Chapter 9: 3D2Y

{Fishman Island…}

Hordey Jones stood above the people of the island, commanding the execution of the King when the Thousand Sunny flew into the town square. It was chaotic, people were panicked, confused, and fearful of what would happen once Pirates got involved; however, what they hadn't expected was for Jinbei and the Straw Hats to be taking down a select number of Hordey's crew in order to save King Neptune. They had dealt with them fairly easy, but were left with quite a surprise when the Captain, Straw Hat Luffy came barreling out of Princess Shirahoshi's pet shark, and joined the fight, having been in hiding until then. The battle had been insanity, but even with a minor slew of those who threatened their peace taken down, thousands upon thousands remained. The Pirates had prepared for an all out war, knowing they'd have to divide the masses in order to succeed, but that wasn't required. Because their Captain stepped forward.

The petite nineteen year old didn't hesitate to move into the crowd of Fishmen, and many prepare to see a slaughter, the Straw Hats prepared to battle, and Hordey cackled at the idiocy of the boy. However, those sounds of doubt external and internal were drowned out when a pulse of energy expelled from around the boy, sweeping across them like a breeze from an intense inferno - and then the masses of enemies started to collapse. It was a shocking sight, how without lifting a finger almost all of Hordey's army had been removed from the equation. It was a terrifying power, a thing that made the Straw Hats stare in surprise, and others cower in fear - it was the power of a King, of a Conqueror.

Admittedly, Zoro and Sanji were heavily impressed. The pressure was unnerving, as was the sight of their Captain, who at such a young age had the power of Conqueror's Haki. Naturally, he had told them about it before they'd arrived, but seeing it in action was quite an imposing thing to behold. But, they weren't going to let their Captain show them up. The battle to stop Hordey and Vanderdecken was a less than pleasant affair to say the least, they were beaten and damaged and put through hell as they fought and struggled from beginning to end. Although, their trials were not narrowly as difficult as they once were. But it had been their Captain who put it all on the line. Second Gear did narrowly no damage, Armament and Observation Haki was like breathing, and his actions were as ambitious as always. He had done significant damage to The Noah, and had suffered massive bloodloss for his troubles, but Jinbei, that man had saved their Captain, and finally the traitors were tossed in prison, and everyone was able to breathe.

Celebrations were in order, naturally - but injuries and rest were needed first. Then King Neptune intended to throw a party in their honor, which they happily accepted. Jinbei had stayed with them as they were taken to the makeshift hospital wing that the King had set up within the Ryugu Palace. Each of them taking a moment to consider how quickly everything had gone south once they'd touched down on Fishman Island. From Carabu to Hordey it had been a shit show, but thankfully it was finished and they could enjoy some peace before heading into the New World.

Currently, the Straw Hats were resting on their beds in the large room, most of them were up and having Chopper check over their injuries as he worked to ensure they could all enjoy the party tomorrow. However, while most of them were relaxing, Luffy was sleeping. After having narrowly bled to death after saving the Island, he was exhausted and needed to sleep in order to best heal himself up. But, that still didn't change everyone being a bit concerned despite him being out of the woods. Nami sighed, flipping through her book as the others waited around for Chopper to get to them if he hadn't already.

"This is boring," she said.

"Yea, but we're supposed to stay in the castle until the banquet." she shrugged, looking around the room before her attention turned to the sleeping boy curled up under the comforter near her.

"Damn idiot always overdoes it," Sanji stated as he opened a window and lit a cigarette.

"Well, like we always say - he wouldn't be our Captain if he didn't." Chopper frowned as he finished with checking on Zoro who had begrudgingly agreed to keep the bandages on until tomorrow.

"That was the first time I've seen Second Gear in action since we reunited. He's gotten faster, and it seems like the damage is very minimal now by comparison," he stated, moving to Sanji who regrettably had to put out his cigarette.

"He did train with Rayleigh for almost two years straight, I guess it would make sense that he'd get better." Usopp glanced in the direction of his Captain, crossing his arms.

"Speaking of which, what was that thing he did with all those Fishmen? They just dropped like flies!" he questioned as Zoro sighed and Robin smiled.

"That, my dear sniper friend, was Conqueror's Haki. It is also known as the power of the Conquering King. Very few people have it, and I'll bet good money that Luffy has shown plenty of signs of possessing it for many years now and we merely missed it," she stated as Usopp looked between her and his sleeping Captain.

"He's a monster… no question about it…" Zoro gave bemused laugh.

"Let's be glad that he's on our side and not an enemy," he mentioned as the others glumly thought of how screwed their lives would be if Luffy had become a Marine like his grandfather wanted and how terrible it would be to have to fight him.

"I'm not fighting him, you can go right ahead muscle head!" Nami's statement had most of them laughing.

"Come on, Luffy wouldn't ever hurt us. After all, he went through all that trouble to get us back." the mention of that brought somewhat unpleasant memories to them all.

They were of dire needs to escape at hearing the news of Ace's death, the want to rush right back to Sabaody and put their arms around their grieving Captain. To let him know he wasn't alone, and someone still was there to ground him when he felt lost - but then the message came. It had been a shock, to see the report in the paper of how Luffy had return to Marineford, ringing the Ox bell sixteen times and sending a prayer to the people who died there. And, on his arm was a mark Three Days were crossed out in an X and below it were two things:

2Y

They got the message loud and clear. It was then, that they had picked themselves up off the ground, sent their best thoughts and wishes to their Captain and one another, and got to work. Judging by this most recent fight, it had paid off, but it still left bitter tastes in their mouth when they considered it and all that could have happened to each of them in that time away. They knew what had happened to their Captain, at least to some degree. But it didn't change how horrible the news had been, how they felt reading that headline of Ace's death, of White Beard's death, of the slaughter and turmoil present that the Marines decided was a victory and something to be proud of when they had hurt so many others.

"You know, I heard some people saying that the reason Luffy ran the Ox Bell sixteen times was because he wanted to declare war on the Marines for what they'd done to Ace," Franky mentioned. Sanji shook his head.

"That's bullshit, those damn Marines want any excuse to go and hunt Pirates no matter how good they are. I mean, from what I heard White Beard did a lot of good things for people, and they decided he deserved death…" Chopper sighed as the blond lit another cigarette.

"So, what does it mean when you ring the Ox Bell sixteen times?" Brook looked to the tiny doctor as he turned his attention to Franky.

"Well, according to Pirates and the older folk - it signals the end of one thing, and the beginning of another. So, Luffy did the procession with the boat, and rang the bell to signal the end of White Beard's era," he stated.

"You think he meant to signal the beginning of his era as the new King?" Robin shook her head.

"No, Luffy did that because White Beard said that the One Piece was real. It was the signal that the will of the Pirates who came before them wouldn't die there at Marineford, that the dreams of their fallen brethren would be carried on. Honestly, it was quite poetic," she said as the others took note of her words.

It gave them a lot to think about as the day wore on into night and soon everyone was having dinner. Sometime around seven that evening, Luffy had finally woken up and everyone breathed a collective sigh of relief. He had greeted them tiredly, but was happy to see everyone up and moving. He'd joined them at the table, eating and chatting as he had on the Sunny when they'd been making their way here, but as they laughed and talked, there were moments when Luffy would zone out, tilting his head slightly as his eyes narrowed, as though he were listening to something. None of them said anything, but they noticed it as he would always snap back into the conversation not long after, but it did make them somewhat concerned. Chopper watched his Captain, unsure about any lingering sideffects of the amount of pressure he was under, in addition to the salt water he'd been exposed to that burned horribly when a Devil Fruit user was in contact with it.

However, Luffy seemed the same as usual and they decided not to bring anything else up. That is, until dinner was over and everyone was getting ready for bed and they noticed how Luffy was sitting on his bed, arms folded on the windowsill and his head rested upon them as he watched the area outside the palace, still with that distant look on his face like he was listening to something. They all knew that Luffy had a keen sense of smell, but none of them were aware of whether or not he had particularly sharp hearing. Admittedly, the sight of him being still and quiet was uncomfortable as he closed his eyes, seeming to tune into whatever he was listening to as Jinbei sighed, shaking his head and the others started to realize how late it was getting. Finally, Nami had reached the end of her tether and came over to her Captain, putting her hands on his shoulders and shaking him slightly as he jolted and turned to look at the girl with a curious expression.

Those charcoal gray eyes were staring at her intensely, as though he was still not all there, but was aware of who stood before him. Nami flinched back before growling as she flicked him on the forehead and he winced, touching the offended area with a frown as he stood, and all at once Nami realized that Luffy was as tall if not a few inches taller than her when she wasn't wearing her heels. The sudden realization made her feel uncomfortable as her brown gaze met his gray one and he sighed, seeming a bit bored with the situation as she puffed out her cheeks in annoyance and grabbed his face, pulling and stretching as he struggled to get her off him.

"Nami! Let go!" he said as the girl gave him an irritated scowl.

"No! What is going on with you? You're acting creepy!" Luffy grabbed her hands, prying at them before he rubbed his now sore cheeks.

"What are you talking about? How am I being creepy?" the girl sighed, unbelieving at how dense he was acting.

"Luffy, you've been zoning out off and on for hours now! What are you doing?" the black haired boy gave her a surprised look and crossed his arms over his chest, seeming a bit unsure of how to answer her question.

"I was listening to them," he said as he pointed outside, confusing everyone greater as Jinbei narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

"Who? Luffy, who is them exactly?" the boy sat down on his bed, looking decidedly frustrated.

"I don't really know. I just keep hearing voices talking outside the city. Their really deep voices… and I heard them when I was with Shirahoshi on the Noah," he explained. Jinbei sighed, knowing what was going on.

"The Will of D strikes again." the statement confused those present.

"Will of D?" Brook inquired. Robin smiled.

"Luffy and a handful of others seem to be descendants from someone who carried the initial of D... a clan if you will … some also speculate that those who carry the name of them are the enemies of God. Though, a lot of the reasons why those who carry the name are known to be unnatural by human standards, reaching for great ambitions that no other would dare to dream of, and always dying with a smile on their faces are completely unknown. It's just speculation," she stated. Nami looked at her Captain who gave them all a somewhat bewildered look. He clearly didn't know much about those details, if anything.

"Oh, why does that make so much sense? No wonder you're a trouble magnet!" Luffy gave her a sheepish laugh.

"I guess so… it doesn't really matter to me," he said as Jinbei smiled, deciding for now it would be best not to tell the boy that he seemed to share a gift with Roger who could hear the voice of all things. It perhaps would be to much to try and understand, and even worse could bring up painful memories.

The evening had grown quiet not long after, and everyone decided getting a decent nights sleep would be the best course of action as they wandered off into dreamland within moments of their heads hitting the pillows. Luffy however, remained quiet, listening as he had earlier to the conversations taking place outside the city. The voices spoke of old stories that sounded like fairy tales to him and it made him ease off into deep sleep soon enough while the others around him had long since done so. This might have been chaotic, but he had thoroughly enjoyed the time spent there. If he could, one day he'd love to come back and hopefully just explore the island instead of just getting himself into another battle, and hopefully when that day came he would have already accomplished his current goal of being King of the Pirates.

When morning came, the crew was woken for breakfast and everyone was informed of when they would be sent for so to attend the banquet. They were excited, and had made sure that they were packed up and ready for when the time came to leave so to enjoy the party to the fullest. The crew reached the Sunny that was docked in the harbor in a short time thanks to a little help from the transportation system offered by the palace, and had decided it would be wise to get cleaned up and changed into some fresh clothes, which everyone agreed to as Sanji suggested he make everyone lunch in between people getting ready as he had been able to do so the quickest. They'd agreed and soon enough were finished with getting themselves cleaned and prepared for the evening that Sanji had started to set out the food for them to eat on deck when Luffy had come out with the others and approached Nami with a slightly sheepish question for her to patch up his red cardigan that he had worn during the fight.

The shirt had survived the attacks surprisingly well, but did look to be in need of a little stitching at the seam of the shoulder. Nami had agreed and Luffy thanked her before moving to help get the food out on the grassy area. That was when everyone noticed it and found themselves staring at the boy's left upper arm. Visible there against his tan skin were a series of black marks that looked hauntingly familiar as he laughed, teasing Sanji that he would eat the plate before it got to it's destination, but laughed before setting it down. Franky was the one who snatched his arm and held it in place as Luffy gave him a confused look while the cyborg stared at the mark there and the others finally got a full look at it as well.

3D2Y

That was what they saw inked into Luffy's skin, just as it had been in the picture from two years ago. The sight of it brought Franky to tears, and left most of them silent or in Brook's case, making tiny noises of recognition and surprise. The boy Captain stood before them with a small smile on his face, unsure of if he should be happy that they saw this little memento or nervous as hell. The tattoo was somewhat important to him, and he honestly never expected to show it off to anyone, but supposed he couldn't keep it hidden forever - at some point they would have seen it as the tattoo spanned from the middle of his upper arm to just above his elbow. He sighed, being once again surprised as Chopper snatched his arm.

"HOW DID I NOT SEE THAT?!" he shouted in disbelief as Luffy laughed.

"Well, my injuries didn't really require me to take my shirt off completely, now did it?" his sheepish response had worried looks form on their faces.

"Is that… permanent?" Usopp asked as Luffy turned to him.

"Yea, why wouldn't it be?" a hand was pressed to the marked arm and he turned to see Nami standing there with a upset look on her face as tears welled in her eyes.

"When did you… was it after the message?" Luffy smiled.

"Yea… um… I had one of the girls on the island do it for me. After all that happened, I decided to keep it… maybe just as a reminder to not let this happen again."

And, once again this boy stunned them. It was a simple thing, a damn tattoo. But, the gesture meant more to them than they could honestly put into words. It was a memento to let him remember that they had done the right thing in staying separated for two years, that the pain and loneliness had been worth the wait to finally getting to put his arms around his loved ones again. It made Zoro shake his head as he looked at the tattoo that now adorned his Captain's arm and he acknowledged how strangely similar it was to Ace's tattoo. Perhaps it was also a way for Luffy to carry something that belonged to his brother in another form.

"You didn't have to do that, you know. I mean, why keep a reminder of something painful?" Sanji mentioned as Luffy shook his head.

"No, I did need to do this. But, it's mostly because… it's another reminder - that so long as I have the power to do so, I'll never let us be separated again for that length of time. Two years will never pass where we're not able to see one another."

Those words were sharp, and in that moment the crew were reminded that while Luffy was very much the same old person they'd always known - he wasn't completely unchanged. The trials he'd endured had hurt him, and changed his demeanor on some things. Maybe to some degree these challenges made the young man before them more serious or possibly even more dangerous, but they were okay with it. If that moment meant such a great deal to their Captain, then they would be at peace with it. They'd waited two years and three days to go on another adventure, and they had no intentions of complaining now.

{.….}

Author's Note: I kind of always thought that it would be a really neat idea if Luffy did actually have that tattooed onto his arm instead of just drawn on. I sort of wish Oda had kept it as it was a pretty cool homage to both Ace and a message to the crew. But, oh well. Anyways, see you next chapter!

Sincerely,

ShadowDragon94.