Title: Final Betrayal
Author: AstroKender
Pairings: nearly gen, but with somewhat irrefutable hints of Luffy/Zoro visa-versa. Other pairings hinted at and/or mentioned.
Warnings: Rated T for swearing, violence, blood, and angst. Contains Spoilers. Additional warnings for me just making shit up, like future crewmembers, fighting abilities and whatnot.
Spoilers:Current manga chapters, crew and Luffy's relations. Do not read if you care about spoilers and are not up to date.
Notes: Sorry for the wait, folks.

Final Betrayal – Chapter 7

consequence

Hina walked through the crowded streets of Loguetown, her dark eyes taking in everything with a slight air of distaste. Everywhere she looked marines were scrabbling around without pause or acknowledgement of the beautiful Captain. Hina frowned. These peons didn't even give her so much as a salute; they were too busy trying to clean up the mess those pirates had made.

The main plaza was in shambles. The cobbles were ripped up, crushed and scattered everywhere, making for treacherous footing. Most of the noble's houses and government buildings were broken and leaning upon one another, their gleaming white walls shattered and blackened by fire and gunpowder. A giant hole in the ground completely cut off one of the side streets from the rest of the square, frustrating repair crews trying to get in and repair the damage. The only thing that seemed to have remained untouched by the battle was the towering iron platform in the center; the reconstructed execution stand of the Pirate King.

Pirate Kings, now, if news was to be believed. Hina gave a delicate snort of distaste. If Monkey D. Luffy wasn't the true captain of the Straw Hats, her spies would have learned of it. Those old Stars let the pirates pull the wool over their eyes with their dramatic little soap opera. And, with the help of one of the Four Emperors and a certain nicotine-addicted sympathizer, this entire island of armed marines had let the most notorious pirates in the Grand Line slip though their fingers.

Hina's eyes narrowed and her slender legs took her to the foot of the execution platform in a few quick strides. Come to think of it, it was because of Straw Hat and his ilk that that the towering structure had to be rebuilt those years ago. Captain Hina stared disapprovingly up at the large figure that was sitting on top of the structure, his booted feet hanging carelessly over the edge.

"Either come down or bring Hina up, Smoker," she called up. "Hina not in the mood to climb."

Smoker regarded her as he puffed away at his cigars. He said nothing and made no move to descend from his perch. Just as a vein started to pulse on Hina's lovely forehead, a smoky tentacle slithered down and formed a dense cloud at her feet. Lips twitching, Hina stepped onto it and stood calmly as it started to rise.

Hina stood on the platform, behind Smoker, enjoying the god-like perspective of the plaza below and the marines that scrambled around it like rodents. It had been two weeks since the bungled execution. The weather was still unbearably hot but the heat had lost its deadliness-- lifting the ban on Loguetown's citizens, who were now free to roam about outside. They were kept away from the square, though, for their own safety.

As far as her sources knew, every day for fourteen days Commodore Smoker had come into this plaza and sat upon this platform. Just sat there and smoked and brooded as the marines scurried like rats below him.

"You know why I'm here," Hina stated finally, breaking the companionable silence between them.

"Yeah…"

"You were a fool to stand up to the Elder. He wanted your head for preventing him from disposing of Strawhat Luffy."

"I don't regret my actions." Smoker scowled, crushing his still-burning cigars in his fist. "If the marines have come to killing the unarmed in cold blood, then to hell with them. I'll follow my own path."

"Poor, stupid Smoker," Hina sighed dramatically as she lowered herself to sit beside him. "The government has been killing innocents for years, for reasons only clear to the men who hold the game pieces. Our jobs are just to move where we are told."

"I won't be some government pawn!" Smoker hissed. "I won't go against my own way of Justice!" He tossed his broken cigars to the wind. "They can have my head."

"You'll always be a stubborn fool," Hina rolled her eyes and looked pointedly away from the other. "But that's exactly why the Marines need officers like you." she added quietly. "There is no distinct line between right and wrong. It's the people who can see that who truly shape this world."

Smoker was silent for a long time after that. Finally he slipped two new cigars from his jacket and lit them. "Just say what you've come to say, Hina."

Hina sighed and flipped her hair over her shoulder, her voice turning brisk. "You've been stripped of your rank but, thanks to Garp, AoKiji-- and Hina, of course-- we have convinced Fleet Admiral Sengoku that it would be foolish to discharge you. Especially after the loss of AkuInu, the disappearance of Shikibukai Mihawk and the insurgence of Red Hair Shanks and his crew, the government needs all the fighting power they can get. Besides," she stuck out her tongue childishly. "Hina told them you'd make a hideous pirate."

Smoker sent her an acerbic glare, which she smoothly ignored.

"You have been demoted back to captain and will take up your old post here in Loguetown. You will supervise the reconstruction of the fleet that was destroyed and personally see to it that all these weak idiots--" Hina gestured to the men below. "—Get the training they should have had to properly fight against this new generation of pirates."

Smoker stared at the plaza below, land Hina would swear that he almost looked… happy. "It won't be easy," he admitted finally. "This place has gone to the dogs since I left."

"Sengoku feels assured you will perform these new duties without fault."

Smoker stared at his ragged fingernails. "And my lieutenant?" he asked idly.

"No fault was found in Tashigi's actions. She will retain command of your ship until a replacement can be found. She has been offered permanent command of the vessel but stated that in no uncertain terms would she accept being separated from her commanding officer." Hina made a disparaging noise. "What a stupidly loyal girl you have there, Smoker. Hina jealous."

"Like you don't have a whole ship of idiots that would proclaim the same thing," Smoker snorted, looking away so the splash of red across his nose wasn't immediately noticeable. Hina smiled.

"Our reports have been saying that the Straw Hat's ship still sails the East Blue," Hina said idly, changing the subject. Smoker turned, his attention fixed on her words.

"Most of the time the ship disappears before our men can even get close enough to confirm it,"

"The Reverse Mountain whale?"

"We believe so. In the two incidences where we managed to route the Straw Hat's into a corner, something large came out of the water and struck down our ships, like the hand of God the idiots said."

Smoker stared off into the distance, chewing thoughtfully on his cigars. The ocean gleamed promisingly. Hina watched the fire slowly rekindle in the man's eyes.

"You won't be able to go after him for awhile. Strawhat, I mean."

Smoker tore his eyes away from the distant sea. "That's fine. He needs time to return to the man I vowed to capture. By the next time we meet, I'll see to it that he is brought to justice." His fists clenched. "My brand of justice, no one else's."

Hina smiled at his proclamation and then yawned. "Hina tired. Do those dusty old barracks still have mineral baths?"

"Probably."

"Then Hina goes." She rose gracefully to her feet. Smoker made to form another cloud lift, but she waved him away. "Don't bother. Hina jump." Without hesitation the slender captain leapt from the edge and landed lightly on the cobblestones below.

"See you around, Captain Smoker." She gave him a small wave.

"Hina," Smoker called after her retreating figure. Hina stopped and turned.

"Thanks," he muttered. Hina couldn't hear from her distance away, but she knew what he said all the same. Her lips bowed upward in that delicate smile that had her underlings throwing themselves at her feet.

"Smoker's welcome."

decision

Ben walked into the cabin and threw himself into the battered wooden chair. He grabbed a cigarette off his desk and lit it, before leaning back and carding his hand through his hair. He looked older suddenly, older than the age added by his worry lines and premature grey. Or maybe it wasn't old age that suddenly seemed to blanket him; maybe it wasn't age so much as defeat. Shanks contemplated all this as he studied his man through the growing veil of smoke.

"Well?" he finally prompted with raised brows and a mug to his lips. He lounged indolently on the overstuffed armchair on the other side of Ben's desk, its cushions well indented to his angular body. It was technically Ben's study, but the chair was placed there for his captain's comfort. It was where he always sat when he and his vice-captain needed to have a heart to heart. And it was plain to see now that his friend needed to get something off his chest.

"He's not getting any better." Ben said the words like a death sentence-- in one long, drawn out sigh. "Roux and I had sewn up what we could. And for a man stabbed clean through the chest-- twofold at that-- he looks remarkably well. We've still got the tube in his lung. And we've been filling him with as much fluid as we can get in him, but…."

"But?"

Ben frowned at the ceiling. "He still hasn't waked. It seems it's all he can do to keep breathing, and it's the most horrible wheezing noise as he does. His pulse is thready at best. He's cold, clammy. To speak plainly, every time I go down there, I expect to find the lad dead."

Shanks had finished with his drink and now twiddled idly with his mug, ignoring how he couldn't quite feel the wood grain against his fingertips. "He should have died in Loguetown," he said finally. "It's a nothing but a miracle he's survived this long."

"Well, I wouldn't count that miracle to hold," Ben foretold grimly. He leaned forward and stubbed out his cigarette in an overflowing ashtray. "How's your hand?" he asked, forcibly changing the subject.

"Fine, fine!" the redhead rolled his eyes, flashing his palm up for his first mate's inspection. "As you can see, there's barely any blackening on the fingertips. Just looks like I've been in your ink, I suppose."

"And the rest of you?"

"As fit as can be for losing a little toe. I do hope that won't destroy my handsome image. What will the ladies say if they knew that Handsome Captain Shanks only had nine toes?" Shanks lamented, rubbing his only hand suggestively down the deep V of his shirt.

"They'll think you're a right ugly bastard, just like always." Ben teased, his brow smoothing for a moment.

"Ha! You're just jealous 'cause Aokiji could have frostbitten my whole body and I'd still be more popular with the women than you."

"And why would I need to be popular with these imaginary woman?" Ben raised an eyebrow. "Name me one thing I could get from them that I don't already have."

Shanks grinned. "Well I could name one thing…."

Ben shrugged. "Apples and oranges, my friend." That caused Shanks to laugh, and for a brief moment the somber pall left the room.

Uncharacteristically, (for he hated a dwelling on morose thoughts more than anything, save maybe running out of drink) it was Shanks that brought the mood back.

"What do you suggest we do then, Ben? About the lad, I mean."

"What left is there to do? Roux and I, we're not doctors. Hell, there isn't a doctor within five hundred miles of this part of the Line. Leastways no doctor that could treat this grievous of a wound."

"Ah, that's the thing of it, then, is it?" Shanks slammed his mug down suddenly, his voice taking on a chipper tone. "Well, it doesn't take a genius to ken what we have to do."

Ben frowned, as he often did when his captain took joviality in serious matters. "I don't follow."

Shanks's grin flashed like a comet. "We just need to get that boy to a proper doctor!" he announced before he leaned back, preening over his own brilliance.

Ben's eye twitched. "You just heard me say there were no doctors--"

"Aye, aye, no doctors here," Shanks waved him away impatiently. "We just have to go to where the doctors are."

"And ho—wait." Ben half-rose from his seat. "You're suggesting we use that?"

Shanks leveled him with a crafty stare. "What other object do we possess that allows us to go positively anywhere?" he asked, reaching into the folds of his tunic and pulling out a round object that glittered in the lamplight. Ben stared at it, his brows drawn together gravely.

"The Blank Pose can be used only once, Shanks. After you set its coordinates, it becomes an Eternal Pose that will from then on lead you to that specific island and nowhere else. Are you sure you want to waste it?"

"Would it really be wasting it, Ben?" Shanks asked softly as he rolled the orb around in his palm. "Especially if it allows the lad to live?"

Studying him, a small smile appeared on Ben's face. For all of his protesting and his coldness towards their unconscious occupant, he was willing to give up one of his most precious treasures to save him. That was his captain, all right. "No," he answered finally. "It wouldn't be a waste at all."

"Right." Shanks hopped to his feet, suddenly his boyish self once again. "After all," he cried. "We can get to those far off places on our own merits! Such a thing has never stopped us before, and isn't likely to start now. And if it takes a little longer, well, all the more ports for a good spot of drink and some lively company, eh?"

Ben grinned back at him. "Aye, Captain."

"So, your job," Shanks whirled on him suddenly, brandishing the Blank Pose under the taller man's nose. "Is to use that big brain of yours to figure out what island it is I'm thinking of, because damned if I remember what it was called."

Ben laughed, and snatched the orb from his captain's hand, before returning to his desk a pulling out a mammoth-size logbook. Flipping through its heavy pages, Ben began mumbling, only half to himself. "It was going through a revolution, so it had no name at the time. But before that it carried the name of its mountains…."

"The funny-shaped ones!" Shanks piped in as he stared over Ben's shoulder.

The pages turned more slowly now as Ben homed in on the needed information. "It was the home of the Isshin Twenty…"

"The greatest doctors on the Grand Line!" Shanks leaned in farther. Ben stopped suddenly and slammed his finger onto the center of the page.

"Drum Island."

Shanks squeezed his first's shoulder meaningfully before moving away. "Rouse the boys!" he called out in his captain's voice. "I want full-on sail and every able man on deck. Set our course to Drum Island!"

Ben grinned. "Aye-aye, Sir!"

laboon

For these first few weeks the Straw Hats had seen no one outside their own little world. They were constantly harried and chased by the Marines but, afraid of a repeat of last time, they chose to flee rather than fight. The Thousand Sunny was a good deal larger than Merry, but it could still fit comfortably inside Laboon's stomach. If the enemy was seen approaching, someone would shoot up a flare, signaling the great whale to swallow them up.

Deep in the Laboon's belly they would float as the whale beat a hasty retreat for calmer waters, effectively vanishing out from under their enemies' noses. But, they couldn't stay long in Laboon; the stomach acids were slowly damaging the hull of the sloop. And sometimes the enemy was persistent, and sought them out again and again. But a warning 'nudge' from the whale was usually enough to keep the enemy at bay. On the rare occasion their foes persisted, Laboon made quick work on them, leaving naught but a bunch of marines clinging to the splintered remains of their ships.

But Laboon was slowly wearing down. Without Crocus, the whale was left to fend for himself. The old man had stayed behind on the Red Line, vowing to wait for Laboon's return. And, as much as he enjoyed adventuring with Brook, it was clear that Laboon was missing his caretaker. By constantly patrolling the waters around the Straw Hats, he was unable to forage for the proper amount of food to keep him going. The East Blue offered slim pickings for a whale of his size, anyway. It was obvious the whale couldn't stay with them form much longer.

Seeing his friend's state deteriorating so rapidly, Brook all but ordered the whale to take a break to rest and hunt. Three days had passed since Laboon's reluctant departure. In that time no marines had been spotted. The Straw Hat pirates sailed on aimlessly, hoping their luck would hold. With no firm direction and no set goal, each lay adrift in their own thoughts: all centering around the one that was taken from them.

light

The ocean of the East Blue was a sparkling sapphire that seemed to mock the sorrow of those who sailed on it. Since Zoro's death the denizens of Sunny Go were living as pale shadows of their former selves. Robin found herself staring into the water as if it held some secret-- some sort of key that would unlock the hearts of her companions and let them shine once more. These bright people she loved so did not deserve to sit in darkness.

She was sad too, of course. Zoro and she weren't close, by any means. Even after Enes Lobby-- when she finally gained his trust, they still weren't so much friends as old acquaintances. But Robin liked to think they had understood each other, the swordsman and she. Unlike the others, who shined so bright, Zoro had shadows shrouding his light. A creature of shadows herself, Robin felt a kinship with the taciturn man, and now that he was gone she felt a void where something important should be.

After living so long alone, of never really being able to trust anyone, the archeologist found herself floundering in this feeling of loss. Not since Jaguar D. Saul had she felt true grief that had nothing to do with herself. It was like a swift pain born on dark wings and aching with the hollow sound of laughter.

Dereshishishishi….

To keep from sinking into her own darkness, Robin found herself dwelling on the darkness of others. Each member of this mismatched family had found different ways to deal with —or escape— their grief. Robin studied each of them in turn, watching them grow older as this new bit of history unfolded.

Some of them worked through their anguish. Franky spent most of his time down in the bowels of the ship, holed up in his workshop. At all hours clanking and crashes were heard as the cyborg worked on his newest assault weapon. But, for all of his sweat and labor, nothing the cyborg did seemed to satisfy him. Eventually he'd find some flaw in his design and, angrily, he'd rip the thing apart with his bare hands before single-mindedly sitting back to rebuild it from scratch.

When out of his workroom, Franky constantly prowled the ship, seeking out damages in the brig sloop and repairing each one, no matter how trivial. In the daylight he was a loud and outrageous as usual, if a bit grouchy about everyone's little additions to the general wear and tear of his ship. But at some point in the nights when Robin was staying up late, he'd find his way up to the library. There he'd sit on the floor beside her legs and force her to tell stories about their lost comrade. He'd listen to Robin's smooth voice as she recounted her tales, staring moodily out the windows and into the darkness as she ran gentle hands through his stiff, ocean-colored hair.

The cook was one who also tried to sweat through his emotions. He woke up before dawn to start preparing his extravagant meals and didn't leave the kitchen till well after sundown, when all the dishes were done and put away and the kitchen itself gleamed spotlessly. Each meal was more elaborate and bountiful than the last. And Sanji, well known for his insistence that no food be wasted, didn't even seem to notice how little of his efforts were actually being eaten. He just kept cooking-- not even eating, himself. He toiled away mindlessly, living on coffee and tobacco and routine, as if he thought to banish his emotions towards the swordsman through sheer effort alone. It was clear from his increasing desperation that it wasn't working.

Nami walked around yelling and busting heads like normal. She was manipulative and greedy as always. Most of the time she was to be found browbeating somebody or another, trying to whip them back into shape. Indeed --out of all of them-- Nami seemed the least affected. But long association with the redhead allowed Robin to know that was far from the truth.

Robin watched the navigator as she shooed the mail gull away each morning, not allowing a single newspaper to board the ship. She watched as Nami slumped against the wall when she thought no one was looking, her shoulders slumped in defeat and her head in her hands. And, no matter how stealthy the Cat Thief was, she couldn't completely smother her sobs at night. Come morning, the tearstains on her pillow gave ample evidence that her act in front of the others was naught but a charade. When around anyone else, Nami stuffed her pain so far down she couldn't feel it anymore. By being her usual self, she inserted a feeling of normality in the crew's upturned lives. By pretending the hurt didn't exist, everyone else could take a step back for a moment and pretend too. But Robin had to wonder how long the other could keep up the act.

Brook spent most of his time towards the aft of the ship, downwind from outside ears as he fingered his bow and wrung out small snatches of a haunting melody from his violin. The rest of the time he spent in the aquarium room, bent over a sheaf of ink-stained paper; scribbling away and mumbling to himself. Whatever it was he was working on, he shoved into his jacket if anyone came too close, keeping his secret literally close to his chest.

Usopp was practically a missing entity on the ship. The sharpshooter had been the main focus of the tension at first. Luffy hadn't spoken a word to him (although, to be fair, Luffy had hardly spoken to anyone.) Sanji didn't want him anywhere near him, and even Chopper couldn't help blaming Usopp for his part in Zoro's demise. After a particularly explosive fight with Sanji one morning, the sniper stormed off and barricaded himself inside the girls' room.

Robin stepped inside one evening to collect the book she'd been reading. She found Usopp sleeping fitfully on the bed, surrounded by a mound of paper that was steadily spilling over onto the floor. And upon every sheet was Zoro: sleeping, training, glaring, smiling…. Most of the drawings were mere rough depictions, containing multiple sketches of specific details of the swordsman. The rest were finished pieces of art, drawn by a master hand that captured every nuance of their missing comrade. Feeling her heart ache at the sight, Robin grabbed up her book and left, taking care not to return. She spent the rest of her nights elsewhere, giving her grieving friend (and the navigator that bullied him) some privacy.

Chopper's emotions were the easiest to read; his heartache like a palpable thing. He spent most of his time in the infirmary, swiveling idly in his chair as he stared sadly around at nothing in particular. Often, when overcome, he'd run to either Nami or Robin, clinging to them desperately as his small body was wracked with sobs. Then, like an exhausted child, he'd fall asleep amidst their comforting embrace; his slumber punctuated by sniffles and soft whimpers and whispers of the swordsman's name.

In contrast, Kidd had a hard time absorbing the morose aura surrounding the ship. He hadn't been part of the crew but for a few weeks and the bonds he formed with the rest of the crew were still tiny threads that could still be snapped without too much pain. The boy had grown very attached to Luffy, however, and seeing his captain hurting had quite a sobering affect on the boy. He spent most of his time off to the side somewhere, tinkering with his inventions and generally keeping a low profile.

And Luffy…Luffy's grief was by far the most painful to watch. There was a void within him, and he was fighting his hardest to keep it covered up. For the first few days he'd tried to smile, and here and there he'd given out a weak laugh towards Nami or Franky's antics. But rather than cover up his pain, his weak acts merely served to highlight how much he was hurting. And when Luffy realized he was fooling no one, he further deflated, finally retreating to someplace inside himself. Every day he'd be out sitting somewhere alone, staring out at the blue ocean surrounding them.

As with all who live through such a personal loss, the experience had marked him forever. Of them all, only he and the cook had escaped the scars of death and now –with one fell swoop— that innocence was lost to them both. But it was Luffy who had lost the one that was most precious to him.

Oh, Luffy cared deeply for all of them; each member had a niche in the captain's heart that no other could replace. But it was Zoro Luffy had chosen to really share his dream with. Together it was they who fought on the front lines, defeating all obstacles until their names reached the very heavens. The strength upon which they had relied on one another, standing back to back against both gods and fate; no other could have stood with Luffy on such a path. No other could've had so much faith. No other could have loved as harshly as was needed. Only Roronoa Zoro.

And Luffy had yet to really come to terms with the fact that his swordsman was gone, not to mention the betrayal of Zoro publicly renouncing him as Pirate King. For now Luffy merely existed, sitting around as if in some trance. He never cried, not since they first got back to the ship. But the emotions were there, boiling underneath the surface. Robin watched him surreptitiously, fearing the day when they would explode to the surface.

As it turned out, she didn't have long to wait.

kidd

It started with the kid.

By some odd chance the entire crew (sans Usopp) had converged in Sanji's kitchen at around midday. They sat around the dining room table amid heaps of gourmet sandwiches and glasses of iced tea. Conversation was slow and stilted but present among the group and broached nothing but banal things: the heat, the food, small day-to-day tasks and the like. When those topics dwindled and the sandwiches were all eaten, a sort of desperation filled the air. It was the feeling that, if they rose from the table now and left to do their own things, nothing on this earth could bring them back together again. It was a ludicrous idea for nine people who lived on the same ship, but the feeling was there nonetheless.

When Luffy, who'd been mostly silent as he shoved a few platefuls of food into his mouth, looked ready to push himself to his feet, Nami was swift to act. She grabbed at the first topic that her eyes presented her: The small face screwed up in concentration to Luffy's right. The kid was fiddling with something in between bites of food, his screwdriver twisting this way and that. So intent was he on whatever it was he was working on that he had basically ignored everyone else's existence. The navigator quickly remedied that.

"You never told us why you never spoke up before. If you could talk all this time, why didn't you?"

The boy looked up with wide eyes, only belatedly realizing the redhead was talking to him. Franky leaned back in his chair and regarded the youngster.

"Ease up, Sister. No need to go all inquisition on the shrimp." Franky turned back to the boy, his sunglasses tipped low on his nose. "So what's your real name, anyway? We can't just keep calling you 'the kid' all the time."

By now Luffy had retaken his seat, and was looking at the boy along with the rest of them. The kid scratched at a freckle, feeling embarrassed at all the attention. After a minute he cleared his throat and took a swig of his heavily sugared tea.

"You can keep calling me Kidd, I guess. I… I like it better than my real name." the boy stared self-consciously at the brown whirls of wood grain flowing along the table. "Besides, I'm a pirate now, that boy doesn't exist anymore."

"Kidd it is, then." Luffy said from beside him, his voice low but with a small smile quirking across his lips. Kidd stared up at him and blushed happily to the very tips of his ears. These were the first words the captain had spoken to him since his proclamation atop the platform in Loguetown.

The tension in the air seemed to lighten as the rest of the crew exchanged amused glances. The atmosphere had changed to resemble what it used to be, before. The general mood of the crew was so lighthearted compared to the last few weeks that Sanji —who hadn't been seen off his feet since-- actually moved from his spot next to the serving bar and plopped down in the seat next to Kidd.

"Don't worry," Sanji grinned, ruffling the boy's curly brown hair. "You'll always be 'Brat' to me."

Kidd swatted him away and rolled his eyes. Nami smiled as she leaned forward on her elbows, but she refused to drop her original question.

"Why did you never say anything before?"

Looking around at all of them, Kidd hesitantly told his story, his voice rough and scratched compared to normal boys his age.

"I was five when a band of thugs pulled me and my mom into an alley to mug us. It was just me and mom back then. Dad had died in an accident when I was a baby, but he left us pretty well off and I guess those crooks could tell it by looking at us. I knew they weren't pirates, cause mom always told me that pirates lived by a code, and most wouldn't stoop to harming women and children. Anyway, when my mom refused their demands, they threatened to slit my throat. Mom stopped fighting after that but it was easy to see those bastards had more than money on their minds. I fought against the guy who held me when the others started grabbing at mom. Next thing I know I was down on the ground and my throat felt like it was on fire. Mom saw me and went crazy or something, because she started attacking the whole lot of them. She sure did surprise them, but she was just one lady and wasn't armed like they were. But she made enough commotion that the thugs got nervous and took off."

Kidd paused to take a drink with hands that trembled slightly. Everyone was listening to his story intently, except for Luffy, who seemed more interested in fixing the strap on his sandal than what the boy was saying. The lighthearted air had vanished as the tale unfolded, everyone knowing that the ending promised to be a less than happy one.

"Well mom picked me up and started running for the doctor's, even though she was a small woman and I was pretty chubby back then. I could feel something warm and wet against my side as she carried me. But she never slowed until she got to the door of the town's doctor. It was night and she had to pound on the door to wake the old man up. The door finally opened and Mom pushed me into the man's arms before slumping to ground. She couldn't get back up and when they rolled her over her dress was all bloody from a wound on her side where one of those thugs had stabbed her.

She stayed conscious though, and smiled and talked to me while the doctor worked on me; she wouldn't let him even touch her until he had seen to me." Kidd's small fists clenched on the tabletop. "My wound wasn't that bad. The guy didn't hit anything important when he cut me—just scratched my voice box. The doctor gave me something for the pain and I fell asleep. When I woke up, mom…was gone. She died during the night."

Kidd stared unseeing, his eyes swimming in their repressed tears. But he soon shook himself and finished his tale.

"I couldn't speak back when this," his hand went to the scar on his neck. "Was healing. Being on my own, I didn't have no one to talk to anyway, so I guess I just got used to not saying anything." He shrugged. "Besides, I wasn't sure I trusted you guys at first. And then after I did, you guys didn't seem to care that I didn't say anything. You liked me anyways, so I kept quite."

"I think I'm going to miss that." Sanji muttered around lighting his cigarette. He unobtrusively slid the boy a fresh iced tea. Kidd shot him a mock-glare as he shoveled sugar into the glass.

"Keep talking girly-man, and you'll wake up with pink hair tomorrow." The boy threatened.

"Little dogs shouldn't bark so loudly." Sanji growled back. He swapped the tea away from him and downed it in one gulp, before hacking and sputtering at all the sugar in it. The pall lifted once more, and everyone relaxed.

"Since you're talking now: what have you been fiddling with all this time?" Franky asked, pointing to the objects on the boy's lap.

Kidd turned picked the things up and turned them around in his hands. They looked like two gold bracelets, both about an inch think and unadorned in any way. Kidd tapped one with his screwdriver and a small compartment opened, showing a complex system of miniature gears and circuitry. Even Luffy found himself leaning in to get a closer look at the tiny moving parts.

"It's a special device I made," Kidd explained proudly. "It tracks people. You push the button on this one and it will always find its mate, no matter how far away it is."

"How?" Chopper gasped, stars beginning to twinkle in his eyes. Kidd handed the reindeer one of the bands and slid the other onto his arm, where it hung loosely off his bony wrist.

"You hold your arm out and point. When you point to the direction the other bracelet is in, it'll beep. The beeps get faster the closer you are." He pointed his hand at Chopper and the device let out a series of shrill chirps.

"Wow…" Chopper was smitten.

"That's one super device!" Franky announced loudly.

"Thanks," Kidd muttered bashfully as he took the bracelet back from Chopper. Sanji suddenly grinned, looking a lecherous and a little alarming, causing Kidd to scoot away from him with raised eyebrows.

"Miss Nami, we could each wear one and then I'd always know where you are, my sweet!"

"Heheh, it's funny, but this is one piece of gold I have no interest in owning," Nami replied sweetly.

Sanji swiveled quickly towards Robin but was swiftly punched in the head by both Franky and Kidd.

"Knock it off, you perv!" Kidd demanded as he held the bracelets protectively close. "I was going to give this one to--" he cut off abruptly.

"Who were you going to give it to, child?" Robin asked gently. Kidd shot a look towards Luffy before opening his mouth reluctantly.

"I-I was going to give this one to Zoro. Since…since he's always getting lost."

A dead silence filled the room.

Sanji shot to his feet and began clearing the table, his movements quick and jerky and his cigarette held fast in his tightly clenched mouth. Nami decided it was suddenly time to go take Usopp his food, and disappeared swiftly out the front door. Chopper's lower lip began to quiver and he quickly excused himself and retreated into his sickbay.

Kidd sat there staring miserably at his lap. But everyone else's eyes were on the captain. Luffy ignored them as he rose to his feet.

"It my turn at watch," he announced in a bland voice. "Thanks for the food." And, without another word, he left.

Franky and Brook exchanged uneasy glances. Robin merely folded her arms and closed her eyes, a look of concentration crossing her face.

why

Luffy scaled the rigging skillfully, swiftly making it up to the ladder entrance into the crow's nest. He stood in the middle of the room uncertainly, his eyes unable to focus and a dull buzzing filling his ears. His hands clenched and unclenched reflexively as he fought for control.

Luffy closed his eyes and was immediately assaulted by the smell of sweat and steel. This room might be the observation tower, but it also doubled as a gym. Zoro was the only one who had really used it, lifting weights to keep himself from falling asleep during watch (though, judging by the random dents across the floor, it didn't always work). Luffy ground his teeth together. Thinking about Zoro, hearing his name spoken-- it all made him so irrationally angry. He could feel it building up inside him, threatening to boil over. It was getting harder to control himself. He'd stayed distant from the others, not wanting them to see it…Afraid for them to see it.

Monkey D. Luffy isn't the Pirate King… I am.

With a savage growl Luffy's fist swung out, colliding with the largest rack of weights and sending the whole thing smashing through one of the windows. The echoing crash sounded like cannonballs slamming into the ship as it hit the deck far down below.

It didn't feel like enough, though. Luffy kicked out, sending a gigantic dumbbell shooting through the wall. Another punch took out the locker. A single swipe destroyed the telescope. Luffy quickly and systematically broke everything in sight. Still, it wasn't enough. It didn't quench his anger. It didn't fill up that hole inside of him.

Luffy stopped as a gentle hand appeared on his shoulder. Turning his head slightly, he saw the limb disappear into a shower of petals. Chest heaving, Luffy fought for control. Shoving his hat low over his face, he squatted on his heels with his arms wrapped around his knees, and waited for Robin to climb up to him. He could hear Franky's angry shouts outside.

"DAMN IT, STRAW HAT! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU THINKING? DOES IT LOOK LIKE I KEEP A BIG SHEETS OF GLASS LYING AROUND? HOW AM I SUPOSSED TO FIX--"

Something or someone cut the cyborg off, and Luffy heard a door slam in retaliation. A few moments later Robin had poked her head into the room.

"Do you need to talk, Captain?"

"No," Luffy stated flatly as he continued to stare at the floor.

"Alright," Robin acknowledged his answer but ignored the unspoken request to be left alone. She climbed the rest of the way into the room and stood there for a moment, surveying the damage without comment. Then, brushing clean a small section of the room's wrap-around bench, she took a seat.

"You may not want to talk, but perhaps you will listen?" She asked as she crossed her legs. The way she said it left little room for refusal. Luffy shrugged brusquely, keeping his back to her.

"Anger, betrayal, confusion, sadness…there are certainly a lot of emotions for one to sort through. It is no wonder you don't want to think about him."

Luffy remained silent, but his head tilted slightly to show he was listening.

"It's cruel for someone to take our own fate out of our hands and then leave before we can ask them why." Robin mused aloud, her head filled with images both present and past. "That's the biggest question in your mind right now, isn't it: Why? Why did Zoro say those things? Why did he betray your trust? Why did he save your life? Why did he give up his own?"

"Are you here to tell me?" Luffy asked with a rare bite to his voice.

"No." Robin's voice was calm in the face of Luffy's anger. "I'm afraid I cannot answer those questions for you. You are the one most likely to find the reasons in his actions. Of us all, you knew the swordsman best."

"Ithought I knew him best." Luffy muttered bitterly. "But, I guess I was wrong."

"Now that's rather unfair." Robin chided, her eyes narrow. "Maybe you don't have the answers because you refuse to look for them. After all, isn't it easier to go on blaming Zoro than to reconcile with his motives?"

Luffy twisted around to glare at her. "Just what do you know about it? About us?"

Robin sat back for a minute, silent. But she was merely putting her thoughts in order, not backing down. She needed to say this right for Luffy to understand. Not that Luffy was stupid, but his way of thinking was so straightforward; and that was part of the problem. Emotions like this were rarely clear-cut, thus the cause of their captain's turmoil. When Robin spoke, her words came out slow and weighted.

"From what I have seen, neither you nor Zoro ever acknowledged the more… complicated aspects of your relationship."

"What do you mean?"

"You allowed yourselves to be labeled and barely thought of what was beyond your titles. You both were so firmly entrenched in your roles that you prohibited any growth that didn't go along with the definition of your relationship." One look at Luffy's face told Robin she'd lost him. Sighing, she suddenly changed tracks. "If I were to ask you what Zoro was to you, what would you answer?"

"He was my swordsman;" Luffy stated, probably thinking her thick for asking such an obvious question. "My very first mate."

"Is that all?" Robin leveled him with an inscrutable look. Luffy glared back.

"Of course not! Zoro was my friend." His head lowered and he shifted slightly. "And…." He trailed off. Robin didn't press him, but continued.

"But your first answer was the best answer, correct? Swordsman. First mate." Luffy nodded dumbly so Robin pressed on. "And you were his captain. It was to these roles that you clung to, that you held above all else."

"Of course."

"Yes, and it was probably this that got us through the Grand Line and to Raftel. Those names gave you the both strength to go up against anything, and to hold us together when the rest of us fell apart. But it also is exactly why you fail in understanding Zoro's motives." Robin looked outside the shattered glass to the cerulean ocean beyond. "Most probably, Mr. Swordsman didn't understand them himself." She said musingly before looking to Luffy once more. "But, suffice it to say, his reasons ran deeper that his simple role as your second. To understand that you must look beneath the you that is 'Captain'."

Luffy stared at Robin. She was one of the smartest people he knew, so what she was saying had to merit some consideration. But he didn't really understand all of it. He was Captain of the Straw Hats. The Pirate King-- although that fact was probably by now widely debated. What was under that? What could possibly be left? He was a pirate; that's who he was, right to the very core. And he was the captain of pirates.

Though, wasn't it Zoro that had made him captain? Back then, before they'd met, he had never set out to be captain of a crew. All he ever wanted was to be Pirate King, and to gather up a bunch of companions to help him do that. It was Zoro who named him as captain, who had put himself beneath the other. Before that he was just Luffy, a boy with an impossible dream.

Now that Zoro was gone, where was that boy? What was he feeling right now? Luffy looked deep inside of himself, digging around until he'd drudged up all that laid buried beneath.

God, he felt empty. So damn empty.

Luffy grit his teeth through the feeling and endeavored to sort through the facts.

He'd lost his claim as the Pirate King.

And he had lost Zoro.

The thought of Zoro's absence struck him far more deeply than the loss of the other. What was the Pirate King? A title, nothing more. A claim to fame that made others look up at him in envy, wonder and fear. Zoro… Zoro was flesh and blood, a strong arm and a warm back. He was quiet laughter and outraged shouting, food and wine and the sweet soothing darkness of sleep. Zoro was everything. And Luffy had lost that.

A man can still live after losing a limb. A man who lost his sight can still hear and smell. But, Luffy, who felt Zoro's loss far more deeply than he really understood— Luffy had lost his limbs, his sight, his hearing, his smell and his taste. Never again would these sensations encompass the presence of his first mate. Zoro couldn't be touched; he would no longer be seen or heard. The smell of steel would vanish from the air. The taste of sweat would be soon overshadowed. Zoro had disappeared from this earth and took a part of his captain with him. Luffy would never be whole again.

Luffy felt something pour into the emptiness inside him, filling him to the brim. It was both aching and gut-wrenching. It was filled with such warmth and sadness and pain that there wasn't even a word for it. It was as if he'd ripped of the bandage of some deep wound and exposed it to the stinging salty air. Was this what Robin had been talking about? Gods, Luffy could've gone his whole life without feeling this level of pain…this all-encompassing grief.

"Robin?" Luffy's head rolled around to the dark-haired woman, who had moved to leave. Robin stilled, her blue eyes peering deep into his own. She seemed both saddened and relieved by what she saw.

"Yes?"

"Why?" Luffy's voice came out strained and desperate. "Why didn't he let them kill me?" he clutched fitfully at his chest; it felt as if he were having a heart attack. "That—that would have been way less painful than this…."

Robin's face was filled with empathy. She reached out and took Luffy's hand. "Perhaps, Captain, that was exactly what Zoro was thinking, as well."

Without a word, the young man threw himself forward, wrapping his arms about her in a tight and desperate embrace. Robin stared down at him in shock, but recovered quickly and returned it. We're just a ship full of people broken by love, she thought to herself as Luffy's shoulders shook in her grasp. Feeling her shirtfront grow slowly damp, Robin finally gave in and let free the tears she'd been repressing. Tangling her hands in the other's red shirt, she cried. She cried for Luffy and the others. She cried for herself and her past. And she wept for her future; the future that now seemed a little bit dimmer for the absence of a certain cantankerous swordsman.

weak

"Enemy ship off the port side!" Usopp's voice screamed out, bringing everyone to attention. Luffy pulled away from his and Robin's mutually comforting embrace and walked over to the portside's empty window. The heat was still heavy on the air, not letting the least little breeze through Luffy's anger-driven ventilation. His red-rimmed eyes looked outside. A large patch of white broke up the even blueness of the sea off to the left. On it he could see clearly the dark seagull decal.

"There's three of them," Nami confirmed from below. "They're close. I don't think we can outrun them. Franky!"

"Yeah?"

"Can we use a Coup de Burst?"

"Sorry sister, but we weren't able to grab any cola running away from Loguetown like we did."

Somebody—Kidd from the sound of it—uttered a particularly violent explicative. The voices became indistinct mumbles as the others tried to come up with a feasible plan of escape.

"God-damn it, Luffy!" Sanji's voice cut through the air. "I thought you were supposed to be on watch! Are you trying to get us killed?"

Luffy lowered his head, his hands gripping the busted window frame tightly.

"Ahh!" Chopper screamed as his hooves clattered around the deck in panic. "The marines are coming and Laboon is gone! Whah! I don't want to die! I don't want to die!"

Luffy's head snapped up.

"I don't wanna die, Zoro."

Hadn't he said that back in the seastone cells of Loguetown? Luffy felt realization hit him like a fist to the gut. That was it. That was Zoro's reason.

It was all because Luffy had been weak, wasn't it? He had blurted that out in a moment of weakness and, even though he took it back, it wasn't enough. Zoro had already heard it.

Everyone depended on him to be strong; Zoro had said as much many times before. Zoro: who would have followed him blindly into hell itself. But, after saying that….

Luffy couldn't breath. Gods…what had he done?

"Luffy?" His name came blearily to his ears. Only then did Luffy realize he had fallen to his knees. Still gripping the window frame, Luffy rested his head wearily against the splintered wood.

"All my fault…" he muttered brokenheartedly. "It's all my fault…."

"Luffy?" Robin asked again, her voice thick with worry.

"They're coming up on us," Nami yelled. "We can't turn the ship around in time. Load the cannons; prepare to fight them off."

"Just stay where you are," Luffy suddenly hollered out. He slowly pulled himself to his feet. "I'll take care of them myself."

He wouldn't be weak again. He wouldn't selfishly cry out to be saved. Never again. What Robin had revealed in him was that the person under the title of captain couldn't take the loss of another that was dear to him. So he would protect those that remained with everything that he had. Zoro would be the last loss he'd mourn, even if he had to die to see to it.

Ignoring Robin's protests, Luffy pulled back and launched himself from the window, aiming straight for the three marine ships. These guys were going to know what it meant to go up against the Pirate King.

cracks

Usopp leaned against the doorway leading to the girls' room, silently watching the ongoing destruction in the distance. It seemed those wild and carefree days of before were well and truly gone. Once, they would've been able to hear Luffy's laughter from here as the rubber-boy bounced around, playing with the marines just as much as fighting them. But no longer. Now the enemy was dispatched with such speed and efficiency that it bordered on merciless. Usopp watched as three fully manned battleships were turned into naught but rubble and flame.

"Usopp, can you--" Nami caught sight of his face and halted whatever it was she'd been about to say. "You're crying!"

Usopp let the fat tears fall as he watched Luffy finish with the last ship: the one that had turned around and tried to escape. "Nami?" he said finally, her name cracking in his throat. "Did I do the right thing?"

"Usopp, I--" Unable to answer, the redhead looked away.

"Yeah," he laughed, but it came out more like a sob. "Me neither."

Nami grabbed him by the arms and shook him. "Listen, Usopp. You did what you thought was right. You saw Zoro back then, you know that he wouldn't have stopped even if we'd all gone against him. It was his decision." She shook him again, pressing her point. "You had nothing to do with it."

Usopp sniffed and nodded. "Nami?"

The navigator's hands were warm on his bare arms. "Yes?"

"I…I want to go home." He mumbled, unable to meet her eyes.

"Wh-what?" Nami's grip loosened and her hands fell numbly to her sides. She stared at the other as if she didn't recognize him. Usopp scratched his nose and pressed on.

"I--I want to see Kaya and Onion and Carrot and Pepper. I want to make sure they're all okay. I want to see what's changed; what hasn't." When Usopp finally managed to look at her, his eyes were pleading. "I… I just want to see home for a while. Is that okay?"

Taking a deep breath, Nami turned away, her arms crossing protectively over her chest. "Of course it's fine! We need somewhere to hide out and restock on supplies, anyway. Syrup village would be perfect. Yes, it's perfectly fine." She rambled on, her voice abnormally cheerful. "I'll just go let everyone know. We'll change course as soon as Luffy gets back to the ship."

Nami tried not to jerk as two calloused hands embraced her briefly from behind. Her eyes closed as she felt the feather-soft touch of lips to the back of her head. "Thanks, Nami." Usopp whispered before pulling away. Unable to speak, Nami nodded and watched him retreat back into bedroom. He didn't even look back at her as he pulled the door closed behind him. Nami stared at that wooden door separating them, the tears that had been building up in her eyes finally spilling over her cheeks.

"It's fine…." Nami whispered to herself.

tbc