I finished fleshing out this story from start to finish just like an hour ago and I am not sure how to explain that it's taken a life of its own, it's ridiculous. Also SupI'mHere reviewed twice and gave me life, so I'm double posting because it's written guys! And if you've read any of my other work you know that just does not happen.
Thanks to Ruth and Le055Li0n for their reviews as well. Hope you enjoy :)
"Little brother?!" Chopper yelled, a stringent sound in the silent ship.
"Luffy-bro, are you and Fire Fist related?" Franky asked. Nami notices that Coby is absent, but she guesses someone had to stay with their prisoner. Luffy's joking aside, Ace was the Whitebeard Pirates Second Division commander and the title was not for show. Luffy's beloved older brother or not, he is a man worth more than half a billion berries.
"We're brothers." He says, toying with a straw hat. Odd, Nami's never seen that hat before despite how well-worn it seems.
"Your brother is a pirate?!" Ussopp yells, but most of the crew share his absolute astonishment.
"Yeah, he's a great pirate, too!" Luffy tells them, as if any of them needs an introduction to Fire First Ace. "Ace left to become a pirate when I was 14. Things happened and well, I made a deal with the marines for his safety and this thing on my neck can explode if I disobey orders."
Silence. Chopper and Ussopp immediately recoil, as if now that it's been mentioned the collar will blow up any second.
"Ex...plode?"
"That... is not SUPER at all."
"Wait, wait, Luffy you're not making any sense." Chopper yelled.
"Yeah, what do you mean 'things happened'?" Ussop continues. "That's no way to tell a story at all!"
"Why would the marines be after you? Isn't your grandfather one of them?!" Brook also enters the fray, Nami sometimes has trouble pinpointing his mood -though Brook is certainly full of expression for a skeleton.
"Grandpa tried to keep Ace and me hidden, but when they found out it was pretty much 'join us or death'. So." Luffy fingers the collar.
"Huh." Sanji lets out, already lighting a cigarette. Nami doesn't blame him, she knows this story and it's still getting on her nerves. "I always thought it was an odd tattoo."
"They cannot really have a vice-admiral walking around with a slave collar, can they?" It's Robin's cool voice, but Nami has known her long enough to see the conflict in her eyes. Nami knows how she feels. It feels unfair that Luffy is been burdened by a fate he rescued his own crew from. She's also not the only member of the crew to flinch back at the word 'slave', no matter how acurate it is.
"Why would they want kill you, Luffy?" Brook's voice is usually soft, somber.
"They don't really like my dad. Or Ace's for that matter."
"Right, Brook, you weren't there yet when we found out." Ussopp says. "Luffy's father is the leader of the revolutionary army."
"Yohoho!" Brook laughs in surprise. "Shocks like that are not good for my heart. Though I have no-!" Nami smacks him.
"Not right now."
"Why force you into the marines?" Sanji asks. At this Luffy averts his eyes, fingers playing without thought around the straw hat's brim.
"They figured I was going to become a pirate. After Ace, they didn't think my grandpa was enough discouragement to keep me in the boring side of life or whatever."
"But why would you become a pirate?"
"It wouldn't matter if I hadn't, probably." Luffy acknowledges Robin's question, unusually perspective. Though he's had years to think on this, Nami knows. "But this hat was given to me by Red-Haired Shanks… right when I promised to become the Pirate King."
Odd pieces of memories started fitting together in Nami's head, Luffy always reaching for his head as if expecting something to be there… It seemed like the crew wanted to dig into Luffy's past with a Younko, but Chopper cut in.
"Wait, Luffy, if all this shady deal is for Ace to not be apprehended… why are we taking him to prison?" Chopper asks.
"They're no exactly planning to keep their word." Nami can count easily the amount of times she's seen Luffy angry, and it never stops been like a bucket of ice-cold water. "I... I cannot let him die, but..." A hand leaves the straw hat to touch the collar, Nami knows how cold it is.
"What do you need us to do?" It's the first time Zoro enters the conversation, his sentiment is met unanimously and without hesitation.
"You'll have to leave the marines..." Luffy does not avert his eyes, but they're afraid. For them, for his brother... Luffy carries so much worry inside it's almost understandable how little care he has for himself.
"Luffy, we're your nakama." Surprisingly, it's Robin's soft clear voice. Perhaps, out of all them, she's the one who stands to lose the most. She smiles at Luffy and her captain, whose eyes are glassy, smiles like the sun. "You need only to ask."
Tell me, Robin, tell me you want to live.
What do you want, Nami?
"Yosh!" He says, and for a moment Nami thinks he's going to put on the hat but he doesn't, leaving her oddly disappointed for some reason. "I'm gonna need help on plan that goes beyond not letting Ace die, though." Nami groans.
"Why am I not surprised?"
"Shishishishi!"
