Luffy groaned. His head hurt. And so did- …. no it didn't? Actually, he felt great. Terrific! And whatever he was laying on felt like the soft cloud on Skypiea that he and Chopper and Usopp loved to play in-! He shot straight up.

His nakama! Where were they? And Blackbeard! That bastard, that had hurt! Had…had… Why didn't it hurt anymore? Did some mystery fairy come and heal him while he was knocked out? No, he hadn't been knocked out. He faintly recalled dying. Yeah, he had died.

….

"Oh no! I died! Crap crap crap! Blackbeard is still out there, near my nakama! Ahhhhh, I have to go save them from that bastard! I'l punch his stupid face right off his stupid face! Oh wait, that doesn't make sense...Then…. I'll….. ? Who are you?"

During his rant, Luffy had noticed a short figure standing a small distance away. They were covered by a dark cloak, so he couldn't see their face. The person didn't move at all, just stood there.

"Oooiiiii, who are you?" The person once again ignored him. "Mystery person! I'm talking to you-"

"We will now begin the Walk With Death. Come." The- girl, yeah it sounded like a girl- spoke, and then began to walk.

"O-oi! Person! Where am I? Walk with death? But I'm already dead. Ah! Wait! I died! That's bad, really bad. Nami'll kill me for that. But I'm already dead! Skull Joke!" Luffy laughed at his own personal joke, and then noticed the mystery girl not waiting for him, so he stretched out his hand and grabbed their shoulder, snapping himself to where they stood. The girl didn't even seem fazed.

"So, where are we?"

"We are in a place where every person goes once they die. We will review all of your memories, and then I will determine whether or not you will go to Heaven or Hell. Come." Luffy stood still for a moment, and then chose to follow the short lady. (really short, actually- to him she seemed like a little toddler)

The mystery person lead him to a boat and he hopped in, not even thinking twice about how it just magically appeared. Along with the sea they were now riding on.

Luffy stared at the person. He stared real hard. Real hard. Then, quick as a flash, he snapped out his hand and attempted to take off her hood. Then suddenly, he was on the opposite side of the dinghy, his hand outstretched towards the open sea. "Ack!" He screeched as momentum dragged him forward and into the ocean beneath him. Preparing for the weakening water to hit him, Luffy closed his eyes, and then fell face first into a wall. "Owwwwwiieeeee," he moaned. He opened his eyes, and saw that there was no wall beneath him…? He was just laying on the ocean, that was still moving just. Not with him in it.

He jumped up with stars in his eyes. "Awesome! Do it again, mystery person! Oh, please, please do it again! Oh, I know! Make me appear on the boat now! Pleeeaaassseee- ahhhhhahahaha!" During his whining, the mystery person had teleported him back on top of the boat, making Luffy giggle and whisper another 'so cooool'.

"My name is Death. We will now commence the viewing of memories." Death- he supposed he would call her that until she told him her real name- snapped her fingers, and suddenly the crying of a baby sounded. Luffy looked up and saw a scene pop into the sky. It showed a small toddler being held and comforted by a pretty green haired lady-

"Makino!" Luffy happily cried out. Only, his caretaker didn't seem to hear him. She was humming a song, one that was familiar to him but he couldn't quite place it, to the small baby. The baby then stopped crying, and laughed, causing Makino to smile and nuzzle her face into the baby.

"Look at how precious you are, little Luffy."

Her voice sounded off from- somewhere, he had no idea- and it took Luffy a while to realize that she wasn't talking to him, but the baby in the sky. That was him. But he was here? Sooo, what? Then he remembered what the mystery lady said earlier."We will now commence the viewing of memories.". That's just fancy talk for watching all of his memories and stuff, right? Sooo, these were his memories? That would make sense! Wait, no it doesn't. How would she know all of his memories?

"Hey, Death person! How do you know all of my memories?

The hooded figure glanced up momentarily. "I am Death. I was given access to your memories the second you died. You are in my domain now, which I completely control. We will watch your memories, and I will decide whether you go to Heaven or Hell."

Luffy, however, didn't like his options. "I don't want to go to either! I want to go back to my nakama!" Death didn't react, only spoke in her soft voice. "You cannot. You are dead, and therefore the only possible way for you to see them is if they died too." Luffy pouted. "That's not faaaiiiirrrr."

She returned to watching the sky, since the memory had changed to a toddler Luffy sitting in Makino's lap as she read stories of brave heroes going out on a quest, adventure-seeking pirates setting out to sea, and terrifying dragon's kidnapping lovely princesses. Young Luffy had, surprisingly considering his rambunctious behavior, given her his complete attention, especially when she spoke of pirates.

He laughed, realizing that even as a child, he was interested in piracy. Then he glanced over to Death.

"That's Makino! She took care of me when I was a little kid, until I went to Dadan. She's really nice and pretty and she got all weird when she was around Shanks but I have no idea what she was doing." Death shifted a small bit in her seat. "I see. You must have adored her." Luffy laughed. "Still do! She's the prettiest girl I know!"

Then Luffy got a great idea. "Hey, mystery person, you should join my crew!" "No." Was the immediate response. Luffy pouted, "Stingy." He mumbled, but that was no problem. All of his nakama hadn't become his nakama when he first asked them. (though he always knew they would be)

"What's your name?" He asked, and the so called Death didn't reply right away. "My name is Death." Luffy tilted his head, confused. "So, were you born as Death or something? Cause that doesn't make any sense."

Death seemed to consider her words for a moment. "No, I was not born as Death. It runs in an inheritance-like system." "Oh, I get it!" Luffy exclaimed, though he really didn't understand it. "Do you now?" She asked. "Yep! Anyways, what did you do before you were Death?" He questioned. "..I was an heiress." Luffy gasped. "You were a princess? So cool!" "No, I was not a princess. I was an heiress, which is different from being a princess. I was never royalty." Luffy hummed. "So what happened?" Death glanced back up to the sky, watching another memory.

"I died."