A/N: Hey everyone, time for the next chapter! I know last chapter didn't end on such a good note, and with how many reviews I got of you guys freaking out I hope I did a good job in easing your terrified souls this chapter! Sorry for scaring you all, but it was necessary, after all, I gotta keep you guys on your toes, always guessing what's gonna happen next, and that, while there can be happy, good times, or even sad, miserable times, there can also be times where everything goes to absolute (excuse my French) shit, and you feel terrified for a character. Anyways, this chapter will definitely make a lot of you happy, as well as get the future crew one step closer to getting back to their time! I planned out the rest of the chapters, and from what I outlined there should be close to 10 more chapters. If I had to guess it would be in the 8-12 range, but most likely 10 if everything goes how I plan it too. With that said, were about halfway through this story, but that doesn't mean the excitement ends here! I've got much more planned, so get ready for that! Anyways, without further ado, lets get on with this chapter and end this immensely long A/N!
The crew didn't know how far, or how long they ran, silence and a depressing air hanging heavily around all of them. The past members, Cat Burglar, and Sniper had been in the lead, and were the first ones to slow down, Black Leg, Robin, and Franky pulling Chopper following soon after along with Brook, Ace and Sabo, and finally Roronoa. No one dared speak, the only thing heard being their pants of exhaustion and sniffles from Cat Burglar and Tony, though many others had tears falling as well.
Eventually they caught their breath and began staring awkwardly at each other, no one wanting to be the first to speak. Naturally the future members turned to Roronoa who's arms were crossed, a deep frown on his face and his good eye narrowed. With Monkey gone Roronoa was the next in charge, the one they would listen to, until Monkey came back.
Because he had to come back.
Ace and Sabo were silent, though leaning heavily on each other emotionally wise. They would never outright show their feelings as expressively as others, but they did through their tense posture, their dark scowls, and the sadness and guilt flowing in their eyes as they glanced back to where they had ran from.
Roronoa closed his eye, sighing, and opened it, gaining everyone's attention.
"We should keep moving, try and put as much distance as we can between us." Roronoa said gruffly, and everyone nodded their silent agreement, still not wanting to speak as they resumed their movement at a much slower, yet still steady and progressive, pace. Every once in a while members would turn to look behind them, hoping to see the childish captain running towards them, smile spread across his face as he stated that he took down the enemy with no problem, but every time they looked there was only sand.
Vivi was distraught, not knowing if she should be mad at Monkey for making them leave, or awed by his strength and bravery, his will to protect his friends and family. Her previous thoughts on whether or not to trust Robin flew out the window and seemed small and petty to the things she was worrying about now. The princess truly wanted to be mad at the Captain for forcing them to run like that, but she knew, if she had been in that situation, where she was fighting an enemy she knew her kingdom couldn't win against, she would want her citizens to run as well, she would happily stay behind and stall the enemy for as long as she could so they could get to safety. What kind of hypocrite would she be if she got mad at him then?
Luffy was also having mixed feelings on what he had witnessed. He was himself, and no amount of time in the future would change that. He would always love and cherish his nakama, would do anything and everything to keep them safe, which was why it was so perplexing to see himself doing exactly what he would end up doing. It was an extremely odd thing to watch a person who was supposed to be you sacrifice themselves to save you... Themselves? Ah! This whole future thing is confusing, and his heads getting hot from all this thinking, so maybe he should stop and try to keep his nakama safe instead, and worry about his future self later.
Zoro shook his head as he watched his Captain turn red from over thinking, knowing the boy must be thinking about what his future self had done. He, himself, was also having mixed feelings, wanting to stay behind and help his Captain, but when he gave that order he had to obey, just like his future self had. He was loyal, and he knew his future self was doing everything he could to follow Captains Orders and keep everyone safe at the same time.
As everyone continued walking it began getting darker and colder to the point that Chopper and Tony were back up and running and everyone else was freezing and making camp, Ace and Sabo providing a fire.
"So... What's our next plan of action?" Cat Burglar asks as everyone huddled up to the fire. They looked to Roronoa and the first mate frowned.
"Same as it always was, work on getting home and keeping as much distance between us and that bastard as possible." Roronoa said. Tony frowned, shuffling slightly.
"B-But... what about Monkey?" He asked softly, scared for the answer. Roronoa looked at Tony, gaze softening ever so slightly at the sight of the scared reindeer.
"Im sure he'll be fine, he's Monkey after all." Roronoa said, and even with Roronoas reminder of Monekys odd way of bouncing back from anything it still didn't put everyone at ease.
"Did I ever tell you about the time that I took down a whole kingdom to save a princess?!" Sniper suddenly asked, trying to lighten the mood and distract as many as he could from the danger they, and their Captain, were in. He succeeded in gaining most everyone's attention, whether they listened because they thought it was the truth (Chopper, Tony, and Luffy) or because they wanted to distract themselves (Everyone else). The only ones not distracted were Ace, Sabo and Roronoa, the two brothers still swimming in guilt and shame and the first mate wondering if his Captain really was ok. He couldn't wait for a week to pass, for everything to be back to normal, and he would remember how worried he was and scold himself for not trusting in his Captain like he should have.
As the hours passed the members slowly drifted off, one by one, until only Ace and Sabo were left awake, sick with worry and guilt.
"Were horrible brothers." Sabo moaned out. Ace nodded in agreement.
"The worst." He mumbled dryly, not having the energy to put effort into his words.
"Im worse though, I went and disappeared for over a decade, made you two believe I was dead, forgot about you, and when I finally got my memories back I had lost a brother. You died not knowing I was alive, you died thinking you left Luffy alone in this world, and I hate myself for putting you two through that. I finally got my memories, I was damn lucky I still had one brother, and now, after all this time, I've gone and left Luffy to fight all by himself." Sabo said, tears filling his eyes.
"Yeah, but Im the one who went and, apparently, got Luffy to go fight in a war!" Ace said painfully.
"But Im the one who left you to raise him all by yourself!" Sabo nearly shouted back.
"Well Im the one who almost killed him by watching him fight a bear by himself!" Ace said back, voice also raised.
"I let him go and fight a shichibukai by himself, even after he was way past his limits!" Sabo retorted.
"Im about to let him go fight a shichibuaki when he doesn't even know about haki!" Ace countered. The two were glaring heatedly at each other, tears of frustration still present in both of their eyes.
"Yeah?! Well-" Sabo was cut off when Luffy suddenly stumbled in between the two of them and plopped down in the middle, laying down and wrapping his arms around the both of them.
"Your both the best brothers." Luffy mumbled, effectively silencing the two brothers as their eyes watered more, the two of them wrapping their arms around Luffy as well and drifting off. Off to the side Roronoa smiled slightly, peeking his eye open and sitting up, stretching and yawning, grabbing his katana and heading off toward Monkeys presence, silently and carefully stepping around his sleeping crewmates.
He had a Captain to go retrieve.
"Your foolish if you think those pirates will escape me Son of Dragon!" Akainu growled out, the sun blazing on the two opponents as the last member, Roronoa, ran off, following Ace and SAbo.
"Maybe I am, but you're the idiot who thinks your gonna get to them!" Monkey shouts, determined to keep his nakama safe from this bastard as he raises his fists in an x-shape and used haki to block from a magma infused punch. The two were practically equal, with all the training Monkey did during and after the 2 year separation, and they effortlessly blocked each others attacks, though gaining an upper hand was difficult. They may be equal but Monkey had things he had to protect, a reason why he couldn't lose, no matter what, but eventually they would tire, eventually one of them would run out of stamina, and that was when the true end to this even match would come, and Monkey hoped he would be the winner in the end of this death match.
A gum gum pistol that missed by a centimeter, a Dai Funka hitting an armored shoulder, pushing Monkey back a bit, a whip easily jumped over, and an Inugami Guren that Monkey has to concentrate on to dodge the raining magma, shifting from foot to foot, tilting forward and back. The attacks continued on, and slowly, they were slowing down. After hours of fighting, the hot desert sun setting, the two opponents were still going, but what was once a gum gum bazooka was now a tad weaker. Akainu took advantage of Monkeys slowing down and melted his form into a pool of magma, causing Monkey to jump back in attempts to keep from touching the fiery liquid. The magma that was now pooled at Monkeys feet sprang upwards, like a geyser, and magma began to literally rain down to the point that Monkey couldn't even dodge seeing as there was no spot that was untouched by the burning rain.
As best he could Monkey protected the top of his head and shoulders with haki, but his cardigan caught fire in some spots where a drop of magma touched (He had thrown aside his gear for walking through the desert long ago). It got to the point that the cardigan wasn't even a cardigan anymore and Monkey shrugged off the barely attached sleeves, doing the same to his sandals that had melted at the bottom from stepping on the hot magma puddles forming. He made his way over to an area that hadn't been attacked too much, meaning there wasn't as many magma puddles to dodge, and watched as the rain slowly stopped, an eerie silence surrounding him. He was panting from the exhaustion of walking through a hot desert and now from fighting and began using his haki, trying to locate the magma man. The puddles around him slowly began to join and form one bigger puddle that once again shot into the sky, too fast for him to keep track of in his exhaustion. Before he could try and locate the magma man he sensed a punch from behind him, but before he could fully get out of the way there was a searing pain in his shoulder. Reeling away from the man who had formed behind him he grasped his shoulder, ignoring the burn it gave his hand as he hissed in pain. Lifting his hand he found that it wasn't too bad a wound, but it still hurt like hell and he couldn't move his left arm now without pain. The wound was actually on fire from the magma, cauterizing the wound, and the dripping magma was burning the rest of his arm, leaving it immovable, impossible to use. He glared at the man, if he could be called that when he did such dishonorable things as attack from behind.
"Don't you see it yet? You will die here!" Akainu growled out, shooting forward towards Monkey who once again barely dodged, the shoulder pain making it harder to fight.
"I don't think so you bastard!" Monkey shouted defiantly, sending out a heavy blast of conquering kings haki, causing Akainu to stumble and start sweating profusely, more so then they had been from the heat and the battle.
Using this to his advantage Monkey coated his right fist in haki and shot forward the strongest pistol he could, Akainu being sent flying backwards. Recovering from the haki and the hit Akainu stood up shakily, brushing his jacket off and glaring.
"You and that devil spawn were never supposed to be born." He growled, aiming to push Monkeys buttons.
"You don't get to decide who should live or die!" Monkey shouted, and Akainu grinned.
"Oh, don't I? If I remember correctly I was the one who decided that brother of yours die, and I was also the one to kill him. I'll also be the one to kill him again, along with you. He was always a weakling, someone who was easily dealt with." Akainu sneered, and Monkey felt the rage build.
"And that other brother of yours, a revolutionary. It seems everyone you know is a weakling, not to mention someone who deserves to die." Akainu continued, until Monkey charged at him again, only able to send one armed attacks now, which Akainu was getting better at dodging, his energy coming back.
"Shut up you damn bastard! You don't know anything about us! Your sense of judgment is stupid and you're the one who shouldn't live!" Monkey shouted. Akainu scoffed.
"What do you know of Justice, pirate?!" He shouted, sending a magma punch to Monkey's chest. Monkey couldn't completely cover the area in haki, and as a result he got another wound on his side. Much like his shoulder wound it wasn't too bad, but it hurt like hell and dripped magma that hurt the rest of his side and a little of his right leg. He was getting wounded, he was getting tired, and he was running low on haki. Monkey had to start prolonging this as long as he could, but with Akainu egging him on he became more reckless, made bad moves, got hurt more. Taking a calming breath Monkey closed his eyes, evading the attacks sent his way with his observation haki until he got a little bit of his stamina back.
"Gear Second." He growled, his body gaining a reddish tint and steam beginning to rise from his rubbery skin. His glare intensified and he used his speed to confuse Akainu, moving in circles around the man until he wasn't able to find him, despite the Admirals haki. With that he began attacking, sending jet pistols infused with haki to Akainus head, chest, arms, anything he could, landing most of the hits and causing the man to fall to a knee, a glare on his face. When his attacks stopped Monkey caught his breath, Gear second going away. The two opponents glared at each other, trying to gain their breath, Akainu spitting blood, Monkeys skin still burning from the magma in his wounds.
"I will destroy-" Akainu's words were cut off when he suddenly fell, Monkey freezing in confusion. He hadn't won, he knew that much. Whatever just happened wasn't because of him. Akainu still had energy, and Monkeys punches weren't enough to knock the man out, despite his trying. He grew more confused as the man slowly became transparent, and Monkey watched as he started to vanish, eventually leaving nothing behind except for a spot of blood that he had spit out. After waiting a minute to make sure the man didn't reappear and attack Monkey fell, staring at the stars that were starting to form in the sky. He hadn't won, but he could live with that until he was stronger, and then he would fight Akainu again, and then he would win.
After what felt like an hour of laying on the sand of Alabasta Monkey decided he should probably try and head back to his crew. It was getting to be freezing in the desert and Monkeys wounds were aching. Tony would freak out once he saw him, but he knew his Doctor would patch him up. Feeling a presence getting closer Monkey smiled.
"Took you long enough! Im starting to freeze!" Monkey whined, still staring at the stars. He heard a chuckle behind him and he sighed in relief.
"Well Captain, you weren't exactly closeby." Roronoas voice calmed Monkey, and he knew he was going to be ok. His crew was going to be safe.
"Tonys gonna have a lot to say when he sees all this." Roronoa says, standing above Monkey, arms crossed as he raises an eyebrow at Monkeys wounds. Monkey laughs tiredly.
"Yeah, but that bastards tough." Monkey said, pouting. Roronoa smirked, rolling his eye.
"Come on, lets get you back then." He said, going to pick Monkey up from the sandy ground.
"Careful, there's still magma in the wounds." Monkey said, and Roronoa nodded, picking his Captain up, putting him on his back, and grabbing the discarded clothes Monkey had thrown away. They made their way through the desert in silence, enjoying each others company, until Monkey spoke.
"Thanks Roronoa." He said simply, adding no more, but nothing else was needed, and Roronoa simply nodded in response.
"No problem, Captain, but no more stupid stunts like that, everyone was worried about you." Roronoa chastised, and Monkey laughed, though didn't say anything. Roronoa sighed, shaking his head, because he knew, despite him saying that, his Captain would do it again if he felt the need to. It was around midnight when the two finally made their way back to the camp and Roronoa placed Monkey down, going over to Tony and shaking him gently awake.
"Oi, Tony, we got a patient here." Roronoa said bluntly, Monkey laughing in the background.
"Hmm, wha-?" Tony mumbled, slowly waking up, blinking slowly, groggy. He sat up, rubbing his eye and glancing around.
"Hey there Tony!" Monkey said cheerfully, waving from where he laid on the ground. Tony blinked slowly for a minute, a smile slowly forming.
"Oh, hey Monkey, welcome back- MONKEY! YOUR BACK!" Tony suddenly shouted, fully awake now and rushing to his Captains side as he remembered him sacrificing himself for them. Tonys shout woke the others and they began complaining, though were ignored by Tony, Roronoa, and Monkey. Tony had immediately began fretting over the wounds Monkey had, scolding him for being careless, and scolding Roronoa for putting him on the sandy ground where he could have gotten the wounds dirty.
"Tony, What's going on?" Cat Burglar asked, yawning.
"-And how could you let this magma drip like that?! It could have damaged your arm even more then it already is! And your side! You have to stop being so reckless!" Tony demanded, having Roronoa put Monkey on a blanket as he began cleaning the wounds the best he could, using water to put out the flames still licking his wounds and to get rid of the extra magma still oozing.
"Monkey?!" Cat Burglar shouted, gaining the others attention as everyone cheered in happiness, rushing over to Monkey and surrounding him.
"You idiot! Im raising your debt 20% For that stunt!" Cat Burglar cried.
"I wasn't worried at all, I knew you would win!" Sniper shouted confidently, hiding his tears.
"I-Im not crying! I swear!" Franky said, most obviously crying.
"Yohohoho~! This calls for a song!" Brook laughed happily, already holding his violin.
"Shitty Captain, worrying us for nothing." Black Leg said, lighting a cigarette, a smile on his face.
"Good to see you alive Captain." Robin said, also smiling. The past members were also relieved, Chopper helping to clean Monkey's wounds, Sniper laughing heartily and joining in on Brooks song, Sanji grinning, Nami wiping tears from her eyes, and Luffy laughing loudly, Zoro closing his eyes, a constant frown on his face, though thoroughly relieved to see Monkey alive and, for the most part, ok. Vivi was also smiling and wiping tears from her face, though she stood a little further away, sensing the crew needed to be close to their Captain. Monkey just smiled happily, laughing as he took in the faces of his crew, past and present, happy to see they were safe.
"Was goin' on?" Ace asked, sleep slurring his words. He glanced around, noticing everyone surrounding something, and he immediately woke up, punching Sabo.
"Ow! What the hell?!" Sabo asked, waking up, rubbing his arm, though Ace was already gone, going to see what he hoped was his brother in the middle of the commotion. Sabo, seeing this, ran after Ace, hope filling him as well, though also dread. What if his brother was back, but not ok?
These thoughts were pushed away, though, when he saw Monkey lying there, Chopper and Tony treating his shoulder and side, grinning and laughing happily, like there wasn't a care in the world. Sabo sighed in immense relief, a weight lifting from his shoulder as he smiled widely, falling to sit beside Monkey. Ace had a much different reaction.
"You damn idiot! Don't do stupid stuff like that! What kind of request was that for us to run?! Your lucky your being treated or I'd have to beat some sense into you!" Ace shouted in anger, though the relief on his face clued everyone into how he truly felt. Monkey just continued to laugh, turning to him and Ace.
"Sorry for worrying you!" He said cheerily, and all anger melted from Ace at the sight of his brother, ok and alive.
"I want worried you idiot." Ace mumbled, and this time everyone laughed.
"Good to see your ok Monkey." Sabo said, ruffling Monkey's hair. Monkey beamed at him and Tony and Chopper sat back.
"Alright, that's the best we could do, no fighting until those are fully healed, got it?! And no stretching your arm either, or else it'll take longer to heal! Your lucky those were just grazes, and you didn't lose too much blood either because the wounds were immediately cauterized from the magma. You should be fine by tomorrow with your rate of healing." Tony said, Monkey smiling and nodding.
"Great! Black Leg! Meat!" Monkey shouted happily. Black Leg rolled his eyes, although he still smiled.
"Its the middle of the night idiot, why don't you sleep?" He asked, though he was already going to get the supplies.
"I'll light another fire." Ace said, moving to the fire which had gone out during their sleep. It became a small celebration by then, a fire going, Brook playing music, and everyone laughing and enjoying the night, not even feeling the cold of the night.
With their Captain, Brother, and friend back, they all felt invincible.