Chapter 10: Luffy Greatest Sorrow and a Tragic Shared Past
Law groaned it was quiet. Normally he liked the peace and quiet. It gave him time to relax maybe take a much need nap. But this silence had been going on for four days and it was starting to drive him crazy. Ever since Luffy had dropped the Sabo bomb as Shachi had dubbed it Luffy had been very withdrawn from the Heart Crew. Before she was laughing and making friends with his crew. She would pet and cuddle with Bepo and defend him from the other members when yelled at him. She'd joke and tease Shachi and Penguin and just made their stay here much less boring. Now she was sad and depressed and would barely talk to them and as soon as her bandages were done she would go off to the city. She wasn't eating much and was sleeping poorly as well, which worried him since she was still healing. She only ever seemed really cheered up when Rayleigh would come and tell her stories about his time as a pirate, but even then didn't show her normal enthusiasm
Law in away could understand. She had been bottling up what happened her brother for years and just telling these complete strangers had upset her. Sure she had told him about Kuma and he comforted her when she woke down, but this was different. Ace and Kuma's death was recent she needed to talk about it. Sabo had been dead for years and it seemed that she and Ace had only talked about it to the bare minimum. Hearing Jean Bart thank her just broke the barrier on that piece of her life. The experience that brought her to punch that disgusting man. It was what had modeled her into who she was.
Groaning Law rubbed his face to try and ease the headache he had. He had been listen to the other complain that they were bored and that they wished Luffy would come back. Her stories about her journey had been their entertainment since she woke up. Before that they had nothing to do, but their chores and play card game. On the bright side the sub hadn't look this clean since he started his journey. Suddenly one of the Kuja Enishida he believed came running out the jungle crying out to him.
"MR. SURGEON OF DEATH! MR. SURGEON OF DEATH!"
"What Is It?" Law asked worriedly.
"You And One Crew Member Must Come With Me! Miss Luffy Has Collapsed And She Won't Stop Bleeding! Lady Nyon Has Given Special Permission That You And One Other May Enter The City In Order To Save Her!"
Law hearing this quickly ran to the sub and using Room entered the infirmary and grabbed his medical kit before returning to shore and shout, "I Will Be Back Later! Jinbe! Jean Bart! Keep An Eye On Things Here! Bepo Your With Me!"
The crew and Jinbe nodded in acknowledgment and Bepo and him quickly ran toward into the forest.
"What exactly happened Enishida?" Law questioned as he followed the woman through the jungle.
"I don't know she just collapsed and started to bleed all over. She unconscious and no matter what we did we couldn't stop the bleeding or wake her up!" the Blonde Kuja explained.
The three of them in came to a tall stonewall and an open gate. The Kuja woman led him and Bepo through the back alleys of the city. Law guessed only a few were supposed to know that he being brought here. After all they were only allowed on the gulf of the island. He himself had only gone into jungle a couple times to collect herbs and to stop Luffy from killing herself. Finally they came to a staircase of a palace. He noticed that some women were blocking the view to the entrance with curtains.
"They believe that the Empress and her sisters are taking a bath. No one is allowed to see them when they doing this so the curtains block the view of the palace. You may have to stay the night if this take to long," Enishida explained.
Law and Bepo were brought to the large bedroom. He could the Hancock, her sisters, Nyon, Luffy's three Kuja friends, Belladonna and even Rayleigh were here. Walking up to them he saw that they were all surrounding a large bed. Law's eyes widen at the sight of Luffy. Her body was covered in blood. It seemed that many different injuries had opened all over her body. Even the scar on her face was bleeding. While the blood was flowing slowly it was only a matter of time before she bled out. Luffy's friends, Belladonna and even Hancock were holding cloths to the wounds trying to stop the bleeding. The small pile of blood soaked clothes showed that they were failing horribly.
"Oh Law thank god you are here!" Hancock cried out in joy, "Please Belladonna says she doesn't know what to do and not even Nyon has seen something like this."
"Move. Take cloths off I need to see the injuries," Law commanded, "Bepo get the disinfectant."
Quickly Law began to wipe as much of the blood up as he could and disinfect the wounds. Getting a better look at her his fears became reality. It was like every wound on her body had been reopened no matter how old it was. Quickly checking her eyes find her eyes completely dilated he stood up and signed.
"Just like I thought its PTSR," Law stated solemnly.
"PTSR?" asked Rayleigh.
"Post-Traumatic Stress Rejection a rare form of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. When a person goes through multiple episodes of extreme trauma or is forced to face a past traumatic situation the stress can become too much for the body. The person becomes trapped in their darkest memories and they slowly blend together creating the victim's worst nightmare. The body begins to attack itself reopening old wounds and will eventually leads to death either from blood lost or shock. I have only see it once before when I was a child. "
"Is there a cure?" asked Margaret.
"Yes, but there is only one chance. I will need to enter into her mind," Law stated.
"What do you mean?" Hancock questioned.
When I was child the person who had PTSR was saved by a man who had eaten the Mind Mind Fruit. It allowed him to link minds with the person and help pull them from the nightmare. A few years ago I found out that I can do something similar with my Shambles move. I will use it on myself and put my mind in her body. I can only be in there for a couple of hours or I will be stuck in there forever."
"I… I don't like the thought of a man's mind in my dearest Luffy, but if it will save her then please do it," Hancock demanded firmly.
"Okay now while I am in there we need make sure she doesn't bleed out. I got a couple blood bags we can use. When those run out see if you get a couple of the Kuja to donate. Make sure it is O-negative blood. Keep putting pressure on the wounds to slow the bleeding. Bepo I need you put me on life support as well as Luffy while I am in there okay. The travel life support system is in my bag," Law as he moved Luffy to middle of the bed, "Bepo hand me my scalpel."
"Good luck Captain," Bepo stated as he finished hooking up the blood bags.
"See you in few hours," Law as he grabbed Luffy's arm pointed the scalpel to his chest, "Shambles!"
The group watched as a heart rose out of Law and flew into Luffy's body. Law's hand dropped to the bed and Bepo quickly hooked him and Luffy up to the life support. Now all they could do is wait and see.
Inside Luffy's mind
Law sat up from the ground and looked around seeing only fog. So far so good. He stood up and began to walk. The first time he had done this it was an accident. He had been practicing his Shambles move had accidently switch the minds of two of his men. When he tried switch them back he ended up sticking both of them in one body. The soulless body needed to be put on life support until he could find away to get the right person in the right body. When he finally did switch them back he decided to see what else he could do. He eventually found out that he could switch minds, place a person inside another's dreams, and put two minds in single body. It was interesting but he very rarely ever found a reason to use them in battle.
Finally he stepped out of the fog and found himself in town. It very beautiful filled with color and happy smiling people. It reminded him Flevance before everything went to hell. He then saw her. Luffy only she wasn't the Luffy he knew. This Luffy had to be about four or five years old. She had long wavy black hair and wore a little red sundress. Little Luffy was holding the hand of woman that Law could plainly see was her mother. The woman was an exact replica of the grown up Luffy except that she appeared to be in her late twenties or early thirties. She was beautiful, but had the air of woman who was battle worn. Luffy's mom wasn't someone who was to be taken lightly. That is if the long sword on her back was any indication.
He watched as the two of them laughed happily when it seemed there was a change in the air. He turned around was met with the sight a group of people dressed in black suits. Law didn't like the aura around them. He then noticed a man walking toward the group with a happy smile completely ignorant of the danger that seemed to be coming from the group.
He tried to hear what the man said to group when suddenly the man's head was cut from his body. Suddenly screams erupted as the group began to slaughter the townspeople. He watched as Luffy's mother hid Luffy in barrel before she grabbed her sword and attacked one the murderers. Law quickly noticed things beginning to blur meaning either Luffy didn't really remember what was happening or it was so horrific that she tried not to remember. From the points that would clear he could see the murderers attacking and killing everyone in the city. Finally things cleared completely letting him see bodies and blood everywhere.
In the distance he could see Luffy's mother fighting off the assassins. Many were already dead on the ground and there were only one left, but Luffy's mother was heavily injured. He watched the battle until what appeared to the final blow was struck leaving the last murderer headless. Luffy's mother walked forward and stopped in front of her terrified daughter. Law watched as Luffy ran to her mother only to cry out in shock as her mother coughed up blood and fell on to the bloody ground. Luffy ran over to her mother and tried to stop the bleeding from her chest. She screamed for help, but there was no one left alive to help. The terrified girl began to run around shouting out to people she knew. She shook bodies, cried out for friends, and desperately tried to find help for her dead mother.
Law winched when she fell in pool of blood covering her in it crimson color. Then things began to shift. Soon he was seeing other people lying among the bodies including her brother Ace, her crew, the Kuja people, and many others. Even his own crew was among the bodies. Know he could see the adult Luffy. She was standing behind her younger self as she cried over her mother's body. Tears were running down her face blood stained face. She was whispering I'm sorry over and over again. Law walked toward Luffy and turned her around. She looked up into his eyes with a blank, but pained stare.
"They are dead because I couldn't protect them. They always protected me because I was so weak. When I tried to save them I failed. I failed save my mother when CP9 attacked. I failed to save Sabo when he was forced to return home. I was so close to saving Ace, but because I had to stop to get that stupid paper he had to die to protect me. I am so weak and if I continue to go after One Piece I will end up killing my friends too," Luffy cried as tears ran down her face.
"No Luffy it not your fault that they are dead. It the world government's fault. It takes and takes and doesn't care who is killed as long as they can keep their power. Anyone who is a threat to that power is destroyed. I know what it like Luffy to lose everything because of them," Law told her as he wiped her tears.
"How could you possible know what it feels like to lose everything in a single day and then to have what ever new piece of happiness you find taken from you without warning?" Luffy demanded to know.
Suddenly the world began to shift. Law realized that she needed to see that he really did understand. Suddenly they we're surrounded by burning buildings and dead bodies. Luffy looked around in horror the unfamiliar sight that was so much like her own hometown. She then saw two people being shot point blank and a little boy crying over their body. Then she saw the same boy staring in horror at the sight of a group of dead children. Finally she found herself standing in front of a burning building as the boy screamed in agony. Luffy gasped when noticed the hat the boy wore and the familiar stormy gray eyes. She looked up and saw broken look on Law's face.
"They used my people for profit and then killed us off like dogs. I lost my home, my family, and my dreams because of them. But I am a live and I will make them pay for what they did to us. You are a live too Luffy so don't give up. You still have your crew remember that. But also remember why you protect them," Law explained softly as he cupped Luffy's cheek.
Soon the scene began to change around them. They were on a ship with sunset in the distance and calm sea dancing it's light. They were no longer chained by the past. They were both free.
Staring into her eyes things began to come clear. He didn't care if it was foolish. He didn't care if he came to regret it in future. This was their moment here and now. Even if it was only a dream in her mind. Law leaned down toward her slowly giving her a chance to turn away.
Her lips met his half way.