But he knew he was alone here on this island. He was hoping one of them would pick him up and tell him that it was just a nightmare. But he knew it wasn't just a nightmare. It was reality. His body trembled, feeling the loneliness more than before. He let out a wail, horribly missing his precious nakama.

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Robin found herself cuffed in a room with a small caged window. She looked out and saw a bridge construction site. She saw the guards walk in with a whip. They whipped her, telling her to stand up to head on over to the construction site. The pain didn't bother her at all. But her heart was still breaking. Her crew, her precious friends that became her family and their short but sweet and fun moments together; she missed it all. She was left alone after they realized she wasn't going to respond. Only then did she curl up into a fetal position and let a single tear fall.

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Franky opened his eyes, trying to rub the snow out of his eyes when his body didn't respond to him. He was frozen. He moved his head, looking around. He felt the loneliness that he hasn't felt in years. His precious friends; his current family...they were all out there somewhere, facing all kinds of danger alone as well. He felt super tired and he knew that he was running out of cola. His eyes clenched shut. 'Sorry guys, I might not be able to make it back...'

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Loudness was all he heard. Chants, eerie tribal music drifted into his system and he slowly opened his eyes. Brook saw people worshiping him and calling him Master. He looked at them in confusion. They weren't his friends. Where were they? Were they on this island too? Deep inside, Brook knew well enough that they weren't. He fell silent and wrapped his arms around his knees as he closed his eyes, living in the super short time they spent together.

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Luffy let out a loud wail, missing his nakama. He wanted to go back to them badly. He sat down and looked around. He was in a town. He knew from experience that whenever he's in a town, there had to be ships.

He found out the island was called Amazon Lily. He found out that the village was a female-only village. He found out that the empress of Amazon Lily was the shichibukai, Boa Hancock. He found out Ace, his beloved brother was going to be executed soon. But Boa Hancock was willing to help him. Luffy was grateful for that and thanked her profusely. He made a mark on his right arm; a tattoo saying 3D. Reporters took a picture of it and it was posted in the papers. His nakama understood.

But soon, after the battle at Marineford, the 3D was changed to 2Y. People wondered and were confused. But the ones who are truly Luffy's nakama understood. When they wrote about Luffy ringing the bell, his nakama read the article. Some laughed so hard they couldn't feel their stomach, some chuckled a bit, some smirked and some cursed at the article as they called their captain stupid but had a smile on their faces.

.::x::.

Zoro bowed down to Mihawk. Nami decided to stay in Weatherepia. Usopp asked the warrior who saved him to teach him. Sanji challenged Ivankov and the okamas. Chopper united the birds and the people of the island; then deciding to stay and learn more about the island and make use of the vast library. Robin accepted to stay and help the Revolutionary Army. Franky was saved and decided to make use of the fact that he's on an island where Vegapunk experimented with. Brook escaped from the people who caught him for a freak show and decided to train.


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Zoro groaned once again as he moved his sore body. Mihawk didn't go easy on him despite his injuries. He groaned and panted. He couldn't give up now. Luffy needed him. He got up and picked up his swords. If he gave up now, he might as well just forfeit his life. Luffy had no use for a weakling who couldn't even stand training to be his first mate. Zoro knew that and gave it his all against Mihawk. There was no giving up, no running away and definitely, no backing down.

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Nami looked around as she tried to gather the storm together. It was either her or the storm that will win. It was one of the biggest gambles that she ever made. She panted heavily. She was losing against the storm. She could run. But that would mean giving up. Luffy never gave up. He never back down, and if she was his nakama, his navigator, there was no way she would let this storm hold her back. She had a renewed determination and she faced the storm with a smirk. She can't lose now. She still had the map of the whole world to draw and if she wasn't there, her crew will be forever lost at sea, because no one could replace her as navigator. That she was sure of and if this storm was going to stop her from going back to her crew, then it must vanish.

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Usopp screamed as he was chased by a man-eating plant. He panted heavily before standing in front of it with a determined face. Luffy was only going to get stronger and eventually become the pirate king. He IS the nakama of the future king of pirates. He couldn't afford to be weak any longer. If he was still weak when he saw Luffy again, he'll be too ashamed to greet him and look at him in the eyes. These two years apart is Luffy's sign that he wanted to get stronger and that he's going to become the best of the best. As his nakama, he understood that and he will no longer stay part of the weak trio. With this, determination, he was sure that the weak trio will no longer exist and that all three of them were going to be part of the strongest crew at sea, because none of them will give up now. Not when their captain gave this chance for them to get stronger with no distraction. He looked at the plant with his slingshot readied. If he was going to be eaten, then so be it. He refused to give up and run before he even tried.

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Sanji ran from the okamas who tried to fit him into a pink frilly dress. He feared losing his manliness and his life. These okamas were stronger than any of his past opponents. His manliness was important to him. It defined him, right? No, that was what defined the old Sanji; the Sanji that was left in Baratie when he joined the Straw Hat Pirates, when he became Luffy's nakama. If losing this manliness of his was going to get him stronger, he will get through it. He knew this for a fact because once he's through with this; he was going to see his beloved Nami and that'll make things all better for him. Nothing mattered to him anymore other than his precious crew. If he changed, his crew will love him with no questions. He only needed to get stronger. It was all for the crew. The crew wasn't the same if any of them were missing and he knew. He stood there, prepared for the okamas' attack as the faces of his precious nakama flashed in his head. He clung onto the memory of Nami's smile before he smirked and killed his cigarette. He spun around, facing the group of okamas as they neared him.

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Chopper circled around the birds and they followed him with their eyes before they squawked and attacked him. Chopper was tossed and tackled by all of them at once. He got back on his feet, wobbling a bit. He was of the weaker trio. He knew he could never compare to the monster trio ever. But he wanted to fight to protect. They were his family and the crew was where he belonged in. He couldn't stand being protected all the time. Sure, he was the doctor and his life was crucial to the survival of the crew, but he wanted to protect his precious nakama as well. Chopper wobbled and faced his opponents head on; charging at them with all he was worth.

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Robin looked at the enemies in front of her, cornering her because of her temporary alliance with the Revolutionary Army. She winced when a blade sliced her skin. She licked her wound, grinning as she scanned the enemies in front of her. She knew she was going to get through this alive. She was going to meet her beloved crew and no one was to stop her. She couldn't give up anymore, she wouldn't. She left all those thoughts in Enies Lobby. If she gave up now, it would be betrayal to Luffy. He already made her declare her will to live, her will to follow him and be with them; and she was going to keep her promise. She stood up straight, ripped a part of her cape and bandaged her wound. She smirked at her enemies.

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Franky shivered. He was still so cold even after he modified parts of his body. He was going to get stronger and surprise the crew with his SUPER abilities. He faced the robots in front of him and dodged the laser beams. He had a choice now; to give up the fight and run for it or fight the fight and maybe lose his life. He knew if Luffy was here, he'd tell him to leave this up to him as he 'gomu gomu'-ed through all this. But Franky won't simply leave things as it is and run. Luffy needed him to get stronger. He needed his support to become the Pirate King. He will survive this army of robots. He will return to his crew and Thousand Sunny Go. He will fight to his end if that's what it takes. He raced towards the army of robots with a smirk.

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Brook watched as the people who worshiped him; calling him Master fight against the freak show crowd on his behalf. He knew if it was Luffy's case, he would frown upon the fact that people were fighting on his behalf. He stood up, walking towards the battlefield. He was not going to sit back, give up and hope all this is over with. No, he was going to fight with courage that defined Luffy and the Straw Hat Pirates, with strength that Laboon would admire and with perseverance that the Rumbar Pirates would sing of.

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Luffy knew for a fact that his crew was the crew that made all things that are seemingly impossible, possible. He was proven right when they stood in front of him 2 years later; their meeting time. They were all healthy and looked stronger as well. Zoro was alive. They all were. Their smiles made everything worth it and he knew Ace was still watching over him, just like always. His crew will be the crew that will be on top. They'll be crew that'll become the strongest crew of all; the one with the Pirate King. Yes, they were crazy with crazy ambitions that people laughed at, but they're already this far along and they'll keep pushing because they have one another. For that is a reason alone to never give up hope.


End