Luffy sat on the figurehead of the Thousand Sunny, staring not out to sea, but towards the ship. It was a calm, beautiful day.
He hopped down to the deck and strolled around. The first one he saw was Robin, sitting precariously on the edge of the railing, legs dangling over the side, back facing Luffy. Once or twice she clutched the railing as if about to lift herself and hop over the edge—but each time she hesitated, lowering again.
Luffy smacked her shoulder sharply, not thinking of the possible consequences, so it was a lucky thing Robin didn't topple over the edge when she whipped around, eyes wide. Luffy stood off to the side while she glanced around and, with a glance to the sea, turned herself around and lowered herself to the deck, changing her position so she stood on the floorboards and watched the ocean from there.
Luffy gave her a hug, head resting against her back, before let her be and went on his way, leaving her looking around curiously. The next one he saw was Brook—rather, he heard him first, playing Binks's Sake in a mournful way. He grinned and ran to the bow, where he found Brook with his violin, using muscle memory to play (though he had no muscles).
Franky sat nearby, too, fiddling with pieces of metal over and over, not doing anything productive with them. Luffy squat by him, staring intently at them, and seized one suddenly, throwing it across the deck, where it smacked the railing and fell.
Brook stopped playing and glanced over curiously.
"Ah, sorry," Franky said, voice hoarse from disuse. He coughed. "Guess it slipped."
He stood and crossed the deck, grabbing the piece again. Brook remained silent and returned to his violin after a moment.
Luffy seized Brook's feather boa and slung it around himself, but it slipped to the ground, and Brook looked around, spotting it and picking it up again. Luffy frowned at the lack of response and wandered away again.
He spotted the door to the women's quarters and ran up to it, flinging open the door and slamming it shut behind him. Nami, uncombed hair spilling everywhere, looked up from her bed with a scowl before burying her face in the pillow again. The room was dark except for a small lamp on the desk, lighting up a half-finished crumpled map—the final piece of her precious world map.
Luffy knelt by the bed, peering at her, but she didn't acknowledge him at all. He glanced back at the desk, noticed the pen dripping ink, and grinned. With a flourish he seized it and pressed it to the crumpled paper, but it fell from his hand. He had to try several times, even making a pained face and grabbing his own hand while keeping the pen in a firm fist rather than a proper grip, but his task was eventually accomplished.
The pen fell to the desk again and Luffy sighed in relief. He glanced at Nami again, ran to her, and hugged her head before leaving again.
Nami rubbed her head, looking up as the door opened and shut again. The pen rolled off the desk from poor placement, and she finally looked over at it. Reluctantly she stood to place it back, and then she noticed the paper.
Luffy hopped off the railing to the men's quarters, where he found Usopp in a similar state, lying in bed listlessly and staring at the upper bunk's bottom. Luffy rested his head on his stomach, and Usopp lifted his own head, staring quizzically. Luffy patted his shoulder after a moment and ran off, leaving Usopp confused but with a sense of comfort.
He ran around the deck, spotted the swing hanging from the tree, and jumped on it, swinging higher and higher. Robin, still standing at the railing, glanced behind her and watched, sticking a finger first in her mouth and then in the air to check the wind.
Luffy flew from the swing smack into the wall and laughed, running into the kitchen. Sanji was nowhere to be seen, so he passed through and went into Chopper's office.
Chopper stood at his desk, grinding powders with the mortar and pestle. His face was calm and neutral, but as Luffy watched, his eyes watered, and he had to set down the tool as he burst into tears.
Luffy seized him in a hug and set him down again, running out and leaving Chopper with great confusion and a tear-stained face.
There was only one place left to go, and Luffy went there, climbing the rigging like a monkey and popping up into the crow's nest to find Zoro working out as usual, and, surprisingly, Sanji sitting on the bench. Luffy watched Zoro do rep after rep, sweat dripping from a concentrating face, and sat next to Sanji, glancing at him. Sanji's brow was furrowed beneath untidy hair in frustration, watching Zoro, and Luffy poked him, trying to get his attention. Sanji glanced around and decided to ignore it, instead saying, "Hey."
"What?" Zoro grunted.
"It wasn't your fault, jackass."
"Then whose was it?"
"Mine, if anything," Sanji said, standing and glowering. "I was closer to him. I should've grabbed him sooner—"
"If I had only taken out my opponent sooner," Zoro said, never looking at him. "If I had been stronger—"
"It's always about strength with you. We're all plenty strong already. When was the last time you ate anything I brought up here? I've been bringing down half-finished plates for days now—"
"That's none of your business."
"I'm the goddamn cook and if it's not my business I'll make it my business!" Sanji strode over to Zoro and knocked the weights away with a kick, spinning Zoro around and seizing his shoulder. "You're always doing this, you're always pushing yourself and saying 'If only I had been stronger—' You're not the only one on this ship, dumbass!"
"I have a duty as much as anyone!" Zoro snapped, grabbing Sanji likewise by the collar while Luffy watched, expressionless, from the bench.
"That doesn't mean you get to shoulder everything!" Sanji yelled, shaking him. "If you want to support everyone so much, get the fuck out of here and be with us! Don't fucking close yourself away while we're mourning, too! I haven't been able to speak to Nami-san or Robin-chan properly ever since then—"
"Is now really the time?!"
"I don't mean like that! I mean they're hurting, too, and Usopp and Franky and Brook, and Chopper, don't you know how he must feel?!"
"I'm not a damn therapist!"
"You should at least fucking know that shutting yourself up here isn't good for anyone! You son of a—"
Luffy leapt from the bench, ran to them, and shoved them apart with one arm each. They stumbled back, eyes wide, and stopped arguing at last while Luffy straightened up, hands balled into fists as he stared at the floor.
"I'm going to make lunch," Sanji said at last, turning away. "You better fucking be there."
He went to the door and disappeared. Zoro grit his teeth, whirled around, and went to sit on the bench, seizing a towel and rubbing his sweating skin so hard he might draw blood soon. Luffy sat next to him, staying silent, and Zoro spared a glance his direction before returning to his task.
Luffy sniffed the air and stood. Zoro slowly did the same, going for the entrance, but paused halfway there, hesitating. Luffy cracked his knuckles and charged, slamming himself into Zoro's back, and Zoro barely stopped himself from falling over as he stumbled towards the entrance, straightened up again, and turned around. A moment later he slowly descended the rigging, and Luffy nodded, pleased, before following.
Lunch was a simple meal of grilled cheese and tomato soup. Sanji hadn't been able to bring himself to cook anything much fancier for some time, and the red meat had gone untouched all the while.
Sanji, at the counter with his head in his hands, looked up as Zoro and Luffy entered. Zoro sat at the table in his usual spot; he hadn't bothered to put on a shirt, something which normally would have brought out complaints from Sanji, but the room was deafeningly quiet as Zoro folded his arms, staring at the food on the counter while Luffy, too, sat in his usual place. Both Zoro and Sanji glanced over as the chair moved with him, and tore their eyes away after only a moment, not even looking at each other.
"Where's everyone?" Zoro asked at last, voice cutting through the air.
"Sometimes . . . a few of them don't show up," Sanji said dully. "Just about every meal since then, actually. Not counting you."
Luffy frowned, jumped up from the table, and went to the door to the office, flinging it open. Chopper jumped, looking up with a tear-stained face from his desk, while Zoro and Sanji looked over at him.
Luffy stepped inside, took Chopper's arm, and dragged him into the kitchen, letting go and giving a gentle shove towards the table once they were inside. Chopper looked between Zoro and Sanji before turning around, shutting the door to his office again, and coming to the table, hopping up to his seat next to Zoro.
All three looked over when the main door now opened and shut as Luffy ran outside. He went to Robin and grabbed her arm, pulling; she looked over quizzically and rubbed her arm, feeling a familiar touch. Luffy insistently pulled her towards the stairs again before her arm slipped out of his grasp. She clutched her arms, looking around, and slowly went to the kitchen.
Luffy now ran for the bow, where Brook and Franky still were; they had set their things aside and were sitting silently together. Luffy grabbed Brook and stood him upright, ignoring the shriek of surprise, and yanked on Franky's arms and kicked him until he stood as well. Startled, the two looked at each other before Luffy pulled Brook towards the kitchen, and Brook and Franky went there as well.
Nami, still studying the crumpled paper from earlier, jumped when the door flew open again. Luffy grabbed her around the waist, lifting her from the bed and ignoring her sputters of confused protest; he managed to carry her to the door when his grip failed him and he quickly set her down again, tugging her and pointing insistently to the kitchen. Nami stared out at the deck and sniffed the air before letting out a sigh and trudging down the stairs, paper still clenched in her hand.
Nami looked behind her but decided to ignore it when the men's room's door flew open, too, and Luffy ran inside and shoved Usopp off the bed. Usopp lay there, blinking at the ceiling, before pushing himself up and standing, holding the bed. Luffy grabbed his nose and tugged him towards the door before it slipped from his grasp, and Usopp rubbed his nose, wincing, before his stomach growled and he reluctantly went to the kitchen, too.
Satisfied, Luffy followed him inside, where everyone was already seated. They sat in their usual places, and Luffy too, tapping his feet on the floor.
"Well, this is rare," Franky said, the first to break that trembling silence.
"All of us being here?" Robin said. "Or Zoro being here?"
"Both."
Sanji served up the food; out of habit, he had made enough for eight (as the leftovers would be for himself), and after a moment set the eighth plate in front of Luffy, who grinned.
"Hardly his favorite," Sanji said, still not quite looking at anyone, "but he'd eat anything, right?"
Chopper buried his head in his arms.
"Hey," Usopp said, picking at his sandwich, "today was . . . mysterious, huh?"
"I'll say," Nami said. "If one of you did this, I want a confession now."
She smoothed the crumpled paper from her hand and laid it in the center of the table, where everyone leaned in to see it, Chopper doing so after a moment.
Written in eerily familiar childlike handwriting were the words, Do I still have to pay back my debt? with a small smile and tongue sticking out at the end.
"But . . ." Robin said. "That looks like . . ."
"It wasn't you?" Nami said, glancing at her.
"I've been preoccupied."
"You didn't see anyone writing that?" Zoro said as Luffy leaned down to his soup, lapping it up. No one noticed.
"The door flew open and shut all of a sudden," Nami said slowly. "The second time it happened, the pen fell off the desk . . . someone had moved it when they wrote this."
"Come to think of it . . . our morning's been weird, too, right?" Franky said to Brook.
"Indeed," Brook agreed solemnly. "One has to wonder if . . ."
He fell silent, but his meaning spoke far louder than his words ever could.
"Brook," Zoro said. "This might be insensitive. Since you died, and you have that fruit . . . can you see otherworldly things?"
"As far as I know, I see what you all do," Brook said, not having the energy to crack a joke.
"It felt like someone . . . was pulling me here earlier," Chopper whispered.
"Me, too," Usopp exclaimed. The others gave murmurs of assent while Luffy shoved his face farther into his bowl.
"It can't be," Zoro said. "He can't be here . . ."
Luffy finished his soup and sat back with a sigh as the others looked to his place.
"It couldn't've been him hugging me earlier," Chopper whispered. "After what I did . . ."
"It wasn't your fault," Usopp exclaimed, tears filling his eyes. "It was too late by the time he was brought in, wasn't it? You said so yourself."
"If I was a better doctor, I could've—!" Chopper began to cry again. "I couldn't do it! I couldn't be better for him!"
"If anyone's to blame, it's me," Zoro said through gritted teeth. "If I—"
"We already talked about this," Sanji hissed. "Besides, I was closer to him!"
"I should have been keeping an eye on him," Robin murmured. "He went past his limits."
Tears streamed down Franky's face. "We couldn't save him," he said, voice choked. "What the hell kind of crew are we?"
"The end is unavoidable for even the best," Brook said, hands clutching the edge of the table tightly nonetheless. "And yet—"
"He needs more soup."
Everyone looked at Sanji, who came to the table, staring at Luffy's place.
"What?" Usopp said, hand still resting on Chopper's shoulder. "Who?"
"He always wanted seconds," Sanji said, reaching out, and the others finally saw Luffy's empty bowl. They were silent, barely even breathing as Sanji took it the the counter, ladled more into it, and set it back on the table.
"Don't tell me that's some kind of offering?" Nami said. "It's not even outside."
"Well, unless one of you drank it . . ." Sanji said, running a hand through his hair. He had run out of cigarettes faster than usual. "Is this a sign?"
"Of what, exactly?" Robin said, still staring at Luffy's place.
"I don't know. The soup was gone but the sandwiches were there. Is that supposed to indicate some kind of sentiment?"
Luffy held up his hand, studying it and holding it up to the light, trying to remember the word Robin had taught him once—opa-something.
"A sentiment of . . . but does it mean he doesn't forgive us?" Chopper whispered. "Or does it mean he does?"
Luffy slammed his hands on the table and stood, and everyone jumped, trying to figure out where it had come from.
With a deep breath, he yelled, "THAT'S ENOUGH!"
Sharp breaths and eyes watering went around the table as everyone focused their attention on Luffy at last.
"I'm not the only one seeing this, right?" Franky exclaimed.
"Luffy?" Nami cried, covering her mouth. "Luffy, is it—is it you?"
Luffy folded his arms, looking around. "You guys finally see me?" he said in surprise. "Wow, if all I had to do was yell, I should've done that way earlier."
Chopper burst into tears while Usopp pointed and exclaimed, "But—but you're—"
"Dead, I know," Luffy said bluntly. "I don't really know how I came back here, but I thought I could check up on you guys while I could. Why are you all blaming yourselves?"
Tear-filled excuses and pleas for forgiveness filled the air, and Luffy held up a hand.
"I don't forgive any one of you," he said, "because there's nothing to forgive! We won that fight! I lost my life after that, sure, but we won!"
"Don't you know how lonely it is without you?" Sanji said, voice shaking.
"I know," Luffy said, staring at the table. "I'm sorry. But I'm okay. I'm gonna meet Ace soon. By the way, if you guys see Sabo, tell him I love him."
"You really . . ." Zoro stood. "You really don't blame any of us?"
"Nothing to blame you for."
Chopper got down from his chair and ran to Luffy, jumping on him; Luffy hugged him with a grin before he slipped out of his grasp.
"So it was you who wrote this," Nami said, gesturing to the paper.
"Yeah," Luffy said, shrugging. "I wanted to let you know I was there, somehow, but it's hard to hold things."
"Oh, that's why you didn't eat the sandwiches," Usopp said. His lip trembled. "I can't believe you're here—"
He got up and copied Chopper, nearly knocking Luffy to the floor with a hug. Franky sobbed into a handkerchief while Brook could only stare.
"You guys should know I don't have a lot of time left," Luffy added, holding up his half-transparent hands. "And, um, I know you're sad, but it's okay! Just don't do anything stupid, alright?" He looked at Robin and Nami. "Robin, you're so close to the true history, right? And Nami, your map looks amazing!"
They turned away shyly while Luffy looked at Franky and Brook. "Brook, you're gonna see old man Crocus and Laboon again and again, and Franky, you gotta maintain Sunny!"
"Right!" Franky howled, burying his face into his handkerchief.
"Of course, Luffy-san," Brook exclaimed, and he would have smiled.
"Chopper, you're already the greatest doctor in the world," Luffy declared, turning to him now. "But I was pretty much gone when I got to you. Even the greatest doctor couldn't bring back the dead."
"Th—That doesn't make me happy at all!" Chopper cried. "Geez!"
"Usopp, I bet you're gonna have lots of grandkids," Luffy said. Usopp stared at him while he continued, "And they're gonna grow up hearing stories about the bravest warrior on the Grand Line!"
Usopp sniffled loudly, wiping at his nose. "Y—Yeah! They are!"
"Sanji, it's like I said before," Luffy continued, looking to him. "What's everyone gonna do without a cook?"
Sanji brought up a hand to wipe at his face, smiling.
"And Zoro—well, if the greatest swordsman in the world dies, someone not as good is gonna take his place," Luffy said, looking at Zoro, and Zoro finally smiled.
They could see right through Luffy now as he stretched, yawning. "I think I'm gonna be gone pretty soon," he remarked. He grinned at Sanji. "Thanks for the soup!"
"A—Anytime!" Sanji said, tears filling his eyes.
"So . . ." Luffy was fading faster and faster before their eyes. "I love you guys, you know? Even if you go separate ways someday, we'll never stop being friends, right?"
"Don't go!" Nami exclaimed, standing and running to him, hugging him. "Not again—"
"I'll be fine," Luffy insisted. He stared over her shoulder and smiled at a familiar freckled face. "I won't be lonely, and you guys have each other!"
"But we don't have you!" Franky cried.
"I promise I'll meet you one day," Luffy said, and even his voice was fading now. "I'll be there to meet every one of you. Just don't make it too soon!"
Nami released him.
"Thank you for being our captain all these years," Robin said, smiling at last.
"Thank you!" the others exclaimed.
Luffy grinned, his own eyes filling with tears which stained the floor even as he faded away.
The last thing he heard was Zoro's voice, saying, "We'll see you again one day . . . Pirate King!"