Mist of Memories

by HeroR

Guilt, regret, if left alone these feelings will consumed even the strongest of souls. That is the reality the Strawhats face as they go into their captain's memories to save their precious crewmate. To free their captain's from his guilt, they must first understand the depths of his pain and loss.

37. Broken

And here we are, another chapter for the week. This one maybe very different from what you expected. As always, thanks again to Cana-Puff and Mon Esprit Libre for checking this chapter. Also, thanks to all of you, this chapter surpassed the 1.5 thousand mark. Your support is welcome and encourages me to keep improving this story.

Special Warning: This chapter have a lot of calls back to Perchance to Dream. For those who have not read that story, there will be a summary at the end of this chapter. I attempted to make the text in the story as friendly as possible for those who had not read that story, but Mon Esprit Libre has informed me that I have failed miserably.

Anyway, to the chapter.

---

Chapter 37: Broken

---

As the Strawhats were left in darkness, they could only stare at their captain with a mixture of sadness, guilt, and anger. How could Luffy get like this without them knowing? It was as those men said; Luffy went through hell alone. It was actually a small mercy that Luffy had lost consciousness. At the very least, it delayed the anguish he was going to be in, both mentally and physically.

Without thinking or saying a word, the crew started to settle around Luffy like a human shield. Even if this was just a memory, they wanted to be close to Luffy, so he would feel their presence. It may have come too late, but they wanted Luffy to know that they were with him.

They were too lost in their own regret and guilt to speak to one another as they waited for either Luffy to awaken or for the memory to change. After all they had seen and experienced, everyone was emotionally exhausted. The ball of light was correct when it warned them about coming into Luffy's memories. They were indeed filled with darkness and heartbreak for which the Strawhats were unprepared. They now knew what happened to Luffy when he was separated from them. Now, they almost wished they didn't.

No one on the crew knew how long they sat in silence before Luffy stirred in his sleep and the heart monitor began to beat more rapidly.

"Hey, he's waking up," Usopp said in a hopeful voice as he stood up.

Luffy twitched and his eyes tightened. Sweat also built on his face and his breathing became hasher.

"He appears to be pain," Robin said in concern.

"Could it be from his injuries?" Chopper asked, going into doctor mode. He wished he could examine Luffy. Why did those people leave Luffy alone? Law should know better. He maybe a top-notch doctor, but his bedside manner sucked.

"Ace..." The crew heard Luffy's voice whisper from seemed like everywhere.

The Strawhats looked around in confusion.

"Wasn't that Luffy's voice?" Sanji asked.

Chopper looked at his unconscious captain. "Impossible. He's still asleep. Plus, he can't talk with that mask on his face."

"Ace..." Luffy voice returned, a little stronger this time.

Robin's eyes widened. "We are listening to Luffy's thoughts."

"That explains the strange echo in his voice," Zoro said.

"But we could never directly hear Luffy's thoughts before," Usopp said in confusion.

"This could be just what Luffy's remembered while lying here, making it part of the memory," Nami guessed. She was becoming worried as she looked down at her captain. It looked like Luffy was trying to move, but his body remained in place.

"Ace...are you there?" Luffy asked in a pleading voice. "Where are you?"

Brook could feel something break within him. Those pleas… They were so much like his own when his crew was killed.

"Please answer me... Please...don't go... Don't leave me alone," Luffy continued to plead in a broken voice. "Please...without you... I don't want to be alone again. Don't leave me too, like Sabo."

The Strawhats could feel their tears return as they listened to Luffy begged to his dead brother to come back to him. They wanted to comfort their captain, but he was beyond their reach. It was a memory. This was just an image of things that have already past. Nothing could be done. They could only watch Luffy's suffering.

"You promised me… You promised not to die... You can't leave me alone like this," Luffy's voice rose in volume. The words sounded partly angry, but they were mostly scared. "This can't be real. Please…tell me this isn't real. Please let it all be a dream. Ace...Ace...Ace...please don't go away. Who would I have left in the world? You're...my sun."

Luffy was now crying rivers in his sleep and winced in anguish. His breathing and heart had sped up and he shifted slightly in bed.

"Luffy...we're here," Nami said barely above a whisper. "You still have us. You're not alone."

Luffy couldn't hear her as his eyes tightened. "THIS CAN'T BE HAPPENING! I WON'T ACCEPT THIS!"

The memory shifted and they saw an image of Ace's final moments. Fire surrounded everything and Luffy sat on his knees as he watched helplessly as his brother was impaled by Akainu's fist.

A smell suddenly assaulted the Strawhats. For some of the crewmembers, it was an unfamiliar wretched stench that made them cover their noses and caused their stomachs to clench.

For others like Sanji, Zoro, Chopper, and Robin, they knew that smell. It was the smell of burning flesh and blood.

"ACE!" Luffy shouted as the memory shattered.

Suddenly, Luffy's eyes snapped open and he gave a loud, piercing scream, causing the Strawhats to jump back in surprise as they returned from the previous memory. The screams were so loud that it reverberated across the steel walls, making the crew cover their ears. It almost felt like Luffy was going to burst their eardrums.

Luffy frantically tore out his IVs and his breathing mask as he continued to scream like a crazed animal. He knocked over the IV stands and busted the monitors during his struggle.

"Luffy, please calm down. You're going to hurt yourself," Chopper ordered out of instinct as he reached to restraint Luffy. He passed right through his captain when he attempted to touch him.

The door to the infirmary burst open and several pirates came running into the room. They saw Luffy attempting to get out bed and rushed to stop him.

It all ended in failure as Luffy flung the men off of him and jumped out of bed. He stumbled around like a zombie as he made his way out of the infirmary.

"Strawhat, calm down!" one of the pirates pleaded.

Luffy didn't seem to hear him as he stared with crazed, unseeing eyes. "Ace...where's Ace!?" he screamed as he ran down the hallway like a madman.

Several more people attempted to stop his rampage, but Luffy refused to be held down. He was a man possessed as he punched, kicked, and manhandled the Heart Pirates.

"He just woke up from a coma and he's throwing Law's men around like they're rookies," Franky said in awe.

"They've got to stop him!" Chopper yelled in panic. "Luffy is going to tear his wounds open and bleed to death if he keeps this up!"

"Why don't they just sedate him?" Nami asked as she watched Luffy wreck the submarine. If he puts a hole in the metal, everyone onboard would drown, including Luffy.

Chopper growled in frustration. "They should have sedatives. Luffy should have been sedated from the start."

After a moment of knocking more of the Heart Pirates around, Luffy suddenly jumped and tore a hole through the metal roof like it was made of paper. The memory shifted and the Strawhats were now standing outside. They appeared to be on a tropical island.

"This is...Amazon Lily," Nami said as she recognized their surroundings.

It made sense when she thought about it. After seeing how mortally wounded Luffy was, Hancock would direct Traffy to bring him to her home. With Amazon Lily being the kingdom of one of the Warlords, the marines wouldn't think to search for Luffy here. At the same time, she wondered how Hancock managed to find Traffy while the marines were unable to.

While Nami was musing on her question, Luffy busted through the roof of the submarine. He landed clumsily and hard on his head and rolling several times.

With the light of the sun, the Strawhats could really get a good look at Luffy. He was covered in bandages to the point where he looked like a mummy. The most frightening thing about Luffy, however, were his eyes. They were wild and dilated, like he wasn't seeing anything clearly. He literally looked insane.

Nearby were Law and Jimbei, who were staring worriedly at Luffy. They made no sudden moves. They were most likely afraid of startling him.

"Huh, why is he out here? Shouldn't he be inside, looking after his patient?" Franky asked as he looked at Law.

Chopper gave Law a disapproving glare. This was why he should have given Luffy a sedative and had someone watch him at all times. Still, he couldn't bring himself to judge Law too harshly. He had saved their captain.

Sanji eyes went past Law and saw Luffy's strawhat sitting on a nearby rock. The hat was, remarkably, undamaged. In fact, that hat came out better than Luffy after the war. He briefly wondered how Law got the hat. It seemed lost after that Akainu bastard burnt the string.

After a moment of thought, he realized that Shanks must have returned the hat to Luffy somehow. No one else at Marineford except Buggy knew the importance of that strawhat.

Although, what troubled him was that Luffy didn't care about his hat. He never once asked for it the entire time he had been awake. That was disturbing. For Luffy to be so out of it that he wouldn't even think of his precious hat was something he didn't think was possible. He nearly had a panic attack when he thought he lost it in Alabasta after he woke up from his three-day coma.

Zoro got a good look at Law's expression and raised an eyebrow.

For the short time he had known Law this was the first time he had seen the other man look unnerved, outside dealing with his crew's quirks. He appeared genuinely scared for Luffy. There was also something else. There was a glint of sympathy in his eyes.

Luffy stared right past Jimbei and Law, and looked into the nearby jungle. He didn't even seem to realize that they were there. "Ace...Ace...where's Ace!?" he continued to scream in pure panic.

The Heart Pirates attempted to calm Luffy down, but the half-crazed rubber captain threw them aside like they were rag dolls. They could have taken the weakened and sickened pirate down, but they were trying to be gentle. If they were too rough, they risked reopening his wounds.

"Be careful," Law warned his crew. "If his wounds open, he will die." He tapped his sword, almost like he was contemplating using his ability to cut Luffy's limbs off to subdue him.

Jimbei gave Law a disapproving look, as if telling the future Warlord that dismembering Luffy would not help their current situation.

After tossing most of Law's crew into the air, Luffy ran into the jungle, continuing to scream Ace's name frantically.

"He's delusional," Chopper noted, going into doctor mode for a moment. It was the only way he knew to keep himself calm. "It's most likely an aftereffect from being in a coma for such a long period of time. He also still has a high fever and risk making himself sicker."

"He's going to kill himself if he keeps going like that!" Usopp yelled in worry. He then glared at Law. "Why isn't he going after Luffy!?"

"He probably figures that there is no point in trying to pacify Luffy until he calms down on his own," Robin surmised.

"Follow him!" Zoro ordered as the Strawhats ran after their rampaging captain.

By the time they found Luffy, he had torn apart most of the surrounding area. Trees were broken in half, rocks were thrown and shattered, and the ground was ripped opened in some places. It looked like a tornado had passed through.

"Luffy can still do all of this despite being so heavily wounded?" Usopp muttered in awe.

Luffy was standing in a clearing and was attempting to catch his breath. Blood covered his mouth and hands, showing that he had hurt himself doing his rampage. His eyes started to focus as the rubber captain slowly returned to reality.

Chopper gave a small sigh in relief. The injuries to his limbs were minor and could easily be mended.

Luffy looked into the sky as he attempted to clear his mind. "Where am I? Was it all a dream after all?"

The Strawhats' hearts broke when they heard the faint hope in their captain's voice. It almost did seem like the war in Marineford was only a nightmare, compared to the peaceful atmosphere of Amazon Lily. The sun was shining, and birds chirping could be heard in the distance. It was almost like a mirror of when Luffy first arrived on this island.

Luffy suddenly winced and a loud ringing noise filled the memory. Luffy bowed his head and covered his ears as the ringing got louder.

Before the Strawhats could figure out what was going on, they again saw the memory of Ace dying at Marineford.

"I'm sorry…Luffy. Just for me...you did all that crazy stuff...but...I couldn't let you save me properly. I'm...so sorry..." Ace's fading voice whispered.

The memory dissipated as quickly as it came and Luffy was left screaming as he grabbed his head. Ace's last words echoed in the air, causing Luffy to yell louder as fell onto his back and trembled around like a turtle on its back. The Strawhats saw a vision of Luffy holding Ace's dying body as he bled into his arms and hands.

Luffy looked at his bandaged hands and was horrified to see them drenched in blood. It was Ace's blood.

This broke something within Luffy and he banged his head violently against rocks, trees, and anything else he could find.

"Luffy!" Nami, Usopp, and Chopper yelled in distress as they moved to stop him. Just like all the time other times, they couldn't touch him.

"Disappear! Disappear!" Luffy screamed desperately as he attempted rid himself of the images torturing his mind. The memory, however, wouldn't go away no matter how much rubber captain pleaded. The memory of Ace's death kept repeating itself in an endless loop, tearing to shreds the last bit of Luffy's sanity.

Brook balled his fists so tightly that his bones cracked. He knew too well what Luffy was experiencing. How many times had he suffered waking nightmares of his crew's deaths? How many times he watched his friends die as they collapsed onto the deck, succumbing to poison?

Nami was in tears as she watched the unceasing hallucinations of Ace's final moments. She understood her captain's anguish as she cried with him. For years, she had nightmares and flashbacks of Bellmère's death so real that it was like reliving the event. It was so bad that just hearing a firecracker or hearing a gunshot would make her relive the moment Arlong murdered her mother. It was especially hard during those nights where she was forced to draw maps for Arlong in the darkness of her prison.

Franky cried loudly as he watched Luffy hurt himself in an effort to make the memories stop. To ease some of that emotional pain that was ripping his soul apart. How many times had he wanted to do this to himself back in Water 7? To pray to any god that existed that what happened to Tom was all just a long, terrible dream. That he would wake up and his family would be whole again.

Although Franky never witnessed the death of his father figure and mentor, seeing Tom being carried away on his own seatrain into hell because of how careless he was with his shipbuilding was almost the same as watching him die. It hurt. It hurt far more than when the seatrain had slammed into him.

Zoro could do nothing as he watched his captain and friend tear his own body apart. He remembered having a similar reaction when he heard about Kuina's untimely death. His rage was far more selfish. At the time, he was angry with Kuina for dying on him and breaking their vow. The fact that his childhood friend and inspiration was gone didn't even occur to him until months after her death.

Robin simply let tears fall from her eyes.

"Stop it!" Luffy begged with his own mind as he watched Ace die over and over again in a merciless loop. He thought he was going insane. "Disappear! DISAPPEAR!" He lifted a giant boulder over his head and threw it into a small mountain, breaking it into pieces.

After several minutes of Luffy destroying everything within his sight, he started to calm down as the images finally faded. He fell to his knees and attempted to catch his breath. He had completely worn himself out.

Without warning, however, Luffy grabbed his cheek and viciously pulled it. It looked like was trying to rip his own cheek off.

Being rubber, it was nearly physically impossible for him to hurt himself in that way, but that didn't stop Chopper from running towards his captain and attempting to stop him. Chopper became even more worried when he saw that Luffy's cheek was beginning to bleed violently.

A low familiar clicking sound got the remaining Strawhats' attention. They turned to see Jimbei walking steadily towards Luffy. His face was grim and serious as he stopped a few feet in front of the captain. Like Luffy, he had bandages covering his entire chest. Although, given what he had been through, the crew was somewhat surprised to see Jimbei looking so well.

Luffy glared at the fishman as he wheezed for air. His eyes were completely bloodshot and void.

"The war has ended," Jimbei stated neutrally. "Ace is..."

"Don't say it! Don't say another word!" Luffy screamed at Jimbei, stopping the fishman from saying more. He breathed deeply. "I've already...pinched my cheek so hard that it started to bleed! If this was a dream, I would have woken up by now!" He paused before he forced himself to continue. "It's not a dream, isn't it? Ace...died, didn't he!?" he yelled as tears fell from his eyes.

By the almost pleading tone in his voice, the Strawhats knew that Luffy was hoping against hope that Jimbei would tell him that none of it was true. That it was all a nightmare and that Ace was safely recovering somewhere.

Jimbei stared directly at Luffy, refusing to avert his eyes from the shaking boy. The Strawhats could see Jimbei's own eyes building up tears. "Yes, he is dead," he said bluntly.

Luffy's eyes widened as the last of his remaining hope shattered before him. There was no point in denying it anymore. This was reality.

Zoro was the first one to notice how dark his captain's eyes became. The swordsman became deathly afraid when he saw the light, that burning determination and eternal fate in his power, fade from Luffy's eyes. They were the eyes of a man who had died. At that moment, all the life had been sucked out of Luffy and all that was left was an empty, shattered shell.

Luffy sat back on his legs and cried uncontrollably into the sky. It wasn't the immediate crying scream he gave when Ace died. These were the sobs and tears of a young child who had lost his best friend and guiding light.

Luffy looked nothing like the strong, confident, childish captain that led his crew into life threatening situations, took them on wild adventures, and raged against the World Government because they dared to hurt his loved ones. This was a boy that the crew saw before them. It was the same lonely, fragile child that they saw crying under a tree after being rejected by his peers. This time, there was no one around to take him into their arms and comfort him. To tell him that things would get better.

Without thinking, Nami ran to hug Luffy, but passed right through her captain. It was, just like everything else, a memory. She growled in frustration at her helplessness.

This was torture. They could only watched Luffy suffer and they could nothing to help ease his pain. No matter how much Luffy hurt or cried, they couldn't reached him here because these were shadows of things that had already happened.

"Luffy..." Chopper whispered before he cried with his captain. No one should have to go through such agony alone. Especially not Luffy, their savior and friend. It was completely unfair. What had Luffy ever done to deserve such pain?

Luffy slammed his fists several times into the ground as his grief and anguish overtook him. He grabbed his head, but his tears wouldn't stop falling.

The memory shifted slightly again and the Strawhats saw a vision of Luffy on his boat leaving his village. The difference was striking. Seeing Luffy so full of life, hope, and dreams were the exact opposite of the broken form in front of them.

"First, I have to gather a crew. I'd like to have about ten people. And then I need a pirate flag," Luffy in the vision said before he pumped his arms into the air again. "Alright, here I come! I will become the Pirate King!" he screamed for the entire world to hear.

The vision burst like a bubble as the words Pirate King faded in the air like a dying breath.

"Pirate King…? Yeah right!" Luffy yelled in anguish, mocking his own dream and startling the Strawhats.

The memory shifted again and the Strawhats saw the visage of Crocodile. "Listen, you damn brat, the more you get to know these seas, the more you learn not to make impudent statements like that. I have already told you, there are thousands of rookies just like you on these seas, chasing their naïve little dreams. The more you learn about the level of this sea, the more you lose sight of those dreams!"

"Even if I did not touch you guys, death is all that would have awaited you the way you are now! You are nowhere near ready for the New World! Even though you have gathered yourself some fine minions...all will be lost!" the memory of Moriah declared.

"You keep acting tough, even though you don't have any real strength," Dadan's image yelled at Luffy.

"You stupid fool. Why would you go this far? Portgas D. Ace is a felon sentenced to death, and you are an intruder trying to rescue him! I will not forgive any sin! Ace's fated death at Marineford has long since been set in stone! There is nothing you can do about it," the face of Magellan said.

"What can you do if you go there!? Do you not realize Whitebeard's true strength!? Do you not realize the marines' true strength in its admirals, vice-admirals, and the Warlords!?" a visage of Iva screamed at Luffy.

"Willpower alone means nothing without strength," an image of Kizaru said. "Without enough strength, you cannot save anyone no matter how hard you try."

"Straw-chan...you have to save your brother no matter what!" Bon Clay's voiced echoed through the sea of voices and memories. The Strawhats saw an image of Bon Clay's face, smiling at Luffy with all the confidence and fate in the world. "I'm sure you can save your brother!"

"I'm...I'm...I'm...TOO WEAK!" Luffy shouted to the heavens. His cries reverberated across the island.

All the Strawhats, save for Zoro who knew about this moment already, couldn't believe what they just heard.

Had Luffy, their always cheerful and unbreakable captain, just given up on his dream? The dream that he proclaimed everyday like it was his mantra and fought against the world against all odds to achieve? Had the world truly shattered him to that extent? It didn't seem possible.

Luffy hit his head against the rocks again and continued to cry. "I can't be Pirate King! I can't protect anything!"

Through his tears, Luffy cuddled himself on the ground like he was in great pain. Although he was still physically injured, everyone on the crew knew that Luffy's wounds were not the cause of his current suffering. Luffy's anguish over Ace's death had reached a level where it was being translated into physical pain across his body.

Zoro gritted his teeth and felt like crying himself, truly crying for the first time in years. Luffy's words had become all too real for him. His captain really had given up on everything in his moment of despair, and none of them were around to help him. Luffy was on the verge of wanting to destroy himself and where were they, his supposed crew? He was out fighting fucking baboons on some forsaken island.

Robin felt sick seeing Luffy like this. She almost wanted to collapse right beside him. That look on Luffy was the same look of despair that crossed her own face when she resigned her fate to CP9 and when she was in that tomb in Alabasta. At this moment...Luffy had completely lost the will to live. She desperately wanted to hug and comfort him, just like what he did for her back in Water 7, but she could do nothing.

She also now fully understood why they were shown those memories that were not related to Ace, but to them. It was not just to show them the extent of the pain Luffy went through at Sabaody. It was to fully reveal to them the chain of events that finally broke Luffy.

From Sabaody, to Impel Down, to Marineford, Luffy had suffered nothing but defeat. In the span of a week, he had his crew torn away from him and failed to save his brother from prison that cost him the life of a dear friend. To add insult to injury, Luffy learned from the person who had beaten his brother that he was indirectly responsible for everything bad that had happened. Ace's death was just the final straw in a long line of tragedies.

One event alone may have been recoverable after a long healing process, but having everything happen at once finally shattered the boy. The Heart Pirates were right. The government could not have broken a person more perfectly even if they had tried.

Everything that Luffy had gained through his adventures, all his triumphs, happiness, hardships, and confidence…were destroyed in little more than a week. It almost made everything Luffy had done up to that point seem meaningless. That mere thought alone sent Robin into tears. The most cynical part of her mind wondered if this was why Crocodile saved Luffy. She wondered if he knew that the misery that Luffy would be in would be far worse for him than dying, and that's why he had done it.

Nami felt hot tears run down her cheeks as she watched her captain suffer before her. She could see them now. The shadows that were now permanently embedded into Luffy's eyes. They made him looked older. She supposed that he was. With Ace's death came the death of Luffy's innocence, the last real link he had to his childhood.

"Luffy..." Usopp murmured softly as he fell to his knees besides his captain. Like Nami and Robin, he wanted to hug Luffy. To tell him that they were here, that he wasn't alone. "I...I'm sorry, Luffy. I...I should have been here. We...should have been here!"

Franky couldn't even talk. He was too busy crying his eyes out, not bothering to hide or deny his tears. Luffy's pain was so thick that he could physically feel it.

Brook also couldn't find his voice as he watched his captain cry helplessly on the forest's floor. It hurt. The guilt that pulsed through his bones was almost enough to bring him to his knees next to Usopp. What really made Brook feel guilty was that he was happy that it was Ace who had died instead of his captain.

Ace was a good and honorable man who didn't deserve what happened to him, but at the end of the day he really didn't know the young man. Brook had never even met him in life. Everything he knew of Ace was from Luffy's point-of-view.

Luffy was his captain and he would always put his life above all others outside his crew. Even if that justified his reason for being happy because of Ace's death, it didn't make him feel any better. Not when that one death had all but killed their captain's soul.

Luffy banged his fists into the ground again, causing them to bleed even more. He also began to rip some of his bandages off his body. As he attempted to tear his bandages, the Strawhats could see a blood outline of the 'X' scar on his chest.

Chopper almost wanted to yell at Luffy to stop hurting himself, but any words he was going to say died on his lips. It just didn't seem right to speak at the moment. Not when choked sobs wracked his body.

Sanji clenched his hands and shook in rage. Hot tears built in his eyes as he attempted to control his breathing.

Damn all of them. Damn all the people who caused this tragedy. Damn all the people who made Luffy cry like this. If he ever saw Akainu, or whatever the hell his real name was, or that bastard Blackbeard for that matter, he was going to beat both of those shit heads into the ground. He wouldn't kill them. Death was too good for those bastards. He wanted to make them hurt just as much as Luffy was hurting right now.

All the Strawhats were so transfixed by Luffy's grief that they almost failed to notice that the memory began to haze. It wasn't the normal fade or shift the memory usually went through when it was changing or going into a new memory. Instead, it looked like the mist was covering the entire island. Slowly, but steadily, Amazon Lily was taking on the appearance of the unnamed island.

It took the crew several minutes to notice the change as they tore their eyes away from their hurting captain.

"What's happening?" Chopper asked softly as he wiped his eyes. "Is the memory changing?"

"No..." Robin whispered as she started to shiver. It was getting cold.

Brook look unnerved as the mist spread throughout the memory. "The chill of the underworld is here. I...sense death in the air."

Brook's unusually serious and foreboding words frightened Usopp. On top of what was happening with Luffy, they now had to deal with this.

The chill, oddly enough, also affected Luffy. He was still crying, but he was holding his body like he was freezing and the Strawhats could see puffs of air leaving his lips. The mist also seemed to become thicker and wrapped around him like a cocoon, as if it was trying to choke him.

From Luffy's back, the mist converged together and began to take on a humanoid form.

"What...what's going on?" Franky whispered as the mist took formed.

From the mist, a shadowy figure appeared. It looked like a floating shadow with no face and it appeared its entire body was made out of a cloak. The figure was also a bluish-purple with an eerie glow, just like the mist that surrounded it. The strange figure only had one facial feature that could be identified as 'human'. It had two glowing white eyes that appeared to be glaring into Luffy.

"It is here," Robin whispered as her eyes widened. So, it had finally made its appearance known.

"You know that thing?" Zoro asked, confused by everything that was happening. How was Luffy feeling the cold? Wasn't this a memory?

"That was figure that appeared before me in my memory," Robin answered in a harsh voice.

"Mine too!" Usopp yelled in realization. He shivered as he remembered that thing hovering over him with its burning eyes, mocking about what he had done to Luffy back in Water 7.

"That means...that thing is the entity," Nami said, not bothering to hide her anger and hatred. How dare this thing make Luffy relive his lowest moment.

Robin nodded as her own eyes narrowed. "Undoubtedly." She could never forget that thing. Not after it attempted to tear her apart mentally.

"You never saw it?" Usopp asked the swordsman.

Zoro shook his head. "I only heard a voice speaking to me. Nothing like that."

Sanji nodded. "I only heard its voice too."

Luffy started to calm down as he felt the presence of the creature behind him. He didn't immediately move to address the figure since he was still numb from grief and the coldness of the mist surrounding him.

"What do you want?" Luffy asked in a hoarse voice, breaking the awkward silence.

"Did you enjoy your trip down memory lane, Strawhat Luffy?" the entity asked in an almost sarcastic voice.

Luffy slowly turned his head and stared hatefully at the figure. His eyes were bloodshot and dark circles were under his eyes like he hadn't slept in weeks. His lips were also turning blue, most likely from the chill in the air. He was a mere shadow of the strong man the Strawhats knew.

"Why...why did you show me these things? Why did you make me see Ace...die?" Luffy demanded in a choked voice. It sounded like he was trying to sound angry, but it fell completely flat. His voice was hallowed and void of emotion. It sounded almost dead.

Zoro gave a deep inhale when he heard the defeat in Luffy's voice. It sounded like he had already given up.

"Huh, so that's our Luffy and not the memory?" Franky asked in confusion.

"It's Luffy physically from the past, but his soul must have been infused into the memory," Sanji stated. "We all experienced the same thing when were taken by this damn mist."

"Then...how long have we been watching our Luffy?" Nami asked. Had he been with them the entire time? But how was that possible?

"Hm, you did not enjoy seeing Fire Fist Ace nobly sacrificing himself for 'precious' little brother?" the entity asked. He appeared to be smirking. "I thought you would be happy to see your brother one last time. Before he had the hole blown in his chest because he shielded you."

Luffy breathed heavily, but said nothing. All the Strawhats knew, however, that the entity's words sparked anger within their captain. It was a welcome change, though, since Luffy was now showing other emotions besides grief.

"You…" Luffy hissed.

The entity tilted its head. "Why are you angry at me? I was not the one who killed your brother." It paused for effect as it pushed some mist out of its nonexistent face. The entity then stared accusingly at Luffy. "You were."

Luffy was struck by his words as his breaths puffed out into the mist. All his anger drained as shock overtook his face.

"What the hell is that thing talking about!?" Franky yelled in outrage.

Robin narrowed her eyes. "It is exactly what he tried to do to all of us. It is trying to shift all the blame of what happened to Ace onto Luffy."

Zoro sneered as he took out his swords. "That bastard!" Without thinking, he charged the entity. He passed right through the creature. Its body really was made from the mist.

"The hell!?" Sanji exclaimed as he attempted to kick the entity. Like Zoro, his attacks passed harmlessly through it. It was like the entity was a logia. "Why can't we touch it!? With our Haki, we should be able to touch its true body!"

"The entity must be infused into the memory in such a way that makes it inaccessible to us," Robin theorized with a note of panic.

"It's more than that. This entity...is a being from the underworld," Brook said in fear as the full realization hit him. "As mere mortals, we can't harm it. Because it...it is already dead."

Usopp gave a loud scream. "You...you mean that thing is a ghost!?"

"It's either a ghost or a spirit of some type," Brook said. "Still, a creature of the underworld shouldn't have this kind of power."

"Who cares about that!? How the hell are we supposed to beat this thing if we can't even touch it!?" Zoro yelled in frustration. "Where the hell is that ball of light!?"

"Me?" Luffy repeated numbly when the shock wore off.

"Of course, who else is to blame for what happened?" the entity asked neutrally. "Akainu, the marines, the World Government? They were just doing their jobs. They executed a wanted and dangerous pirate who was renowned across the world and had the qualities to become a king, who would then lead a new generation of pirates."

Luffy said nothing as he took in the entity's words.

"Hm, maybe you blame Blackbeard for what happened to Fire Fist," the entity mused before it sneered at Luffy. "How naive. Blackbeard was a pirate who beat your brother fair and square. It was even your brother who initiated the fight, so Blackbeard was just defending himself. You should be grateful to him for not outright killing your dear brother and turning his corpse in to the marines."

This caused all the Strawhats to shake in rage. Those were almost the exact words used by Blackbeard when he mocked Whitebeard.

"There is only one person to blame for the tragedy that befell day," the entity said as it pointed at Luffy. "It was you who caused Fire Fist to die."

Luffy said nothing for several seconds. His fists were balled and he was trembling badly as he stared at the entity. Normally, this would be when Luffy would try to punch the creature or yell at it to shut up. Luffy wasn't one to listen to other's demean him.

Now, the Strawhats weren't sure how Luffy would react. That defeated, dead look in their captain's eyes did nothing to raise their hopes.

"How...it was me?" Luffy asked softly.

"Don't listen to that thing, Luffy-san!" Brook yelled at his captain. In Luffy's current mental condition, he was open to any kind of suggestions. Brook wished he could do something.

The entity appeared to be glaring at Luffy. It seemed to have an aura of almost moral outrage. "Do not play dumb. It was your overblown ego, selfishness, and arrogance that killed your loved one and caused all those around you to suffer needlessly."

"What...?" Luffy mummer in disbelief.

"You can keep playing dumb all you want, but you know the sins you carry," it said in an accusing voice. "You knew from the start that you were in over your head when you went to Impel Down and then Marineford. Others constantly warned you that you were not ready and you would only manage to get yourself and others killed by your reckless and careless actions. But, in your arrogance, you through you knew better. You actually believed that you were more capable of saving your brother than anyone else."

"That's not true..." Luffy denied. It sounded like he was trying to yell, but he instead started to cough and clutched his bleeding chest wound.

"Luffy!" Chopper yelled in worry as he attempted to grab his captain. He still couldn't touch Luffy. Even if this was a memory, or whatever it was, Luffy was becoming ill from being trapped in his past-self's injured body.

The entity gave Luffy a pitiless look. "Of course it is true. You fought and won a couple of battles against the World Government and other strong foes, and thought you could overcome any challenge in the world with your strength and willpower. You thought that you were untouchable." The creature appeared to smirk at Luffy. "You were going to be the Pirate King, after all."

Luffy stared with empty eyes at the entity as he stopped coughing.

"Oh, you must have felt invincible when you took out every supposedly-strong pirate in your home sea of East Blue. Buggy the Clown, crewmate to the former Pirate King. Kuro of a Hundred Plans, the smartest pirate in East Blue. Don Krieg, the King of East Blue who ruled that sea with his pirate armada, and the terror that was Arlong, a fishman who hailed from the Grand Line itself and sailed under one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea. All those pirates were nothing compared to you. With a crew of only four and even just one, you became the top pirate crew in all East Blue and had the highest opening bounty in that sea, something that even your brother never accomplished," the entity said. "Quite a record for someone to have even before they entered the Grand Line."

Robin's eyes widened. As she suspected, the entity did not just show Luffy Marineford or the other traumatizing events leading up to it. Like them, it took Luffy through his entire pirate career. This creature wanted Luffy to fully experience his own rise and fall.

"Not even a month into the Grand Line, you fought and won against one of the world's great powers, a Warlord, along with his entire organization that he spent three years building," the entity continued. "Not even two months after that, you took on a supposed god that no one before you could even touch, ended a four hundred year-long civil war, and brought peace to an old man who was tormented by his descendant's sins. Once your crew returned to the Blue Sea, you defeated a government's organization that was said to be unbeatable, and made fools out of the marines with their failed Buster Call. On top of all those victories, you fought and defeated yet another Warlord, and the Golden Lion Shiki, one of the legendary pirates who was rivals with the Pirate King and Whitebeard. You must have felt unstoppable when you reached the Red Line. Nothing could touch you and your dream was within your reach, am I right?"

Luffy couldn't speak as he took in the entity's words.

"Dammit! Shut up, you bastard!" Sanji cussed as he attempted to kick the entity again. He still couldn't touch it.

"You had so much self-confidence in your power that you thought nothing about attacking and nearly killing a Celestial Dragon," the entity said as it stared down at Luffy. "Which, fittingly, led to your humiliating defeat after you got your ego stroked by the Dark King Rayleigh."

Brook shook in anger. What point was this monster trying to make?

"Still, even after you were completely defeated and your crew scattered across the sea, you still believed you could make a difference against the greatest powers of the world to the point that you thought Whitebeard was nothing but an annoying road block on your road to greatness," the entity accused. "No one, after all, was better than the pirate, Strawhat Luffy, correct? The one who would become the future Pirate King and rule over all the Grand Line."

"Dammit, that's not true!" Luffy yelled, finding his voice. He fought to hold back another coughing fit. "I...I wanted to save Ace! I didn't care about anything else! I couldn't just stand back and let him die! Not after..."

"And you got him killed because you grew a big head and thought you were actually strong when you are really just small fish in a big pond," the entity said mercilessly, cutting Luffy off. "Just as you grew a big head at Sabaody and nearly got your precious crew, who you claim to love, killed."

Luffy winced. "That's..."

"You were warned not to touch the Celestial Dragons. You were told that if you did, an admiral, someone that you knew was beyond your scope of strength, would come, and you punched one regardless of all the warnings. Did you even consider your crew's wellbeing when you hit that World Noble?" the entity asked in a cold voice.

"He attacked a friend of mines! He deserved that punch in the face!" Luffy yelled. Despite the fire in his words, Luffy's voice was shaky and he didn't sound too sure of himself. It was very unlike Luffy.

"Oh. Was that one friend, who once was your enemy who helped torture one of your dear crewmates, worth the lives of your entire crew?" the entity questioned as he floated closer to Luffy. "You told Boa Hancock that you had no regrets hitting that Celestial Dragon. Tell me honestly, Strawhat, would you have said the same thing to her if your entire crew was actually killed that day? What would you have done if Bartholomew Kuma did not save them and they were murdered before your eyes? Would you still have no regrets? Can you honestly look at me and tell me that you would punch that Celestial Dragon knowing that it would cost you the lives of all your 'friends'?"

Luffy was left speechless. He didn't have an answer.

"That bastard's ripping Luffy apart!" Franky yelled in anger. He hadn't felt this helpless since the day Tom was taken away.

"And Luffy's not really fighting the entity at all!" Chopper yelled in a near panic. "He...he's just taking its words as true!"

Nami balled her fists. "That's because he's repeating all of Luffy's doubts and insecurities. These are all things that Luffy feels about himself in the darkest part of his heart. This thing is just confirming all his worst fears and throwing them into his face."

"We have to find a way for Luffy to see or at least hear us before it is too late," Robin said as she watched this entity mentally destroy Luffy. "If we do not hurry, there may be nothing left for us to save."

"Can't answer. I am not surprised. You never do think things through because you believe your strength and will can carry you through anything. That is why you are a terrible captain who does not deserve the crew you were given," the entity sneered.

"What the hell are you talking about!?" Zoro shouted in outrage.

"You have been given the rare and wonderful gift of a crew who dearly cares for you, but you appreciate none of it," the entity said nonchalantly before it shook its head. "They all deserve so much better than you, but they feel obligated to stand by your side and sacrifice their lives and happiness because you saved them. I have to wonder, do you even love your crew or do you just see them as the means to an end?"

Luffy gritted his teeth in rage. "I love my crew! They're my family!"

The entity snorted. "You certainly do a poor job showing it. How many times have you nearly gotten your crew killed on one of your childish whims? How many times have you carelessly thrown them into danger without a second thought or care? If that is how you express 'love', then you really are no different than Blackbeard."

"Don't ever compare me to that bastard," Luffy growled as he clutched his burning chest.

"Oh, and what makes you so different from him? You both put your own ambitions and desires before anyone else, and you are both very selfish men who think they are above everyone. You may not have directly killed your crewmates like him, but your careless actions have led to their destruction," the entity said. "You both also use the bonds of friendship to twist and manipulate people to your will. Really, the only difference between you two is that Blackbeard is more competent. You have taken advantage of your friends and their obligation to serve you, just as Blackbeard took advantage of Whitebeard's love for all of his children. You two really are cut from the same cloth."

Luffy froze at the comparison.

"That isn't true at all!" Chopper yelled desperately at his captain.

"When I think about it, you are even worse than Blackbeard," the entity said after a second thought.

"What...?" Luffy asked in a hoarse voice.

"At least Blackbeard has never forgotten or abandoned the crew he leads, unlike you," the entity said.

Luffy narrowed his eyes. "I've never abandoned my crew!"

"That is a lie," the entity said in a soft voice that did nothing to hide its malice. "You abandoned them back in Amazon Lily when you chose to go after your brother instead of reuniting with your scattered crew."

Luffy paled.

"Instead of acting like a captain and finding your crew, who you destroyed in your arrogance, you chose to go off on your own little adventure to Impel Down to play hero," the entity said.

"I...didn't want to leave them..." Luffy stuttered as he attempted to compose his thoughts. "There wasn't any time. Ace would die..."

"Because you were not there," the entity interrupted in a mocking voice. "You never considered Whitebeard's power or the power of your brother's crew. It was about you! You have the gall to talk about how much you love your crew like a 'family', but you were quite quick to abandon them to save your brother. Not just abandon them; you outright forgot them."

Luffy could say nothing.

"That son of a bitch!" Franky yelled as attempted to shoot the entity. His ammo went right through the creature. "Dammit, why can't we hit it!?"

"You really are terrible to your crew. If you had not saved them, your crewmates would have nothing to do with a selfish brat like you and would have never joined your crew, which is a fact. They owe you their lives, which is why you take advantage of them. You use and abuse them and you dare to call them your friends," the entity almost sneered. "But even you know that they have their breaking point, and they soon will not put up with your crap anymore."

"That's not true!" Chopper screamed, near tears, at Luffy, who still couldn't hear them. "Those are lies! We would have followed you even if you hadn't save us!"

Luffy was completely deaf to their words.

Zoro growled in frustration and anger. This monster was directly attacking all the insecurities they saw in Luffy's dream and memories. Given how fragile Luffy was, he feared where this was going.

Luffy's shoulders slumped as he kept listening to the entity's cruel words. "That...that isn't true."

"You do not sound so certain of your own words," the entity mocked. "Is it because you know in your heart that it is the truth that you have been trying to deny for these last couple of years?"

Luffy flinched at the question.

The entity circled Luffy, leaving a trail of mist around the boy captain. "Your crew slaves under you and does your bidding to make your dream come true at the expense of their own and you cannot put enough thought into your own actions to keep them safe, or even remember them. Just like at Omatsuri, where three of your crewmates disappeared, and you did not even notice," the entity stopped circling Luffy and glared at him.

Luffy could feel the entity looking right into his soul. He felt the air chill further.

"You got them all killed on that island controlled by the Baron by walking into an obvious trap. I am willing to bet that if any on your crew remembers that little incident, they would have left, despite the debt they owe you. Your cook said as much, if I recall," the entity said in a pitiless voice. "That is the reason, after all, you never told them about what happened. You knew you lost their trust."

"I...I didn't want them to remember…" Luffy said barely above a whisper. "I didn't want them to remember the pain of dying..." He knew, however, that he was lying.

The entity snorted at him. "You did not want them to remember because you did not want them to abandon you for being a horrible captain. A captain that led them to their deaths over silly carnival games, no less. Is that not what you told your ship?"

Luffy cringed.

"Even though they do no longer remember what happened, those words that your cook spoke to you still rings true, Strawhat," the entity hissed as it waved one of its arms.

"You're the one who got us into this. You're the one who decided to come to this island. That's what caused all of this! Luffy...this is all your fault," the voice of Sanji spat with venom over the mist, causing Luffy to pale and tear up.

"Damn you!" Sanji shouted as he kicked vainly at the entity. How dare that thing used those words against Luffy.

"Arrogance and selfish to the end. A man who lies to crew to save face and this is the boy that Fire Fist died to protect. What a waste of life," the entity sighed.

Luffy choked on the words.

"Don't listen to that shit head!" Sanji screamed at Luffy, hating himself again for speaking those vile, hateful words.

"Why can't he hear us!?" Usopp asked desperately.

"I feel nothing but pity for Fire Fist. Here is a man who had the entire world at his feet and an army of allies who cared about him enough to move the world to save him. Yet, he was shackled to protecting a boy like you," the entity said with another sigh. "A boy who was so caught up in his own hype that he got on the world's stage, shouting he was going to be Pirate King, and acting like he was the most important thing in the world. How cruel fate was to your brother."

Luffy was closed to tears as he shook his head. "That… I just wanted to save Ace. He was the most important person in the world to me. I didn't...I didn't want him to die...and I would happily died at Marineford if it meant saving him! I didn't care if I died! I..." He lost his ability to speak. He was too choked up by his own tears.

"Luffy..." Chopper whispered in tears.

"You think you were the only one?" the entity asked viciously, taking no pity on Luffy. "Why don't you admit that you did not have faith in Fire Fist's crew to save him? You were told of Whitebeard's power and how much he loved his crew like his sons. You knew from your own brother how much he trusted that man to call him father. That, however, was not enough to satisfy your mind. You had to get personally involved because it was all about you. You thought you could conquer the world and the world kicked you in the ass." The creature got into Luffy's face again. "There is a price to pay for those who think they can overcome the gods and you paid the price in full at Marineford."

Luffy turned his head away from the entity as his trembles became more violent.

"It would have been poetic justice for you to die at Marineford because of your arrogance, but you were saved by your beloved brother," the entity stated as it pulled away from Luffy. "Despite all your boasts, you are still that runt from Goa who was all bark and no bite. Who had to run behind his big brothers for protection. Your brothers are dead. Who is going to protect you now, Strawhat?"

Luffy glared at the man, getting back some of his previous fire. "I don't need protection! I'm not the person I was two years ago! I've gotten stronger!" He slammed his hand where his 'X' scar would be, making the wound bleed more. "I've gotten stronger to protect my crew! No one will die for my sake ever again! I won't allow it!"

"Tell him, Luffy!" Usopp cheered, delighted to see his captain finally fighting back.

The entity chuckled. "Oh, you mean you are going to get stronger and stronger, stronger and stronger, stronger and stronger, stronger and stronger, stronger and stronger, stronger and stronger, and even stronger than that, and then you will be able to protect anything. You won't have anyone disappear ever again, right?"

All the color drained from Luffy's face when he heard those words. All his previous fire had completely vanished.

"You dishonorable bastard!" Brook exclaimed as he thrust his sword at the entity. Just like all the other times, it didn't affect the creature. The skeleton swordsman didn't care as he kept thrusting his sword into the entity. "How dare you throw Luffy-san's words back in his face like that!"

"You said this all before, remember? You said the exact same thing when your first brother, who you abandoned, was murdered," the entity stated in a matter-of-fact voice. "You swore you would grow stronger and protect everything. Yet, you have failed that vow several times over. Have you forgotten Omatsuri? You would think that the Baron killing your crew one after another would shrink that big head of yours. You could not protect your crew, twice, your brother, or even yourself. You have broken every promise you have ever made. What merit do your words hold?"

As if the prove the creature's point, the memory flashed and an image of Genzo appeared.

"Listen, boy, I know Nami is going to sail with you as a pirate. It's a dangerous journey, and I know it can't be helped. That's okay, but if you ever take away Nami's smile, I will hunt you down and kill you."

"Well, I don't plan on stealing anything, so…" Luffy's own voice answered back.

"Understood!?" Genzo shouted across the memory.

The memory shifted again and they were in Water 7. Luffy was hugging Robin, who was sobbing onto his shoulder.

"You won't be alone because your family is here now. You are one of us. I will always protect you, Robin," Luffy said gently.

The memory changed again and the Strawhats now stood on the war torn battlefield of Marineford. Luffy had just finished knocking out a giant using his Third Gear.

"Say whatever the hell you want! I'm saving you even if I die!" Luffy shouted to his brother as the memory returned to Amazon Lily.

Luffy was left numb as he stared at the entity.

"Your promises mean nothing. You claim that no one would die for your sake again, but it was the ghosts of your dead brothers that saved you from your own personal dream not even two weeks ago by sacrificing their existences. Your selfishness even extends beyond those you supposedly care for. Tell me, Strawhat, how many prisoners did you sacrifice to Magellan in your reckless raid, or how you wasted Bon Clay's sacrifice?" the entity asked.

Luffy became physically sick hearing his friend's name.

"You...you bastard..." Nami hissed.

"I wonder how Bon Clay must feel knowing that he gave his life for nothing? That you could not even fulfill his dying wish as you left him in Hell," the entity said, twisting the knife further. "Another unfortunate soul killed by the arrogance of a selfish child. Another broken and empty promise."

Luffy bowed his head. Hot tears filled his eyes. "I..."

"You asked why I showed you those things from your past, but you already know the answer, Strawhat Luffy. You have known the answer in your heart for a long time," the entity hissed darkly as it floated towards Luffy. "You have known in your heart and soul that on that day in Marineford that the wrong person died. It should have been you who was killed by Akainu!"

Luffy said nothing as he stared into the entity's cold white eyes. His face was completely blank as his breaths came out as harsh puffs and his skin turned even bluer from the cold.

"Shut up, already, you shit head!" Sanji screamed, hating that he couldn't help his captain. What was the point in coming here and seeing what they had if they couldn't even do anything?

"If you were not so arrogant, if you had put fate in Fire Fist's crew, his family, and Whitebeard's power, Fire Fist would have been saved," the entity hissed, breathing cold air onto Luffy. "Those pirates did not need you, a mere rookie, there. All you did was drain their resources since they had to protect you, being Fire Fist's brother. In the end, your brother died because his worthless, selfish, little brother could not defend himself. Everything would have been better if you had never gone to Marineford, or at least left when you became unable to even move after your first injection wore off." The entity stood silent for a moment as it spoke its next words carefully.

Luffy stared right into the mist. His breaths were faster, like he knew what the entity was going to say.

"Everything that has happened is all your fault. It is because of you that Fire Fist was captured. It is because of you that Blackbeard was allowed to become a Warlord, break into Impel Down, and take Whitebeard's power, allowing him to become an Emperor off the blood of his former commanders. It is because of you that Fire Fist is dead! It is all your fault! The blood of your brother, Bon Clay, those prisoners from Impel Down, and even your crew are all on your hands," the entity accused.

Luffy sucked in his breath.

"You have no one to blame for your misery except yourself! You deserve every bit of the pain you are in! You deserve to be in Hell," the entity finished.

Luffy gritted his teeth and tears ran down his eyes as the entity's words burn him more than Akainu's magma. He glared at the entity, looking like he wanted to murder the creature.

In the end, Luffy lowered his head in shame and slumped onto the ground. He buried his fists into the earth as harsh heaves left his throat.

He started to sob openly, not bothering to hold back his tears anymore as the entity's words took full effort. All his guilt, all his regrets, all his self-loathing from the last two years came pouring out and he was now unable to stop it. As much as it hurts, this creature only voiced things he already knew. The truth he had tried so desperately to bury. It was his fault.

The Strawhats could only watch the entire scene in anger and helplessness. How could this 'thing' reduce Luffy to this? They had all fought this entity and beat it, but Luffy, the strongest of them, was unable to fight back. He just willingly accepted this monster's words.

It was just as the ball of light said, Luffy never made peace with what happened in Marineford. Despite all that he had accomplished and gained since that time, the burning pain of guilt and regret still remained in his heart. That pain had settled deep within their captain's soul and this creature was taking advantage of that pain.

All this time, Luffy has silently been carrying this giant burden of guilt without telling any of them. Why did Luffy feel that he had to go through this alone? Why didn't they notice? Why didn't they see that Luffy was still in this much pain after they had reunited? They should have known as much, given what happened two weeks ago.

On top of that, thanks to the entity's manipulation, Luffy now felt guilty over his actions at Sabaody. That World Noble deserved Luffy's rage and more, but that one action had nearly cost him his entire crew. Because of Kuma, Luffy could feel a sense of pride at what he had done, but even he couldn't deny what could have happened if not for the Warlord's mercy.

"What a pathetic man you are. A man who claims he will be the one to become the Pirate King. A man who has let down everyone he has ever known. A man who let his brothers down, his crew down, and even himself. How can one so pathetic dream of standing on top of the world?" the entity asked as he stared at the suffering boy. "You are not worthy of carrying the title of Pirate King!"

"Shut up!" Luffy suddenly shouted, stopping the entity from talking more.

The Strawhats felt their hearts beat even faster. Was Luffy finally fighting back?

Luffy stared at the ground with blank eyes as he took several heaving breaths. "Shut up! Just shut up! I don't want to hear anymore! Everything you said...everything you just said... I...I already know..."

That was not what the Strawhats were expecting or wanted to hear.

"And?" the entity insisted, wanting to push Luffy further.

"I've already known all that since…Ace was killed..." Luffy choked as some blood came out of his mouth. "I knew since I woke up in Amazon Lily... Since that day..."

The Strawhats saw an image of Ace's dead body.

"I...wished...I wished that I had died..." Luffy admitted in a soft voice as tears flowed from his eyes. "I...wanted to die..."

This stunned the Strawhats into silence.

"Why...why was I the one allow to come back? I was the weakest… I should have died… Why did I live?" Luffy whispered mostly to himself. "It wasn't fair… I should have been the one to die in that place…."

Zoro clenched his teeth. Luffy said the exact same thing to him. He thought Luffy was beginning to move beyond that thinking. That Ace wanted him to live.

"But you did not die," the entity said coldly to Luffy. "You were upset when you woke up on that submarine and realized that you were alone. Alone on this vast sea without anyone to depend on. Alone with a shattered body and only memories of happier days. Your brother was your sun and without him there is nothing but darkness."

Luffy said nothing, but his silence was all the confirmation that was needed.

"Luffy..." Usopp whispered in a choked voice.

"Survivor's guilt," Robin said softly. She knew that feeling well. "He may also have PTSD. That would explain the flashbacks, the waking nightmares, and his depression." She also realized by the looking into Luffy's eyes that has been driven partly insane from reliving his worst memories.

Chopper wiped his eyes. "It makes sense. No one, not even Luffy, can go through what he did undamaged. Even two years wouldn't be enough to heal such deep wounds." He lowered his head. "Why didn't we see it? As a doctor, I should be able to see not only physical wounds."

"It hurts, doesn't it?" the entity asked, almost sympathetically. For a moment, it sounded almost human. Like it too understood the anguish Luffy was experiencing. "Such guilt and regret is soul-consuming. It hurts more than any physical torture and lingers like a dull ache in our souls, even when we think we have moved on. It changes us and alters the way we view the world and ourselves. No matter how hard we try, we can never return to the person we once were. The pain never goes away no matter how much time has passed. Time alone only makes the pain worse because every year that past we are reminded of what we have lost without anyone to help us through it. We are reminded of our failures."

Luffy closed his eyes, silently agreeing with the entity.

Nami glared at the entity, but she couldn't say it was wrong. How much has she changed from that little girl before her mother was murdered and she was forced to work for Arlong? How thinking about her mother still brings a flash of pain every now and then so deep that she is sometimes brought to tears?

Robin knew from personal experience that the entity was correct. The tragedies of the past shape a person. Since she was eight, the destruction of her home has been the driving force behind her entire life. Even now, the scars of the Buster Call and the world's cruelty towards her were a part of who she was. Just as Ace's death was now a part of who Luffy's was, and just as Sabo was before him.

The entity continued to stare down at Luffy. "You must have been in constant pain since that war. You tried to move on, become stronger so the tragedy of your brother's death would never happen again. But, in the end, the guilt returns and you are forever reminded of what you have lost and your failures. Things would have simply been better if you had joined your brother in death. That way, you would not feel the pain guilt. The regret of living."

Luffy still said nothing as tears fell from his eyes.

"Even when you thought you had healed and conquered your demons, it comes back and the pain resumes like it had never left. If you had truly moved on and were at peace, that Dream Fruit user would have never entrapped you within his power with a fantasy world. Your true dream was never to become Pirate King, wasn't it? Your one true dream died along with your brothers," the entity said.

Luffy said nothing as he considered what the entity's words. Was that true? Did his dream really die with Ace? He wanted to become Pirate King more than anything; he knew that for sure. But what was the point of becoming Pirate King if he reached his goal alone? That he couldn't protect anything.

The entity appeared to be looking into the sky in contemplation. "Yes, I can see from your memory. The wish you made when Toby's powers took you into that dream. The wish that his Devil Fruit granted you."

Luffy's eyes widened.

"Your wish was to sail with your brothers as one crew across the endless seas forever. You also desired your crew's happiness. You wanted them to achieve their dreams and have the lives that were stolen from them returned. Although you would never said it, those are your true heart's desire," the entity said in a haunting soft voice before he stared at Luffy again. "Where does the title of Pirate King fit into all of that?"

Luffy still said nothing as he stared at the ground with unseeing eyes.

The Strawhats felt their hatred for the entity grow deeper, if such a thing was possible. What the entity said did not surprise them. Not after what they have witnessed from the memories and his dream world. It was the fact that the entity was using their captain's heart's desire to make it appear like Luffy had nothing left to live for that pissed them off.

"It does not have to be forever, Strawhat. Even though you deserve to suffer, I can help you find the peace that you have sought for these last two years," the entity suddenly said. Its voice almost cooed the words. "I can help you put an end your guilt and regret forever."

Luffy looked at the entity with almost desperate eyes.

The Strawhats eyed the entity coldly. What was this creature up to? After it had so viciously ripped their captain apart for the better part of several minutes, why did it suddenly want to help him?

The entity made a long dagger appear from the mist that made its cloak. It shone in the coldness of the mist given it an almost unworldly glow. The dagger itself was fancy and ancient in design. It looking like a noble once owned it from a time long past.

"If you truly desire peace, Strawhat, take this dagger and thrust it into your heart," the entity all but whispered, causing the Strawhats' heart to freeze. "Only then will you finally have the peace you so desire. For the peace you seek cannot be obtained in life. Only the darkness of nothingness can ease your soul and end your despair."

"Darkness of nothingness?" Luffy repeated softly as he stared at the knife. He didn't take it. What was troubling, however, was that Luffy didn't reject it either.

"Why do you hesitate? Is it because you are thinking of your crew?" the entity asked as if reading Luffy's thoughts. It sneered. "What, do you think your crew needs a failure of a captain like you? Don't flatter yourself. They are more than capable of taking care of themselves. If you have done anything right in your pitiful existence, it was saving them. Now, let them be free and allow them to fulfill their dreams and desires without the burden of carrying you. They would be happier without carrying around your deadweight."

"Don't listen to such stupid lies!" Zoro yelled, desperate to reach their captain. They were going to lose him unless they do something.

Luffy was strong, but he was at his weakest. His eyes were lifeless and his spirit was shattered from the mental torture. Luffy was forced to return to the point in his life where he wanted, desired death.

Luffy shook his head as some of his fire returned. "My crew cares about me! They came into my dream to save me! They returned to me after they trained for two years! They wouldn't abandon me!"

"Tell that bastard, Luffy!" Nami yelled in encouragement.

"It was only natural that they saved you. You are their captain, after all," the entity said nonchalantly. "What kind of heartless crew would not go through hell and back to save and support their captain? Just like how they fought to bring you back from Zizu's control after you betrayed and nearly killed them."

Luffy flinched at hearing Zizu's name again. That was one person he wanted to forget.

Franky hissed in anger at hearing the asshole's name.

"There is a difference, however, between what they want and what is best for them. Whitebeard understood this when he ordered his crew to run at Marineford while he stood behind and died for his sons. Those are the kind of decisions that makes a true, good captain. You have a similar choice before you. How far do you think they can go with a captain who cannot protect them, or even himself? A captain who completely forgot them? A captain who chose a dream world over them? A captain who let his own brother die before his eyes?" the entity asked viciously.

Luffy looked like had been struck and the visage of Ace's death returned in full. "But..."

"Do you even understand the pain you cause your crew weeks ago when you were off living in your own Dream World?" the entity suddenly asked.

Luffy felt his mouth go dry.

"Why tell you? I can show you," the entity said as the mist surrounding the creature broke apart and an image appeared. It was like they were looking at a transponder snail image.

The image showed Luffy losing his hold on Toby and the boy climbing up his body and touching his forehead. In a bright flash, Luffy crumpled to the deck while Toby escaped with Zoro chasing him.

Luffy was stunned by the image. "How...?"

"Are you seeing this?" the entity finished for him. "I have access to all your crew's memories."

"What, but how?" Brook asked in shock.

"That bastard must still have access to our minds because we're still in this damn mist," Zoro cursed.

The image continued before Luffy as he watched his crew gathered around him in panic and Chopper rapidly checking him. He then watched himself be carried into the infirmary where Chopper cared for him and see what's wrong with him.

Luffy felt the guilt build in his stomach when saw how worried and scared Chopper was about being unable to find out what was wrong with him and why he wouldn't wake up. He kept watching when Usopp entered the infirmary and attempted to cheer Chopper up who had worked himself into exhaustion and wouldn't eat. When Usopp finally got Chopper to eat and rest, he watched as Usopp took a seat at his bedside, barely containing his worry.

"Luffy, what's wrong with you?" Usopp asked in a broken voice, causing Luffy to flinch.

Current Usopp also flinched, but for a different reason. He was beyond mad that this creature would show Luffy this. It wasn't Luffy's fault. He didn't know that he was dreaming. He didn't know how much they were all worried about him during those six terrible days.

The images kept going and Luffy watched the day past as his crew took care of him. He saw the event where he had stopped breathing after he tried to drown himself in his dream in a desperate attempt to wake himself up.

Luffy was in tears as Chopper pumped feverishly on his chest in a desperate bid to revive him. Hearing his crew call to him, begging, threatening, and crying for him not to die was enough to make Luffy cover his ears.

He watched the days past and how his real body deteriorated before his crew's eyes as they kept watch over him. He heard the stories they told while he slept, calls for him to wake up and come back to them, and their tears as they were helpless to help him.

The current Strawhats were also moved to tears by what they were seeing. They wanted to forget those days. They didn't want to remember Luffy laying as still as death in that infirmary bed while they were trapped on their own ship because of the weather, unable to search for the boy who did this to him.

They also felt their anger and hatred for the entity grow with every passing second. It was showing Luffy things that didn't matter. They didn't care if Luffy was off in his dream having fun with his brothers. That was all in the past, and they didn't resent Luffy for any of it.

The image was now showing when Toby was in the infirmary attempted to awaken Luffy with his powers. His efforts completely failed and Luffy remained in his Dream World. The distress and fear in his crewmates was more than Luffy could bear.

"Please...stop showing me this..." Luffy pleaded with the entity.

"If this is painful for you, how do you think your crew felt living through it?" the entity asked harshly as the images continued.

"My ability to wake someone is limited to the person's desire. If the person wants to wake up, then they will wake up once I dispel the dream world. Which means if I can't wake your captain, then he doesn't want to wake up," Toby explained to the Strawhats once he realized why his powers weren't working.

Luffy breathed heavily hearing Toby's words.

"What, impossible!" Nami from the image screamed in disbelief. "Luffy would never choose to live in some dream, no matter how pleasant it may be."

Luffy felt his chest become heavier.

"My powers make the dream very real. It's so well-crafted that everything seems real from the sights, sounds, smells, and even touch," Toby explained. "A person can even die within the dream world, so people can't wake themselves by getting killed like any normal dream. To the unprepared mind, my powers make the dream real. That's partly why I don't usually give pleasant dreams because there is an increased risk of the person never waking up, especially after so much time has passed."

"Are you saying that Luffy-san can no longer tell the difference between reality and the dream?" Brook in the image asked.

"Either that or he chose to willingly ignore the fact that he's dreaming. For some, it's impossible to give up one's heart's desires," Toby said as he looked away from the pirate crew. "In either case, your captain has willingly accepted the dream world as his new reality. Because of that, he'll sleep like this forever."

The image faded after Toby spoke those words.

Luffy was openly sobbing onto the ground. He had no idea that he hurt his crew like that. That he caused them so much pain by his selfish decision to ignore his instincts and stay in that world with Ace and Sabo. That he enjoyed having his brothers back so much that he didn't care anymore what was reality. How could he do that to them? After all they had given up for him, how could he be so selfish?

"Luffy..." Chopper said in tears as he attempted to reach for his captain. He couldn't touch his body.

The entity remained silence for several minutes. "Is this the way you treat 'family', Strawhat Luffy? To live in a fantasy world while they are left to suffer? They cry tears over you and you did not think of them at all. That is no way for a pirate captain to act. Those are the actions of selfish child."

Luffy lowered his head further in shame.

"You asked your ship, Sunny, if you were a good captain," the entity said. "Tell me, what would a good captain do here? Be a burden to their crew because they cannot move beyond their own selfish desires, or die and set them free to follow their ambitions?"

Luffy said nothing as he stared at the entity.

"How dare he?" Nami growled, wanting to blast the entity into dust with lightning. It was twisting everything to fit what it wanted. This thing was actually using the bond they shared with Luffy to kill him.

"Besides being selfish, you could not protect any of your crew at Omatsuri Island or Sabaody. What makes you think things will be different in the future? You have gotten much stronger, just like you have gotten stronger after Sabo was killed. You fought Warlords, legendary pirates, and the government, and you still failed to save any of them. Despite everything you have done, you could not protect anything," the entity said cruelly. "If you cannot protect those you supposedly hold dear, Strawhat Luffy, what purpose does your life hold? You are not good for anything else, since all you can do is fight."

Luffy gritted his teeth and clutched the dirt under his fingers.

The entity glared at Luffy. "You cannot use a sword, you cannot navigate the seas, you cannot cook, you cannot heal wounds, you are not smart, you cannot build or fix a ship, you are completely tone deaf, and you cannot even lie. If you cannot protect anything, then what the hell are you worth to them? What can you offer your crew?"

Luffy had no answer.

"That...that son of bitch..." Sanji hissed as he trembled in rage. "He actually corrupted Luffy's speech from Arlong Park."

"What speech?" Franky asked in confusion.

"Luffy more or less said to Arlong that he was depended on us for all the reasons that monster listed," Nami said, not bothering to hide her anger. "Luffy stakes his worth as our captain as being able to protect us and fight the battles we can't fight on our own."

Zoro growled. "That bastard twisted everything Luffy said around to make him feel worthless."

"Your guilt about what happened to Fire Fist and your worthlessness are dragging your crew down, making them abandon their dreams to lift you. Look at the trouble you caused them with that Dream Devil Fruit user. Do they really need to be put through that again?" the entity asked as he held out the knife again.

Luffy glanced at the knife. He could think of nothing to say.

"It is also because you have become so bound by your guilt that you can never escape this mist," the entity stated, getting Luffy's attention again.

"What?" Luffy whispered hoarsely. His eyes were wide in disbelief.

"You cannot leave this place. The moment you became entrapped here, your soul became part of the mist," the entity said. "If you do not chose to end your existence here and carry on, you will be trapped here for all eternity."

Luffy's eyes widened at that thought.

"Forever, you will be trapped within the mist, forced to relive your worst memories," the entity informed in almost a harsh whisper. "You will see your crew suffer and your brother die until time itself ends. That is the fate that awaits you, Strawhat Luffy. An eternity of pain with no reprieve."

Luffy's mouth dropped at the mental image.

"And do you know why you cannot escape?" the entity asked mockingly. "It is because you know that you deserve to suffer. That you do not deserve happiness."

"That...that can't be true," Chopper whispered in horror. He shivered at the thought of being trapped here forever.

"It is a half-truth, I am sure," Robin said as she attempted to steady her voice. "Luffy is trapped in the mist until he face his demons and overcomes them. Until he does that, he would be forced to stay here where the entity can use Luffy's own memories to torture him endlessly until his soul shatters."

"That...is this the real Hell?" Franky whispered in disbelief.

"Take the knife and for the sake of crew and end your miserable existence. It is the only right thing to do as good captain," the entity said. "I am offering you this one chance to not only find peace, but to redeem yourself."

"Redeem..." Luffy murmured.

"To redeem yourself for all the pain and suffering you caused your crew," the entity explained further.

Luffy took his eyes off the knife and stared at the entity. "Why...?"

"I am doing this not for your sake, boy," the entity said bluntly as it glared at Luffy. "You fully deserve to be in Hell and crushed by your own guilt for all eternity. But your crew does not deserve to suffer for your sins. I am doing this for your crew and their future happiness."

"BULLSHIT!" Sanji screamed, biting his cigarette in half.

"If you do not die, then they will remain bonded to you and suffer greatly because of all your failures and arrogance. They have already suffered enough pain for one lifetime," the entity said. "They deserve happiness and the chance to reach their dreams. Even a selfish child like you must agree. That is, if you actually care about your 'family'."

Luffy looked at the knife and then at the creature again. Without a word, he slowly reached for the knife.

The entity glanced at the Strawhats and acknowledged them for the first time with a smug look. "You have failed," it hissed at them through their minds.

---

Perchance to Dream Summary: In Perchance to Dream, Luffy is put into his ideal dream world by Toby, the Dream Fruit user mentioned throughout this story. In that dream world, Luffy is reunited with his brothers and they are all captains of one crew. At first, Luffy rejects the dream, thinking that his world is not real, but at the same time he cannot escape because a part of him wants the dream world to be real since his brothers are alive and the events of Marineford never happened. He then meets Dream Chopper who tells him that the life that he knew, the real world, is a dream created by a dream fish. The fish created a world so real and vivid that many mistake it for real and call it a second life. It also had the side effect of erasing Luffy's 'real' memories, which is why he does not remember the history of the dream world. Luffy does not believe this and tries to wake himself by drowning himself in a bay, which is why he stopped breathing in real life. He almost died, but is saved by Dream Sabo diving after him and Chopper resuscitating him in real life. After that incident, Luffy believes that the dream is real and bonds with his brothers. He then accepts the dream world as his new reality.

While all this is happening in Luffy's dream, in the real world Luffy collapses and is in a coma. The Strawhats do not know what is wrong and they cannot wake him. They tried to find Toby who somehow managed to disappears after escaping the Sunny. For several days the crew cannot look for Toby because the weather in the New World is unstable and they couldn't leave the Sunny. As they wait on their ship, Luffy's condition deteriorate since he is not eating and his lack of muscle movement is causing his body to waste away. After five days, the crew finally finds Toby who is a native to a cloak island, which is why the Strawhats could not find him. After convincing Toby to help Luffy, the Strawhats takes him back to their ship to wake Luffy. He cannot because Luffy no longer desires to be awaking. That is why the Strawhats went into Luffy's dream.

I hope the summary helps those who have not read Perchance to Dream. It is not the entire story, but it is the general outline. Trying to keep this a standalone sequel is harder than I thought.

Anyway, this chapter as a whole gave me a lot of trouble. This is literally the chapter I have been dreading since I started posting this story. Trying to show the real effects of grief and trauma and keep Luffy within character was hard. I rewrote this chapter so many times that I do not know what version this is. The mental torture went on much longer that it was suppose to because, even if mentally weakened, Luffy was not going to break easily. I literally had to tear him to shreds to get where I wanted and I am still not completely sure if Luffy is in character. Well, at least know that I tried. If Luffy is out-of-character, know that I did everything I could to prevent this, including asking advise from my two betas. *get flame shield ready*

Mon Esprit Libre, thank you for your review. I am sorry for the mix up last week. I try to keep everyone's gender neutral if I do not know for sure a person's gender. It is too easy to assume that all fanfic writers are female.

HotWiredTree5833, thanks for your review. I do have twitter, but I do not use it often. I am just not a big social network person. I usually use twitter to keep up with other people and announcements. I also hope you have fun. Although, what holiday was it last week?

Hotaru Vie Jaegerjaquez, thank you for your feedback. Law's reasons for saving Luffy was not revealed. I have theories, but they would not fit into this story.

Bluebird42, thanks for your feedback. Is jsosndjksksjdosnhfidnsonsksoanshdjdnwk a word, I am just curious. Also, glad you enjoyed the end of Marineford. I think it is one of my better written chapters.

shadowmarialove, thank you for your review. Glad you think I do a good job capturing feeling. Hopefully, it extends to this chapter.

speed and write, thanks for your review. Oh, I see what you mean. I am certain he was very sad when he learned what happened. He probably wanted to hug Luffy. It is amazing how we all fell in love with Whitebeard and he only appeared for one story arc. That just shows the power of his presence and the tragedy of Blackbeard's betrayal. As for if Blackbeard would be betrayed by his crew, I believe that the original members are loyal to him. The newer people from Impel Down, however, are not trustworthy. Although, it would be poetic for Blackbeard if his crew betrayed and abandoned him when the going got tough. It would really highlight the parallels between Luffy and Blackbeard. As for wanting Blackbeard dead, I honestly think death is too good for him. Him being capture and humiliated with being lock in prison would be a better fate for him.

Steph2500, thank you for you feedback. I do agree with you about how I hate more. I have no respect for people like Blackbeard.

Chocobaby, thanks for your feedback. I see you loved last chapter. Happy that you enjoyed. Although, I think the mist is kicking the Strawhats' ass at the moment.

cocopuff123, thank you for your review. I feel the same way about Blackbeard.

LazyFoxLover, thanks for your review. Right now, Luffy needs some light to pull him out of his darkness. I think I have seen the video you mention. It would be touching to show something like that, but the entity of the island is not going to allow Luffy to recover after hitting rock bottom.

Akenomyosei, thank you for your feedback. I can understand why you review at the end. I tend to do that too if I am not sure if the story will be completed or if is very long. Hopefully, this chapter did justice to Luffy's character.

Alina97, thanks for your feedback. I am not a real fan of depression endings, but I do believe in the saying 'earned your happy ending'. You probably do not believe that after reading this chapter.

Honeydee, thank you for your review. I should have been more specific last week. I am the second highest story for reviews. I do think Blackbeard is a D. He has too many qualities for him not to be one. What I think Whitebeard meant when he said, 'you're not one of them', is that Blackbeard is not the one destined to own One Piece and carry Roger's will. I also have other theories, but I could easily write an essay about what I think the Will of D is and what Blackbeard is. I also think that all Ds are related so Luffy and Blackbeard could be like nephew and uncle. Thanks for telling me what FML. I have a new web word. As for making Brook said those lines last chapter, I may have wrote them, but Brook's character direct me to write them. As a writer, after a while, you learned to listen to the characters and find their voices. When you reached that point, the character tells you what they want to say. Hope that makes sense. As for Zoro's reaction, I see him leaving Luffy to die on his order and watching him being killed as two different things. I do not know what Zoro would do if Luffy gave the order to leave him behind, but seeing Luffy being killed, by one of his own crewmates, would had complied Zoro to act even with his orders. As for if this story will fall apart, I am mostly referring to this chapter. I personally feel this chapter could easily break this story.

Evening Rise, thanks for your review. I can see why you think it is farfetched, but people overwhelming wanted to see the end of Marineford and from a story point-of-view, it felt empty going straight from the war to this chapter. So, I think it worked for the best despite my feelings about Luffy's level of conscious.

fictionlover27713, thank you for your feedback. No two years training, for the reason shown in this chapter. The entity does not want Luffy to be fine or have warm memories.

youshouldn'tneedtoknow, thanks for your feedback. That last line is sadly true.

Molly Grace 16, thank you for your review. I still saw death is too good for Akainu and Blackbeard. I am not sure Akainu is one to committee suicide. I see him as a machine who would keep raising and fighting until he is killed. I think Blackbeard is a carrier of D. I don't think Oda would do something lame like, 'oh, he's not a real D because his middle name is Donald'. But that is just me.

Artist2009, thanks for your review. The anime kind of underplayed Luffy's chest wound since the anime rarely shows blood these days in large qualities because of censorship. In the manga, we didn't see how bad the wound was since it was just a giant mass of black. I remember people thought Luffy got his 'X' scar from his training and had to be told that he received it from Akainu.

pervertmonster, thank you for your feedback. It was hard, but I think it worked out well. The Strawhats' reactions were very on point last chapter.

laFia, thanks for your feedback. Blackbeard is an opportunist, while Akainu is an asshole and a true dog of the government. Marineford is when Luffy got handed a complete defeat. As I put in my Enies Lobby chapter, the government more or less got their revenge on Luffy. Sorry, but the talk with Jinbei kind of got interrupted. Which is sad since I would have loved to write that moving scene.

skittles3512, thank you for the review. Well, it wasn't Sengoku himself who gave the order. He was just an admiral at the time. However, he did approve of it since he talked about it during Ace's execution with no hint of regret. Like I said, Sengoku is kind of mixed. He symbolized the worse and best aspects of the marines. Well, we get to find out what is going on with the mist, although 'she' hasn't arrive yet. As Zoro said, it was a heroic effort of both friend and enemy that saved Luffy.

actionliker, thanks for your review. Of all things, I did not except that last line to become so popular. I guess it is because it sums up both Impel Down and Marineford.

OnePieceNarutoBleachFan, thank you for your feedback. Luffy and Ace were used by fate to bring Blackbeard to power. Despite hating his father, Ace inherited some major trait from him. Not turning his back and running was one of them. Too bad Ace was not quite strong enough to have that trait and not get killed. Not being by Luffy's side during Marineford would be the Strawhats' biggest regret.

KTDLover, thanks for your feedback. Fate was cruel to the two brothers. Hopefully, fate will correct its mistake when Luffy and Blackbeard meet.

DesperateLoveKoi, thank you for your review. Whitebeard went down like a boss. It is only ashamed that the person who betrayed his crew was the one who got the final blow.

sakura240, thanks for the review and nice to hear from you guys again. I would say this chapter would be better, but I would just be lying. jimbei got robbed of his moment of awesomeness by the entity.

The Mad Reviewer, thank you for your feedback. It would be awesome if Luffy was as magnificent as Whitebeard. I am not certain it will happen until Luffy is older. It would not make sense for him to have an aura like Whitebeard when is is seventeen or even twenty honestly. Also, Oda likes drawing big people. I mean, Blackbeard is also huge despite only coming to Whitebeard's waist. It still say it would be too farfetched for Blackbeard to be revealed as a fake D, but there is something strange about him. Then again, we have only been introduce to seven characters, not including Blackbeard, who are D carriers. So, we are making assumptions on a very limit pool of knowledge. I think Blackbeard is more lucky than really smart. Half his plan would have fallen apart if it was not for Luffy and Ace. At the same time, he is a manipulator since he went over twenty years hiding his true nature from everyone, including the great reader of people Whitebeard. Only Shanks felt something off with him. As for how Luffy will react to Blackbeard, I think he hates Akainu more than Blackbeard. Although, I can't see him forgiven either of them. Also, according to Oda, Luffy doesn't kill because he sees it as too merciful and it is better to let people live with their dream crush. Kind of liked what happened to Luffy in this chapter.

DragonReader, thanks for your feedback. I see, it happens. Oda does not kill people lightly. In fact, you could say he is too soft even now given how many people should have died. If he does kills off another character, it will be major. Hopefully it will be either Akainu or Blackbeard. Well, right now I think we hit rock bottom in terms of sadness.

Area 11, thank you for your review. I do not read Bleach and it has been awhile since I have read Naruto, so I can give no comment.

LeoGearSecond, thanks for your review. I do remember than. It was quite common to believe that One Piece was either a treasure of gold and jewels, to something personal of Roger, to being nothing at all. With one paragraph, Whitebeard not only confirmed the existence of One Piece, but the real shit was going to happened when it is found. Blackbeard is Oda favorite pirate, which is why he plays a major role in the series. What his end role is going to be will be interesting. We are getting to the end, but Luffy has a lot of crap to deal with before then.

Black Angel, thank you for your feedback. Well, you get an idea in this chapter. Namely, they have been with Luffy for awhile.

Shiningheart of ThunderClan, thanks for your feedback. I love Marco's line too, especially in the anime. There is just something about it that gives me chills. That is an interesting mental image and I can just imagine Law's horrified face lol. I am also not sure if you got my PM, but you can use that quote if you like.

AkaSpada97, thank you for your review. Hopefully, you will feel the same way after this chapter.

Wolf and MR Lover, thanks for your review. I cannot remember when Luffy was ever called Captain Luffy. I also enjoyed a good torture fic, a guilty pleasure of mines. I guess that is how I am able to write a chapter like this. I think what I liked about hurting characters is writing how the characters overcome what happened to them and become stronger from it. That their strength and will and stronger than the trauma that they went through. Namely, I can do evil stuff to Luffy because I feel that he can take it.

SerenePhenix, thank you for your feedback. Getting the proper reactions from writing takes practice and dare I say talent. I know many writers who can write a tragic scene and I feel nothing, while others have been crying at my computer scene. I really cannot proper describe it. All the Strawhats are strong, which is why I love them so much despite my need to torture them. The Will of D is one of the biggest mysteries of One Piece. I look forward to the day, ten years from now, when Oda finally reveals what it is. There will, hopefully, be some funny moments when the air clear. The last couple of chapters have been one depression moment after another.

EliTigre, thanks for the feedback. Well, I doubt my skill are up to Oda. I still think I am going to get skin alive for this chapter. And I can understand the lack of reviews. My review record is also terrible because I usually cannot think of anything to say.

Neko-VongolaPrimo, thank you for your review. Well, you may not love my after you finished reading this chapter. What Penguin and Shachi may of hurt them, but I think their statement is small time compare to what the entity did in this chapter. Nami had a sense of false hope when she and her sister were told to leave the island so Bellmère could live. They were about to leave before Bellmère told Arlong the truth. Yeah...to bad that heartwarming moment didn't happen in this chapter. Hope your Spain trip is still going well.

caleb-levi14, thanks for your review. I love reading all reviews even the one-liners. It tells me that I am doing something right or wrong. And yes, I update every Wednesday unless something happens. Not sure that I am the only writer that can do One Piece justice, but thanks for the strong feeling.

Lulu-Baka-Japon, thank you for your feedback. I should warn you that I do not know Spanish and I had to put your review in a translator. So, if I misinterpreted something, I apologize. Anyway, it is nice to hear from such a long time fan. I would not call this one of the best stories written until the end. I am very anxious about this chapter. Most of your our favorite chapters are also my favorite too, except I would add Forge in Fire, Sabaody, Between Life and Death, and Heroic Effort to my list. I also always wanted a full memory fic, which is why this story was written. That and I was impatient waiting for other author's to update their story. If you hated Luffy's mental collapse, you are going to despise this chapter. In all fairness to Ace, the chances of keeping that promise were really low and he made it when he was cocky ten years old. I am not sure Buggy and Luffy could ever really be friends. They are on two ends to the ideal scale. I can see them forming a respectful relationship, however. I think Crocodile save Luffy for two reasons. One, to spite the marines and two because he wanted to see what Luffy would become from his grief. He may have also seen death as an easy way out given what happened to him. Thanks for the good luck.

My Guest Reviewer, thanks for the feedback. Oda has troll us before, so we can only guess what the future holds for Blackbeard and Akainu.

READINGhearts17, thank you for your review. I also think there will undoubtedly be a major war that will change the world. Unlike Marineford, Luffy will come out better since he will be stronger. I do wonder how Luffy will destroy Fishman Island given the way Oda ended things there.

Spritefyre, thanks for the review. I know what you mean. I think the longest fanfic I have ever read was over a million words. I also read the first four Harry Potter books in little more than a week. Also, sorry for not having Luffy and Jimbei's moment.

Cana-Puff, thank you for your feedback. I knew you would like the infirmary scenes when you mentioned how you wanted to see them.

LostFairyMantic, thanks for the feedback. I cannot take too much credit. A lot of my observation was made by other people from across many forums.

treeofsakuras, thank you for your review. I am still amaze by how many people love the last line. It was like the highlight of the chapter for many people.

Cinni2008, thanks for your review. I also do not like when people overdo certain traits of the Strawhats. Nami is greedy and Sanji can be a jerk, but they both have their soft side and dearly love their crew. In general, I just don't like character basing. In a big story like this with so much going it, it is easy to lose the plot I guess you could say. I do my best to stay on point, even if I do drag in some places. As for how I got all my material, the forums that I visit some times are Arlorg Part Forum and the One Manga Forum. I also listened to the One Piece Unofficial Podcast off and on. I do not agree with much that is on those forums or the podcast, but they do bring up some good points or story elements that I completely miss. I also noticed something myself because I tend to over-analyze everything. Well, I think more specially you can read the first half of One Piece like a novel lol. Also, I love long reviews so don't ever feel shy about showing your feelings. If you feel uncomfortably sharing your thoughts publicly, you can always PM me.

Labyrinth-chan, thank you for your feedback. Happy you feel that way. Putting images into words is not as easy as some may think. Especially when you have to find the best word to describe what is going on. I want readers to be able to visualize the scene without having prior knowledge of the source material. I do not have a problem with people not sharing my point-of-view. Life is no fun if we all agreed. What I try to do is show my theories or ideas in the best and most plausible way possible. This can be especially hard in chapters like this one where I wish I was Oda so I can really get into the character's heads. I do mostly agree with you about having to go through certain trials in order to become stronger. I do tend to express my love for a character by hurting them in every way possible. An I always do my best to take care of myself.

Grey-Skye-eyes, thanks for your feedback. Well, you get half your wish.

Ladie in Lace, thank you for your review. Originally, I had no plans to show Whitebeard's death at all, mostly because Whitebeard is overall not important for the scale of this story. I ended up added it because I thought Whitebeard deserved to have his death shown and for the Strawhats to see Blackbeard's full raise to power since Luffy and Ace played a big part in it. There is still much to be learn about Blackbeard.

Rose Rain 7 I assume, thanks for your review. Whitebeard beating the crap out of Akainu is good to watch, but not filling since the guy lived. But it will do for now. My response was, 'WTF is that?'. Blackbeard being adoptive into the D family is an interesting theory. Still, I think he has too many other D qualities to be a false D. I was going to write that, but I felt even being the kind of trash was too good for him. What happened at Marineford was almost a direct parallel Alabasta. Strangely enough, I did not even realized that until I wrote that chapter. That part with Coby almost didn't make it. But, I thought Coby deserved his moment and it showed the effect Luffy had on him since the first time he met him. I have two minds about Sengoku chasing Luffy depending if I am thinking about the dub or sub. If I am thinking about Sengoku's sub voice, I imagined him being out of breath and puffing chasing Luffy. If I think about his dub voice, who did the voice of the Wrath on Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood, I imagined him taking out tanks and just destroying the Whitebeard Pirate commanders. Answering all those reviews took forever. Luckily for me, a lot of them were one-liners. I am more curious to how Law patched Luffy up. He had a giant hole blown in his chest. He could have just stitched that up. These are the same fans who hate Vivi, because she is 'weak'. Because apparently having your country rip apart, watching those you love die in vain, and daring to cry about makes you weak. I started watching One Piece sub back in 2007 when it was in Thriller Bark. Although, I was watching the 4Kid dub off and on several years before then, but I cannot remember the year. I wrote this fic because of the memory fics spotted complete record.

As for the question if the Strawhats took the easier route of the seven, it is impossible to say since we never saw the other routes. Also, even if a lot of the challenges the Strawhats faced was self-imposed, that is part of the life of a pirate. You end up like Buggy crew if you just did cruise control.

MysteriousEyez, thank you for your feedback. I do not think I could do justice to Blackbeard Pirates versus the Strawhat Pirates. It does not help that I do not think much of Blackbeard's strength despite him having two Devil Fruits, him beating Ace, and Shanks being cautious around him. As much as a jerk the entity is, he got it right about the efforts of grief. 'It hurts more than any physical torture and lingers like a dull ache in our souls, even when we think we have moved on. It changes us and alters the way we view the world and ourselves. No matter how hard we try, we can never return to the person we once were'.

doubledamn, thanks for the feedback. Well, it got a lot more depression in this chapter. I want to watch Game of Thrones, but I keep forgetting and I don't have HBO. I guess I can always get the book it based on. By the end of this story, there hopefully will be no need for a sequel. As far as I know, there is not time-travel memory story. Whatifstoryteller has an alternative version of Luffy's past, but that is the closest I can think of. I am not really into time-travel, change the future, fanfics. I personally hate god-mode characters, it is one of the many reasons I hate Eneru. I just want bad things to happen to them. I can understand why people like them, they just not my cup of tea.

Zinfer, thank you for the review. It was nice and the manga, too bad something had to ruin it. Well, in fairness, almost all my chapters were per-written and you are reading version 5.5 or something.

yukiko hyuga-chan, thanks for your review. Akainu is obsessive jerkass. He was called Red Dog for good reason.

Llaelien, thank you for your feedback. I guess you could say that I made a sad scene even worse. Happy to hear that you enjoyed my other stories.

Pokabu, thanks for your feedback and nice to hear from you again. I enjoyed that some of the Strawhats call Law by the nickname given to him by Luffy. I just find it cute and funny.

SawadaTsukimi, thank you for your review. You get Luffy's doubt in this chapter and more.

Chocolate-Tama, thanks for your review. I am afraid I do not know Naruto well enough to do justice to a memory fic like this.

Vuurvlieg, thank you for your feedback. Maybe I am being paranoid, but I know from experience that one bad chapter or just a slight turn can chase out long time reviewers and you will never hear from them again. With that said, I do agree that it is hard to review when you cannot really think of anything to say other than 'good chapter'. I love that line from Zoro too. It just feels like him. Save that anger up until the day you can unleash it. I never quite saw last chapter that way, but you are right. They did more or less stopped viewing the memory seemed to become part of it. Like how they grown to love Whitebeard and his crew despite never meeting any of them. A lot of the things you mentioned will be addressed before the story is over.

Walt Disney and Anime, thanks for the feedback. I knew you would enjoy last chapter. Given that Zoro seems to be a believer in fate, it seemed fitting for him to muse about if fate chose Blackbeard to rule the age. Given how everything went Blackbeard's way because of Luffy and Ace, it does seemed something to considered. At the same time, Zoro is one who believer in 'screw fate'. Namely, even if he believe that the age chose Blackbeard, he is more than willing to go against fate and make Luffy the Pirate King. As for Zoro's keeping it in comment, I think he knows the crew well enough to know that none of them are going to allow their anger to consume them. The Strawhats are not really a vengeful bunch. I mean, they will beat the hell out of you if you hurt one of their own, but they are not really control by their anger. I mean, that is pretty much how they were able to work with the Franky Family and Franky despite having many hard feelings toward them. The same with Hatchan who they went from being enemies towards being good friends. Zoro and Sanji felt Shanks' Haki because what was conscious in Luffy felt it. Shanks Haki is so powerful that even unconscious Luffy can feel it.

shimaxkutau, thank you for your review. I am always happy to hear from you, rather your review is late or not. Glad you enjoyed last chapter. Having the Strawhats on the submarine was partly to act as a fake out so the reader would think I skipped over the rest of the war. Plus, I like that the Strawhats got to see Luffy in that state. It truly showed the hell Luffy been through and how close he was to slipping away. I am not sure about Buggy. I think Luffy kind of grown on him, kind of liked what happened with Mr. 3.

My Guest Reviewer, thank you for review. I think Buggy help Luffy mostly by accident. He was trying to escape. But Buggy does seems somewhat fond of Luffy since he would not give him to just anyone. I am sure about Law since we really do not know much about him. Also, no problem about the late review.

Monkey D. Danny, thanks for your feedback. You get half of what you wanted, sorry about that.

Puppet Dragon, thanks for your review. Yeah, I did :). Fate - Oda - gave Luffy and Ace some rotten eggs. But I am sure karma will come and bite both Blackbeard and Akainu in the butt.

With this Q/A completed, until next chapter.