So this turned into a two-shot. I wasn't planning it, but I don't want to leave poor Luffy suffering. More character death, but then reincarnation! I'm not so cruel!
I didn't mention this before, but all characters and manga bits belong to Oda, obviously. Otherwise ZoLu would totally be canon.
O-O-O-O-O
"Luffy! Breakfast!" the familiar voice of his brother, Ace called.
Luffy shot up like a rocket. Food always got him excited. He ran to the dining table utensils in hand, ready to dig in. Upon the table was a feast. Ham, bacon, steak. All of Luffy's favorites; meat was everywhere.
Drool escaped the corner of his mouth. Luffy didn't wait for an invitation, he dug in with the ferocity of a gluttonous beast.
"Gah! Luffy! Wait for us, will you? It might be your birthday, but you should still share with your brother," Ace scolded his baby brother by smacking him on the head. He quickly sat down to scarf down the food just as quickly though.
Luffy pause his food shoveling. "Bwruhday?" He gulped down the large piece of ham he had been chewing. Today was his eighteenth birthday. The words he already knew, something stupid just like his soulmate said it would be, were on his body somewhere. For the first time, Luffy didn't feel like eating. He almost felt sick.
The black haired teen dropped his eating utensils and stumbled to his feet. Nearly tripping, he made his way to the bathroom. His older brother called to him, but Luffy completely ignored him. Ace was worried.
O-O-O-O-O
Stripped bare in front of the mirror, Luffy inspected his body, looking for the black ink he knew would be there. His soulmate had said something so lame before he die.
Zoro had said his soul mark would be something stupid, and there it was. Simple black lettering appeared on his slim hip, right above the pointed bone.
Luffy fingered the silly words. The phrase 'uh, yeah' seemed like a hot brand on his skin. It didn't hurt, the sight of the words anyway, but his chest ached with a dull pain that sharpened with each thump of his heart. To have your soulmate ripped from you so soon in front of you; Luffy doesn't think much more could be painful.
All his friends had worried over him the past two years. He mourned his loss, but never lost his smile. Zoro may be gone from this world, but he would always be in his memories and his heart. There were days that were harder sure. Luffy knew he still had to be there for all his friends and his brother. So he would continue to live for for them.
A soft knock startled Luffy, making him give a small jump. He opened the door with a 'shishishi'.
Ace stood on the other side looking worried before noticing Luffy state of dress. He deadpanned, "I know it's your birthday and all, but do you really need to be in your birthday suit?" He was amused and glad to see his little crybaby brother seemed to be acting normal.
The loss of Zoro had hit Luffy hard. Ace remembered Luffy being lethargic for days. He had barely ate, and his sleep was full of nightmares. There were still nights he heard his brother stifle mournful wails through their shared bedroom walls. He stopped going to comfort the boy at night when Luffy started plastering a false smile that broke his heart, but he knew Luffy was strong. Ace knew Luffy was becoming strong each day.
Ace didn't miss the edge of the letters though. Even if they were covered by the boy's hand. He never asked what Zoro's last words were, nor would he ask to see the mark Luffy was clearly trying to hide.
"You better get dress and ready for school. No skipping." Ace left to get ready for his own day. Luffy would be okay. He was strong. Something Ace knew, no matter how much the boy cried when they were younger.
O-O-O-O-O
Luffy's day was different for any other birthday he's had. All his friends were kind, but cautious. They all gave him gifts of food, the best gift there was 8n his opinion. He liked the yummy gifts, but he hated how his friends were tiptoeing around him.
After school they all met at the arcade, Thousand Sunny. It was run by a couple Luffy had befriended shortly after the death of his soulmate.
Robin maintained the snack bar. She was kind and soft spoken with a dark, morbid sense of humor. Since it was his birthday, she allowed him to steal a few treats. Normally she would catch him and make him pay or do chores. It was like she had eyes and ears all over the place.
Franky, Robin's husband, built and customized the games. He was abnormally large and had a tendency to go around wearing a speedo and a brightly patterned shirt. He acted tough, but he had a big heart. He bawled his eyes out when he heard what happened to the young soulmates. He gave the boy extra coins to play games.
Sanji brought a large cake with many candles as they all gathered around a simple table in the snack area. "Happy Birthday" was softly sung to the dark haired teen. His grin was brighter than the candles. Once the song ended, Luffy blew out the flames and made his wish.
Slices of the delicious cake were dished out and devoured with gusto by the younger members of the small group. Halfway through his slice, Luffy stopped. A similar reaction to his breakfast. They all noticed and shared concerned glances with each other.
"Something wrong with the cake, shitty brat?" Sanji broke the ice first.
Luffy laughed, but it lack the usual happy edge. His smile not as bright, bordering on the fake one they've come to realize meant he was thinking of Zoro. "No, Sanji's cake is the best! I'm just full is all." Luffy was never full. "I think I should head home. Ace is probably worried." He pulled his hat down so the brim covered his eyes. He walked slowly out of the arcade while his friends watched on sadly.
O-O-O-O-O
Luffy wandered down the street. His mind felt foggy. His head felt like it was full of cotton. His feet seemed like they had a mind of their own. It happened suddenly, mid chew. He felt like he needed to be somewhere else. Luffy was always one to follow his instincts, so he went.
There was a long bang at that moment. Luffy pitched forward hitting the ground. A sharp, burning pain bloomed in his back and spread to his chest. This pain was different than the full ache that he felt when he thought of Zoro, but the thundering blood pounding in his ears brought back memories of that dreadful day.
Screams and yells for an ambulance went unheard by the boy. His fingers started to go numb, and Luffy let out a pained cough, blood bubbled out of his mouth as he did. He gave a weak laugh.
Who knew his wish would come true so soon? He never expected it to be so soon or painful. Luffy worried about his friends. He worried about his brother. Then he worried about what would happen next.
Luffy had made a simple wish. When he blew out the candles, he wished that in the next life he would be reunited with his soulmate. He wished that he would go on amazing adventures with Zoro, and all his friends. Maybe they could be pirates and sail the seas!
Luffy let out one last laugh before everything went black.
O-O-O-O-O
"Is that the bounty hunter you hired?" The large woman questioned. Alvida was a fearsome pirate. Koby shook nervously. "Well, he certainly isn't Roronoa Zoro…"
At the name, Luffy, the boy who at the Gum Gum Fruit felt a pull. "Zoro?"
"So I'll give you one chance to repent… Who is the fairest throughout all the seas?" Alvida gave a threatening tap of her spiked, iron mace. "ANSWER ME!!!"
Koby's small body broke out in a sweat. "Heh heh heh…" His anxiety flared. "Lady Alvida, you--"
"Hey, who's that tough-looking old biddy?" Luffy didn't sense the thick tension in the air. Everyone was in shock at his unintentional insult. All of them thought the boy had a death wish.
Alvida let out a fierce growl, "How dare…" Her men shouting in the background, frightened she would turn on them as well.
"Luffy!! Take it back!!" The pink haired boy grabbed rubbery shoulders. "Throughout all of the seas, Lady Alvida is…" He gulped thinking. "Lady Alvida is…" Koby saw a flashback of Luffy's determined claim of becoming the Pirate King, of dying to achieve such a crazy, impossible dream. He suddenly shouted, "Lady Alvida is…" He breathed deep, tears welded on his eyes, fear or frustration or maybe even that wonderful determination, he wasn't sure. It was all the courage he needed in that moment to take that first step. "...THE UGLIEST OLD HAG OF ALL!!!"
The large woman looked over the smaller boy. Koby could do nothing but gulp. Luffy decided to let out a loud, proud laugh.
"YOU LITTLE--!!" Alvida screamed as she lifted the heavy weapon to strike. Koby let out a yell of his own. His fear coming back, but his courage and newfound determination won't let him retreat.
Luffy shoved the frightened Koby back, "Good for you, Koby!!"
Koby shouted Luffy's name as Alvida started her swing. "It makes no difference to me…" the female pirate finally brought down her attack on Luffy's head, "you're both going to die!!"
The straw hat wearing boy's grin just grew into a happy smirk. "That didn't hurt! 'Cause I'm made of rubber!"
The fight ended shortly. Luffy easily defeated the rival pirate and shocked everyone around him with his strange body. His monstrous strength struck fear into he lacked. He demanded a Koby's freedom and a boat. Koby smartly added provisions to the demand.
O-O-O-O-O
The two boys set out to find a marine base for Koby to join. Luffy had other plans.
"That guy imprisoned at the navy base… What's his name?" Luffy was never good with remembering names until it was needed. There was a strange pull again. His instincts told him this person who was feared by many was someone who will be, was?, important to him. Crucial even. Though he hardly knew what that word meant.
"Roronoa Zoro!" Koby reminded him in an exasperated tone.
"If he's a good guy, I'll let him join my crew!" Luffy giggled. A tingle went up his spine at the sound of the name.
Koby argued that it would never happen. That Zoro was bad. Luffy refused to believe. His gut telling him that this man, this demon, Zoro, would be the first crew member, maybe even more.
*-*-*-*
Roronoa Zoro stood leaning uncomfortably against a pole. His arms and waist tied tightly to the wooden posts. He was dirty and bleeding. The marines liked to have violent fun at his expense. If not for his loyalty to the promise he made, those idiots would have never been able to lay a finger on him. But a promise was something he refused to break. One day, he was sure he would die because of some stupid promise he made, but not before he fulfilled the one swore to dedicate his life.
The wounded man feels before he hears or sees the boy climb the wall. This boy had a hidden strength. He wasn't sure how he knew, but he did. As soon as he laid eyes on the boy with the straw hat, he knew the kid was a magnet for trouble. He knew that magnet had latched onto him. He wouldn't be roped in so easily though.
Zoro threatened, teased even, the younger boy. He tried to frighten the boy named Luffy away. He refused the strange boy outright. His dream came first.
Zoro learned of the marines betrayal. He was given a choice: to follow the strange boy wearing a straw hat and claiming to become King of the Pirates or die. Die before his dream, his promise, was fulfilled? He wanted to laugh at the ridiculous idea. He agreed to join Luffy, and without even realizing it, he agreed to a new promise. He just didn't know it yet. He had made a promise. A promise to follow, protect, his new captain. His captain which he felt a strange pull. He would die to keep that promise.