The World Will Burn
Chapter 0
The Fall of the Strawhats
A week after they had left Wano, the Strawhat crew found themselves surrounded, stranded, with nowhere to go. A week ago they had battled their way through Onigashima, battled Kaido and Big Mom both, and made them kneel at their feet. The losses were many, Jinbei never caught up to them in the end, and Carrot, the young Bunny Mink all joy and excitement at the mere prospect of continuing in sailing with them and exploring the world she never knew existed… Got felled in the battle against Kaido and his calamities, she had stood with them til the very end, she had held her own, strong, lithe and steadfast in her approach, but… A devastating attack from King had taken her out.
King had gotten close to Zoro, and hadn't been able to react in time. Carrot had come shooting out of nowhere, her gauntlet crackling with electricity, as she managed to take a nasty chunk out of Kings burning shoulder, crippling the man in the process but in doing so, the Calamity pierced her stomach, ripping it open and flung her to the side where Chopper had rushed to her for emergency help only to find… That she had been killed upon impact.
One week ago, they had gone through the whirlwinds of betrayal, despair, anguish and hope. They spent two days celebrating their victory, celebrating the lives that were lost, and the lives they left behind. Saying their goodbyes to Kin'emon, Momo and the other Samurai they had fought with, Kid had bolted with his crew at the first chance he had gotten, no idea where that brute had gone. Law had some things he had to take care of in Wano, so he would catch up with them later down the line, being sure to swap vivre cards.
Mere days after the Strawhats had left Wano, out in the open ocean, enjoying being together again at long last after what had felt like years. After getting separated at Dressrosa, Sanji and the whole Pudding incident, it was just… a whole slew of a mess in all honesty. It was nice to just be lounging and relaxing at the deck of Sunny with all of them reunited for once. They had said their thanks and good byes to both Carrot and Jinbei at Wano, but still that lingering longing was just… there.
And then, out of absolutely fucking nowhere, they get bombarded. It didn't seem to matter how much they fought back, the Marine ships kept coming. They put up a fight, oh, you better believe your ass they had, for three solid hours they repelled the attack, but soon, their stamina would run dry, so, with a good aimed coup de burst. The crew got away. But not for long.
The Marines were soon upon them again, bombarding them for another four hours. Rinse and repeat, they get away with a good aimed Burst. But this time, it was for naught. Sunny caught fire sometime after the next bombardment, her sails were the first to get destroyed, and by the time she had managed to limp them to a rocky shore with obsidian like spires and nothing but loose gravel every witch way one looked, she was half sunk beneath the waves. The crew barely had time to grieve for her when the Marines surrounded the small island they had limped onto, and bombarded them some more for a solid hour before it all just... came to a silence.
And now, here they all stood: tired, and not fully healed from their ordeal from warring against Kaido and Big Mom's forces, the small crew watches as Garp the Fist himself Stood at one of the Marine ships with a den den mushi in his hands, hooked up to a speaker.
"W-we have you surrounded, give yourselves up now, or we will use force to bring you in!"
Luffy, even from this distance, can tell that his Gramps does not want to be here. He has had to watch one grandson die at the hands of the Marines already, he didn't want for it to happen again. Luffy knows this, knows that Dadan had probably beat him up for not doing anything, because that would be just like her to do so.
Dadan… it's weird now. Of all times, is when he decided to think of her, hasn't so much of given her much thought at all during his journey, but a few random spurts here and there, but now... here... Surrounded on all sides, their one means of escape burning and sinking into the depths below about to join Merry in their shared dark grave.
Dadan, in all terms and purposes, has been more of the one Family esque figure in his life that has been constant. Sure Makino is nice, and sweet. But in all honesty, she's been more of a nagging sister, or aunt than a mother to him, in all honesty.
'Wonder how she's doing…that Dadan.' A single thought in Luffy's mind as he felt his gaze fall to the rocky ground. It's weird, all he can think about is his family, blood or not, Dadan Orga and the other Mountain bandits is the closest thing he has had to one. Sure Ace and Sabo are his sworn brothers, but… the Dadan Family… they've just always been there. Garp, while biologically his grandfather, was never there, always busy with the Marines and shit. Gone for Months and even Years at a time, only popping up every now and then to check on them and gloat about the amazingness of the Marines… Wow, what a weird thought to have in this pressing moment.
Luffy could feel the gaze of his crew at his back, turning around, he looked at them. Their eyes wet with unshed tears, his no doubt the same, but, he still couldn't feel anything but a burning excitement filling his gut, they were all still here, ready for one last stand. While losing Sunny hurt a lot. they would avenger her, and take out as many Marines as they could in the process, they would die fighting, or damn well put up a fight and scratch and bite to the bitter end.
All of them meet eye to eye. Gazes held for what felt like hours. Luffy turns his back to the fleet, to his grandfather, and just hugs his crew, his friends, his family… his Nakama.
He does not say anything, nor does anyone else, they don't have to. They all know this is where they either die, or get taken in and left to rot in prison.
They hold one another close, the last bit of tears shed as they silently say their goodbyes to one another, thanks one another for the adventure they've had, for who knows if they will be able to have a moment like this for themselves again, it's highly doubtful. With one last hug, one last thank you's. Luffy lets go, and shouts at the fleet to come and get them, for they are not going down without a fight.
.:TWWB:.
It takes three days before the first of them is taken: Chopper. Followed in the next hour by Usopp. Nami, Franky, Brook and Robin. All follow suit in various hours or days since Chopper was taken.
Zoro, Sanji and Luffy are the last ones standing by the eight day. Exhausted, panting, and barely keeping up with the bombardment. Luffy is shot by something sharp and traces of Seaprism, Sanji is aerial support while the swordsman digs the damned thing out of Luffy's shoulder. Just as Zoro manages to dig it out. Sanji is shot out of the sky, and falls onto one of the Marine ships and is immediately overpowered and taken. Leaving only Zoro and Luffy fighting.
Another three hours, and both Captain and First mate are taken into custody.
The Strawhat crew is sentenced to suffer the remainder of their life at Impel Down.
.:TWWB:.
Luffy has no idea for how long he has been kept in this darkness. He remembers when he and his crew had been taken to a place Luffy had never wanted to see again. The Strawhats got to see one another one last time, battered, bruised and defeated, but all alive, for better or for worse, looking at their current predicament. Magellan had strode right up to him, held him by the throat, lifted him off the ground and put it upon himself that Luffy be put deep into a place where not even the sun will touch him, nor the sound of the world.
Later told him alone out of the earshot of his crew. 'Solitary confinement.'
"Try breaking out of this Strawhat." Magellan had told him as he slammed the door to his new home shut. And that has been his existence since. Stuffed into a tiny cell. Arms all but glued to his back. legs pulled to his chest because of the tight squeeze of the cell. All that accompanies him now is a never ending darkness, and a silence so deafening he doesn't know if he is even alive anymore or not. And a constant drain to his body because, of course, the cell is made entirely of seastone.
How long has it been, Luffy didn't know. Could have been a few hours, days… maybe even years. This… this Darkness was messing with him, unable to tell if he was awake or not, unable to discern reality from fiction anymore.
"I wonder… how the others are doing..." Was the last Luffy thought before he finally let himself succumb to the darkness that surrounded him.
.:TWWB:.
When Luffy opened his eyes again, it was not a cramped space or an endless darkness that awaited him. It was to a familiar worn wooden floor. Luffy's eyes shot open, the darkness he had learned to loathe was gone. Instead what met him was the quiet glow of the Moons shine, and the soft glimmer of the stars that shared its sky.
Luffy felt like he couldn't breathe. The worn wood of his and his brothers work, their hideout, their sanctuary. It was right beneath him. Around him. The ship's wheel Sabo had found at the scrapyard, was right there. The forest, the… The Ocean.
Luffy could physically feel his breath catching at his throat as he was met with what he loved. The Ocean was practically screaming at him to come and join with them, to come sail with them.
Tears were gathering at Luffy's eyes, he never thought he would ever see this again. That damning darkness had almost destroyed his memory of what the Ocean looked like. Of what it sounds like, of what it smells like. All that he loves about it, was almost quenched.
As Luffy turned to head to where he knows the rope ladder for getting down is, his Heart does a literal jump in his chest, and all breathing is stalled for what feels like hours. For there, right there laying down on the wooden floor, a thin sheet haphazardly thrown aside in a restless slumber. Was Ace. Luffy couldn't breathe literally, his breath kept catching, and his heart was racing in his chest, for this has to be some kind of sick joke.
Ace is dead, Luffy knows this with certainty, felt the warmth of his Brother's body leave, as Luffy held him. This is a dream, it has to be, being stuffed into that darkness has finally made his mind snap, and going back to a better time. Where Ace was alive and not burdened by the world's view of him.
Luffy was pulled out of his stupor when Ace groggily sat up and blindly reached for him. "Lu, get back here, we can get you some meat in the morning.." Ace managed to grab onto Luffy's rubbery wrist, and pulled the stunned male down to join him on the floor so they could sleep.
Luffy simply wound his arms around his brother a few times, and pleading to whatever the hell was listening to him that, this not be a dream, that when he wakes, that the Darkness would not take him again. Pleading, and desperately holding his brother close, not wanting to lose him again.
To Be Continued