He was drowning, and he knew it. All his struggles were useless. His Devil Fruit dragged him deeper and deeper in, and he couldn't so much as lift a finger. He opened his mouth to call out, but his mouth was just filled, and all that came out was bubbles.
This is it, he thought. This is where I'm going to die.
But, surprisingly, he wasn't afraid, nor was he upset. Instead, he gave a small, peaceful smile. This was it. He was giving up for the first time in his young life.
My only regret is that I didn't see them accomplish their dreams. He closed his eyes, and the darkness seeped into him.
"I already told you, if I can't complete my ambition, I'll gut you myself!"
He cracked open an eye.
Zoro...?
The swordsman was glaring at him with his one open eye, then scoffed and turned away.
"What good is a crew without the captain?"
Nami?
Now his eyes were fully open. The navigator was staring at him with exasperation, but then she looked away.
"Don't start something if you can't end it."
Sanji...
The cook was staring at him in disappointment, then blew out a cloud of smoke, hiding his face.
"I wish I could lie to you now... but you're failing at your job right now."
Usopp.
The sniper stood, arms crossed, and refused to look at him, face set in a frown.
"I can't heal your mental wounds... but you can. But only if you want to heal."
Chopper.
The reindeer was looking at him with sadness, then he turned away as if he couldn't bear to look him in the eye.
"I didn't follow so you could leave me behind."
Robin.
The archaeologist seemed to not notice she had spoken aloud, because she kept her eyes trained on the book in her hand.
"I'm just the super shipwright... but even I can tell when you've just dropped all our dreams in the mud."
Franky.
The 'super' shipwright sniffed, staring up at the sky while avoiding his eyes.
"How are you going to keep your promise to Laboon now? Yohohoho..."
Brook.
The musician just played a single note softly on his violin, his sightless sockets aimed below him.
He looked around at the faces of his friends- no, his family. They wouldn't meet his eyes, and he understood why.
He had given up on himself. And if he gave up on himself, he gave up on them.
It was a major disappointment, to have your captain not have faith in you.
In a sudden burst of determination, he surged upwards, out of the water, and their eyes lit up considerably. He raised his arms up, grasping for the edge of the depression he had fallen in. But he couldn't quite reach, and he slipped and fell back. The black water swished in glee, reaching up to pull in it's victim.
But before he could hit the water, a hand grasped his wrist, then another, and a few more. He opened his eyes, looking down at the water that crashed more ferociously beneath him, then he looked up.
They were all there, holding him up, pulling him over the edge. He fell to the ground, sighing in relief. The ground was white, though it felt like feathery grass under him. He stared at his familys' faces, grinning widely.
"Stupid. As if we'd let you bail out on us like that," Zoro snorted, crossing his arms. Luffy didn't answer, though he smiled even brighter. Zoro's face twitched, though he refrained from smiling back.
"Honestly! You'd think you didn't expect us to save you!" Nami huffed. There were a few more agreements, though some were just small murmurs.
"I... I didn't know if you'd be able to find me," Luffy confessed, sitting up and hugging his knees. He missed the glances his family sent to each other.
"You thought we wouldn't notice that you had just disappeared like that?" Usopp said flatly. Luffy hesitated at the tone, but nodded.
"We would never forget about you! Idiot!" Sanji smacked Luffy upside the head, though it wasn't very effective. Luffy smiled apologetically.
"I know," he said simply, "but I thought you guys didn't care anymore." There were a few shocked gasps, but Luffy just kept that same smile on his face.
It was then they realized just how broken Luffy really was. He hadn't recovered from Ace's death at all- far from it. He just became worse over time, losing faith in himself and his friends. And now it was probably too late to fix him.
End! That was harder than I thought... .-.
Lame ending, yes, but at least I tried.
Until next time~!
~Captain Luffy