Luffy had ventured into many realms of impossibilities.
He had defeated Arlong even when others say the fishman was much too strong to be put down and gained the highest bounty ever in East Blue.
He'd seen the legendary Sennenryuu dragons and set foot on an ancient island that rose only once every thousand years where he witnessed the miracle of life and death.
He saw sakura bloom in the cold and desolate Drum Island.
He took down Crocodile, one of the Shichibukai and helped an entire nation find salvation and stop a civil war that might have killed hundreds.
He ventured into the mysterious Rainbow Mist and came back out alive along with everyone else even when countless others lost their lives in the reality-bending dimension.
He had even went up the dangerous Knock-Up Stream and discovered Skypiea, an island made of clouds inhabited by angels.
And when he had landed in the middle of one of the greatest Marine strongholds ever, he had managed to escape even when they couldn't. They had simply created one.
To him, there was no limit in possibilities and the word 'impossible' became just that, a word.
But there was only one thing Luffy had thought was impossible and that was the breaking of the bonds they had between his nakama, the separation between them.
They had ventured and fought together innumerable times and they were always right there just when he needed them.
They were one of his three great treasures, the other two being his hat and his dream.
He loved his crew as if they were his own family and he felt it was a captain's duty to protect them no matter the cost.
This was why it was so heart-wrenching when he watched everything fall apart.
As his nakama began to argue within themselves with real, unbridled anger, with no jokes and laughs afterwards.
When Sanji had said that very sentence that unleashed any doubt he had restrained.
"This is all your fault!"
At that moment, he had froze.
Everybody was disappearing. And he couldn't do anything to stop it. They were all walking away from him.
He was their captain! He should be able to protect them! To stop these disappearances! To stop all these fights and to just laugh them off.
But no. He couldn't.
This was different. No one was by his side to help him. They had gone their separate ways, too frustrated with the other to even lay eyes on their own comrade.
He felt ashamed and sadness began to wind its way up.
He had also felt so… alone.
For the first time ever since he started his adventures, he was lonely. He had never felt so alone. He hadn't even experienced this feeling when he ventured off on his own with just a small boat.
There was anguish and he was so angry.
Why was this man trying to rip apart everything he had? Everything he treasured!
Without his nakama, his dream would be meaningless and his hat would just be a broken promise to Shanks.
After unleashing his fury only to find it fruitless, he felt dead.
He felt like screaming and howling out his despair for the world to hear. Pray to someone or something that his friends were back by his side. Anything!
And that was what he did when he stood against the giant thing on the mountaintop pinned against a rock and forced to watch as his nakama left him.
He began to wonder, was their friendship really hanging on such a thin thread? Were they really friends at all?
Nami didn't seem to care for anything except money. Sanji seems to hate Zoro's guts and vice versa and quickly became annoyed with any of the men.
As Zoro started to disappear too, the agony was too great.
His last hope was slowly vanishing. His first crewmember who joined him, who shared many memories with him since the beginning.
He felt the burden of being captain finally press upon him.
He was simply not there when his crew was starting to fall apart. He wondered why he couldn't see it.
The last remnant of his heart snapped and he felt all will and resolve leave him.
He couldn't believe it. He was supposed to be shining determination, give off smiles that were as infectious as diseases, make others happy.
But it seems as though he had failed.
He couldn't even protect his crew. How is he supposed to make them happy if he can't even do something as simple as that?
Monkey D. Luffy was dead then. And it seems nothing could revive him.
Is this really the end?
He had ventured into many realms that others would laugh and say, "Impossible!" Maybe this was one impossibility that became possible like all the rest.
Maybe it was impossible to retrieve his broken heart and piece it together again.
Not this time.
He was all alone for this one.
But as the little girl told him that his crew was calling out his name, the first thing he felt was doubt.
He failed as their captain and friend, why would they still want him?
But, even if he wasn't their friend, it doesn't mean they're not his friends.
He began to feel a small twinge of hope that maybe, perhaps he was misguided. Maybe his nakama were sorry for everything earlier.
Maybe they were trying to get a message across that even if they were gone, he should still continue to carry on, to keep fighting for what he had always believed in.
Maybe they knew that since they were all not there, he would feel this way and blame himself for everything that has happened and now, calling his name to encourage him again.
And now, Luffy knew that his crew needed him the most right this moment and he should definitely be there for them.
As those arrows pierced him, the pain didn't feel as excruciating as the pain of loneliness and want for the return of his nakama.
But even then, he remembered that he would fight for what he believed in and those he cared for.
And if he died fighting for that, then that was okay.
Now, as the sun rose, he heard the voices he never thought he'd hear again.
The confused voices of his crewmembers and Luffy knew that he had them back.
He had never felt such relief before and he felt such a burst of happiness it made him want to leap up. But he was too injured for that so he settled for grinning like a fool.
And while was smiling for all he was worth, he felt the terrifying possibilities finally lift from his chest.
He no longer explored the chances of what would happen if he died or if he survived but without his nakama standing right beside him.
Such thoughts were too depressing for this joyous occasion.
He had never appreciated his nakama more than he did right this minute, when they had been torn away from him, taking a piece of his heart with them, but now returned.
His nakama formed a ring around him, concern and confusion written all over their faces and voices, wondering if their captain had finally snapped.
It seems they don't recall what had happened except for faint traces but that was okay.
As long as they are here with him and as long as they were safe, Luffy felt nothing was impossible once again.