A/N: ZareEraz here! I'm totally on a writing kick, lucky you! Ah, this part of the show is so sad *cries while writing* and I hope that I did it justice. Let me know what you think!
Chapter 27: Parting is Such Sweet Sorrow
Things had certainly not gone to plan – not that they ever did – but Luffy punching a Celestial Dragon had gotten them into quite a bit of trouble this time around.
The original plan was to go find a ship coater named Rayleigh to prepare the Sunny for undersea travel, after the Straw Hats had met a mermaid named Camie, her pet and/or teacher, Pappagu, and surprisingly Hachi, a former crewmember of Arlong's crew. To make up for what he'd help do to Nami, Hachi was determined to do anything and everything to help her crew, so he had led them all the way to the Sabaody Archipelago. The first part of the day had been full of fun shopping, messing with all the cool bubbles that floated up through the ground of the giant mangrove of the archipelago, seeing the amusement park, and getting lost in Zoro's case, but then trouble reared its head again when Camie was kidnapped and set to be auctioned off as a slave to the highest bidder. The crew had all eventually gathered at the Human Auctioning House on Grove 1, with Luffy magnificently crashing through the front door on a Flying Fish. And that's where the punch happened.
Luffy had been running down the auction house's stairs to get to Camie's tank on the stage and Hachi had tried to stop him. The Fishman had revealed his two extra sets of arms and the crowd of humans around them had started saying hurtful and derogatory things about him being dirty, stupid, and full of diseases. The unthinkable happened next: someone had shot Hachi for being a Fishman, and not just any someone, St. Charlos of the Celestial Dragons. The disgusting man had been so happy about the violence that he'd jumped around gleefully talking about "getting an octopus for free!" and grinning like an asshole. Luffy had gone back to his friend, worried, and Hachi had seen the look of rage in his eyes. He begged for the younger man to not make any moves against the nobles and to not make things any worse, even as he was bleeding out on the stairs. Luffy laid the man's hand down and stood up, stalking his way up the steps. The World Noble had glared at him, hating the look in his eyes, and shot at the rubber man. Luffy dodged the bullets easily, his eyes narrowing as he clenched his fist tightly.
He'd roared as he slammed his fist into the bastard's face, a look of pure wrath on his own, and he'd thrown the noble several dozen feet through benches and people. With no regrets, Luffy had glared at the people around him and prepared to face the consequences of his actions. The auction house had exploded into chaos, the customers running to get off the island and the Navy setting up blockades outside to trap the pirates within. During the following escape, Camie had been freed by the Rayleigh the Straw Hat Pirates had been looking for and seen an impressive display of his unusual powers to knock people out without touching them and taking off explosive collars. They'd also met two other rookie captains with bounties contemporary to Luffy's bounty in the auction house and these two pirates were Trafalgar Law of the Heart Pirates and Eustass Kid of the Kid Pirates. They'd both started a rivalry with Luffy as they were kicking Marine ass, each captain trying to outdo the others. Eventually, everyone escaped and the Straw Hats decided to hide out on the archipelago for a few days while Rayleigh did the coating, also learning that he was the first mate of the Roger Pirates – the Dark King to Roger's Pirate King. They were all shocked but that had just made the old man even cooler than he already was!
Having come up with a tentative plan, the pirates were walking through Grove 12 trying to figure out a place to hide out in for three days. However, that was when disaster struck. Bartholomew Kuma appeared in front of them, his giant footfall shaking the ground. Everyone on the crew, except Luffy, either gasped in horror or gritted their teeth in terror. Sanji and Zoro's eyes darkened, both of them having experienced just how much they were fucked, and Robin and Brook were both privy to the knowledge as to why they were fucked. Despite his pride and strength, Zoro's heart clenched as he remembered just how much torture this honorable asshole had inflicted upon him. His body ached from his injures still, and he knew that now he wasn't even as strong as he'd been after just fighting Oars. If it came down to protecting everyone again, he would probably die this time. His hands trembled slightly as they reached for his swords, but he stilled them, knowing that he was still going to put up one hell of a fight. The situation had been made more tragic by the fact that Luffy had no clue who the Warlord was; he'd been unconscious during the whole Kuma incident and had only been told that he'd shown up on the island. Even if Luffy allowed himself to feel fear, he didn't know to fear the giant man in front of them. The rubber man didn't even know that he'd barely escaped capture and death because Zoro offered to die in his place.
Before any of them could act, the Warlord shot out a beam from his hand. Everyone dodged and Franky sent the giant man flying back into a giant mangrove tree with a Coup de Vent. But the Warlord wasn't out. Zoro's eyes widened as he saw Luffy activate his Second Gear, readying for the fight that he didn't get to have on Thriller Bark. The swordsman had tried to prevent this, tried to save his lover, but now there was no choice. However, Zoro had a nagging feeling that something was off, but couldn't place what about the Warlord was different. The fight between the Monster Trio and the man-turned Pacifista, while not one-sided, was difficult to watch. The three Straw Hats had thrown pretty much everything at their enemy but he still kept getting up. The longer the fight dragged on, the less it looked like they'd win. Then, after dodging several hand beams, Zoro landed on the ground and looked up to see the Warlord's mouth opening, his eyes glowing red. The swordsman's brain flashed back to when Kuma had almost hit him with one of those at Thriller Bark, melting an iron bar in seconds, and what had happened after. His body seized in pain, immobilizing him. It was like he was experiencing the trauma all over again, and his still-healing injuries flared as agony raced throughout his body. He clutched at his stomach, still managing to hold onto Shisui, and groaned miserably. He couldn't move, his eyes squeezed shut even as he knew the beam was coming.
"What the hell are you doing?!" Sanji yelled. "Snap out of it!" His words broke the spell and Zoro leaped into the air just as the beam neared him. The explosion threw him to the ground, where he stayed, splayed on his back.
"ZOROOOOO!" Luffy ran in front of his boyfriend to protect him and looked back in horror. The normally calm swordsman was writhing in pain on the ground, from what, Luffy didn't know. "Hey!" he called, a desperate edge entering his voice. "What's wrong with you?!" The green-haired man didn't answer him, still crying out in agony. Sanji stood in front of Luffy, his jaw set, ready to protect both his captain and his rival like he hadn't been able to on Thriller Bark.
"Just forget about him for now, Luffy!" Sanji urged his captain, wanting to preserve a little of Zoro's honor by drawing the teen's attention. "We're all screwed if we can't beat this thing!" He hasn't had the chance to recover from last time. Standing up at all must've been pretty damn painful. That look on his face tells me everything I need to know.
Luffy didn't want to look away, he didn't want to shut out Zoro's cries, but he had to if they were all going to get through this. A vice squeezed his heart, the emotional turmoil he was feeling almost a real, physical ache. Zoro managed to roll over onto his hands and knees, breathing heavily, and still gripping his swords as if his life depended on it. Luffy's heart broke as his lover coughed and groaned pitifully again, but he turned to face the probably-not-Kuma, determined to protect his crew and his beloved. No matter the cost. The fight continued on as the Straw Hat crew fought the probably-not-Kuma. Zoro managed to stand up again, still clearly in pain and breathing heavily, and tottered his way towards the Pacifista and this caused the crew to rally around him. They combined their attacks to protect the swordsman and eventually they screwed up the man-machine enough that he couldn't aim properly. Ready to finish the fight, Sanji activated his Diable Jambe to kick its ass, and Zoro tied his bandana onto his head for one last attack.
"Knock is ass…over here!" he demanded in a tired voice.
"You just have to have a piece of the action!" Sanji shot back but granted the request anyway with his Flambe Shot. Zoro then used his Demon Aura Nine-Sword Style Asura to perform the Nine Lightning Strikes, disabling the machine-man further before Luffy smashed it with a Third Gear Giant Rifle.
The crew was exhausted, even the normally raring Luffy admitted that this fight had been way too much for him. Sanji said that they needed to find a place to hide before they rested if the Navy and an Admiral were going to come after them, but Luffy panted that they should all just sit there for a few minutes. Then, a massive, round man wearing what was essentially a giant, red bib crashed onto the scene with another Kuma! Everyone tensed, even Zoro who despite still kneeling on the ground in agony, was ready to pull his swords out again. Luffy jumped to his feet and stood in front of his boyfriend, ready to spring into action. Brook, Usopp, and Chopper wailed at the sight of another "Warlord" and it was discovered that the Pacifistas were, in fact, machine copies of Kuma, though Sanji said it didn't really matter because they knew firsthand just how strong even the fakes were. The man, who unintentionally mentioned that his name was Sentomaru, Captain of Navy Headquarters Science Unit, had the machine begin the hunt for the Straw Hats. The crew was thrown back by an explosion, and even though Sanji and Zoro managed to stay on their feet after landing, the swordsman grunted in pain again.
"It looks like the Navy has a whole army of these guys! What the hell is this crap!?" the cook growled.
"I'm more concerned with staying alive; the mystery can wait," Zoro panted. "We're too worn down. There's just no way we can make it through another fight. And we haven't even met the admiral!" And it was true; even for the powerhouse of Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji.
Luffy, seeing the writing on the wall, gave his orders. "Yeah, we can't win. Let's run!" The cook's and the swordsman's eyes widened at their captain. They had both acknowledged that they couldn't win, but both had been preparing to fight anyway, so the order to run from the man who constantly ran headfirst into trouble was shocking, to say the least. "But not all together; we need to split up!" The crew, while also shocked, completely agreed. Luffy decided that each of the strongest combatants would take a group and lead them away. The three of them nodded and Sanji ran off to Nami with his dopey heart eyes on full display for her, but his unapologetic sneer for Franky. Right before Luffy ran off with Chopper and Robin, he briefly grabbed the back of Zoro's head and yanked him into a kiss. Zoro's grunt of pain was swallowed up by the smaller man, but he didn't complain as their mouths briefly locked together, warm and comforting. For the shortest of moments, their tongues danced together. Luffy tasted blood in Zoro's mouth and savored the sharp tang of his life. Their lives were carved out in blood, will, and ambition, so the taste was perfectly suited to this kind of situation.
"Be careful and don't get into trouble," the rubber man joked against Zoro's skin as their kiss ended.
"I should be telling you that, Luffy," the swordsman chuckled back, giving his love the barest kiss on the forehead. Luffy's skin tasted like sweat and whatever buildings he'd been smashed into, and Zoro savored this sensation just as Luffy had with him. Then they parted, the lingering touch of fingers and lips tingling across their skin as they ran for their lives.
Zoro ran off with Usopp and Brook but ended up with the younger man wrapped around his neck as an explosion went off behind them. Usopp pleaded for the swordsman to save him and clung to him tightly. "Usopp! I'm already in enough pain as it is!" he snarled, but he still kept running with the sniper hanging off of his neck. Brook assured the green-haired man that he would supply the lacking strength and protect him, admitting to seeing Zoro's act of selfless bravery on Thriller Bark, and knowing that he needed more time to heal. Zoro thanked the skeleton for his support and ran on.
Before everyone was out of earshot, Luffy's voice rang out one last time. "Hey, guys! Meet back on the Sunny in three days!" He hoped that they all heard it, and made to escape, but Sentomaru was there to stop him, Robin, and Chopper. He engaged Luffy in a one-sided fight, which mostly consisted of the Navy man tossing Luffy into buildings with hardly any effort. Everything he did was powerful and it hurt the rubber man when it really shouldn't have. Sanji's group was being attacked by the Pacifista and Zoro's group had just run into their own troubles.
A bright light appeared in front of them, obscuring the landscape and blinding them. Zoro dropped Usopp on the ground and grabbed the hilts of his swords, but it was already too late. As he put the Wado Ichimonji into his mouth, a pointing finger emerged from the light and sent out of beam right into the swordsman's stomach, accompanied by an explosion it shot into the ground. The pain was a blinding point of agony on an already exhausted body. Zoro screamed in anguish and collapsed onto the ground, nearly unconscious. He barely registered that Navy Admiral Kizaru was now effectively holding his life in his hands, he barely heard Usopp and Brook urging him to hang on, and Luffy's scream of horror barely rang in his ears; he was practically gone already. Damn, he thought, unable to even speak. The Navy Admiral found us. Then he pitifully coughed up blood as the wounds on both sides of his body seeped blood. He couldn't even look up, as a bright light surrounded him, but he knew that Kizaru was going to kill him.
"ZOOOOORRRRRROOOOOOO! NNNNNOOOOOOOOO!" Luffy screamed as his beloved lay prone under the power of an enemy they couldn't beat. Zoro was facing certain death from a beam at point-blank range and Luffy screamed at Usopp and Brook to do something, even as he tried to get over to the injured man. The rubber man could hardly breathe; his chest was so tight with dread and anger. Sentomaru was blocking his way to his partner, and the man standing over Zoro had the same powers as the machines they'd been struggling against. There was no hope, only despair. "USSSSSOOOOPPPPP! PLEEEEEAAASSSEEEE!" he begged, taking another hit from Sentomaru and crashing into yet another building. His stomach and ribs screamed, their normal resistance to physical attacks painfully absent.
Brook and Usopp attacked the admiral, but their attacks went right through Kizaru as he explained that he was made of light in a bored tone. There was nothing anyone could do; everything just went straight through his guy! Chopper yelled for Zoro to try and run away, which prompted at least a little movement from the swordsman, but he couldn't move on his own.
"It's no use! The bastard's worn out and can't save himself!" Sanji yelled, panicking just as much as the rest of the crew. Robin crossed her arms to activate her Devil Fruit powers, sprouting two lines of arms along the ground. Two of her hands grabbed onto Zoro's shirt and yanked at his limp body, starting a roll that would lead him down her line of arms. The crew's heart soared as Zoro escaped the glowing leg above him, but their hopes were immediately dashed when the Marine dissolved into light and shifted over to the prone swordsman. Zoro's roll was stopped as a foot came down on his back the admiral's entire weight crushing his lungs. He groaned pitifully in response, but could not be moved no matter how hard Robin's hands tugged at him.
"It's cute how your friends want to save you, but you're far beyond help now," Kizaru droned. The dark, merciless shadows on his face directly contrasted to the brightness of his glowing leg. The beam began to pulse faster, and Zoro knew the end was coming. "Now, time to die."
Everyone…Luffy…I'm sorry…His heart broke as his beloved and his friends screamed his name in horror. The light got brighter and he shut his eyes as death approached.
Then there was a footfall, and the admiral's leg was kicked into the air, his deadly attack sent careening into a giant mangrove tree behind them all. The resulting explosion which would have ripped the swordsman's body apart like paper blossomed into a glowing cloud of orange light and black smoke that shook the entire grove. Luffy's heart fell back into his chest where it was supposed to be, his mouth still open in shock and now, relief. Each beat of his racing heart seemed to say, Zoro's alive! Zoro's alive! Zoro's alive! The rubber man's eyes locked on the man who'd just saved his crewmate and lover, tears running down his cheeks.
"Rayleigh!" he yelled, his voice cracking. The rest of the crew had similar reactions, their bodies releasing the tension of the moment gratefully. Somehow, Rayleigh had touched the untouchable admiral and saved the injured Zoro. Luffy couldn't hear what the two men were talking about now, all he knew was that Zoro needed to get out of there quick. He yelled as much, forcing the sniper and the skeleton into action. Usopp scooped up the swordsman with some effort, snatching him from in between the two terrifying men while Brook grabbed Zoro's fallen swords.
Luffy gave his crew his orders: "EVERYONE START RUNNING AND LOOK AFTER YOURSELVES! WE CAN'T WIN THIS ONE! WE'RE TOO WEAK! GET MOVING!" The crew scattered. Even as Luffy yelled his thanks, Rayleigh engaged the admiral in combat, allowing the young pirates the chance to escape. But of course, it could never be that simple. The Pacifista, PX-1, received orders from Sentomaru to pursue Roronoa Zoro and take him out, and Sanji broke away from his group when he saw the monstrous machine catching up to his friends. As much as he'd like to protect Nami, saving Usopp and Zoro was a priority right now.
Help was on the way, but Zoro knew that he was finished. He'd chided himself on their way to Sabaody, and knew that he was still haunted by what had happened on Thriller Bark with Kuma. It had nearly killed him to get through that ordeal, and he'd known that things were only going to get harder and harder as their journey continued. He'd told himself that he wouldn't be powerless again; that he wouldn't let himself be weak, and that he wouldn't fail his crew or Luffy ever again, but as he slumped over Usopp's back he knew he couldn't go on. Completely drained of strength, his injuries weighing his body down, he knew that he hadn't come near far enough yet. He couldn't protect everyone with his strength this time. So he grimly smiled to himself and resolved to at least give them some time to get away.
"Put…me down…" he groaned. "Leave me…save yourself." He grit his teeth as he lifted his head wearily.
"Don't be a moron!" Usopp shot back. "Right now you're more weak and useless than I am! We're getting out of here together! Those were Luffy's orders and I'm stickin' to them!" Zoro took some comfort that he wasn't going to be left behind. However, they were being pursued and PX-1 was catching up fast. Brook tried to be a decoy, but he was instantly defeated as Usopp ran on. Even when Sanji caught up and attacked with his Diable Jambe, his leg bones creaked from the impact of kicking the machine into the ground. Usopp stopped running and yelled that the Pacifista was aiming a beam at the cook, and Sanji yelled back at him to keep running. The explosion went off, shaking the island and sending up clouds of debris and dust. The four Straw Hats had managed not to get hit, but Usopp had dropped Zoro, and Brook and Sanji weren't moving even with the Pacifista still advancing.
Luffy worriedly looked over at his friends, readying to run to help them even though he was far away, but Sentomaru was still coming after him. The big man hit Luffy, throwing him several hundred feet and sending him careening into a building. The rubber man lay on the ground, trembling and gasping in pain. Then Usopp's screams drew Chopper's and Robin's attention away from their captain just in time to see the Pacifista holding up Sanji and shooting him. It then sent a beam towards Usopp, grazing the sniper's shoulder. Chopper couldn't take it anymore. He couldn't stand seeing his only friends getting picked off; he didn't want to see them die. In desperation, the little reindeer did something impulsive: he ate three Rumble Balls and lost himself in madness. Chopper grew in size until he towered over everything, almost half as tall as the giant mangrove trees around him. His desperation had forced him to activate his Monster Point, something that he'd only done on purpose in the most desperate situations. His roars shook the air itself and he began rampaging. He provided a perfect distraction for Sentomaru now, but he was also a danger to his friends, as evidenced when a boulder he sent flying nearly crushed Luffy, and Robin had only just managed to grab her captain and run away with him when it shattered on the ground.
Usopp looked on in horror at the giant beast looming in the distance; the crew was in truly dire straits if the loveable doctor had allowed himself to go berserk. But the threat of Monster Chopper had distracted the Pacifista too, so the sniper tried to get Brook and Sanji up. They were unresponsive, wasting the opportunity to get away. The sniper quailed as PX-1 turned on him again and raised a hand to fire a beam. However, the machine stood down when a calm voice that sent shivers up Usopp's spine ordered it to stand down. The sniper looked back in horror as the real Bartholomew Kuma appeared behind him. He screamed, "Not another one!" before falling on his ass, quaking in terror. "This is officially too much! I can't take it! Just how many of these guys are there?! It isn't fair!" Brook was screaming too, having regained some mobility since he'd been smacked down.
Hearing the voice of the man who'd wanted to kill his captain, Zoro's eye burned with rage and trepidation. He forced his arms to push his exhausted body up until he was on his knees glaring up at the Warlord. Images swam before his eyes of the devastation the towering man had put him and his crew through. His body still screamed with intense agony from memories of Luffy's pain and from his recent injuries, but he was once again standing in between a merciless man and his crewmates, ready to lay it all on the line once again.
"I see you survived, Roronoa," the Warlord commented, looking down at the flagging man in front of him.
"Just barely," he coughed in reply. "I've got your mercy to thank for that." The swordsman forced himself to his feet. His legs trembled and his body swayed, but he was at least standing if he was going to die.
"Zoro! What are you doing!? This is no time to talk to the enemy!" Usopp whispered fearfully, but the green-haired man was too busy remembering how to breathe to answer. His narrowed eyes were riveted to Kuma's hands, watching the man take off his right glove and the swordsman pulled out the Wado Ichimonji for whatever was to come next. What actually came next, however, completely threw him off.
"If you could take a vacation, where is it would you like to go?" Kuma asked in his calm voice. The swordsman never got to answer, even if he had an answer to give.
The Warlord's paw-hand swung at him.
And Zoro vanished.
All that was left in his place was a whirl of air and dust, and when that settled, there was nothing.
…
Luffy screamed his love's name, forcing his battered body to move as he attempted to crawl towards where Zoro had been. Indescribable grief and pain pierced the teen's body. Zoro was gone. His idiot, his partner, his lover, his constant companion, gone. "What did you do…?! Zoro! NO! ZOOOOORRRRRROOOOO!" As he screamed, Robin yanked at Luffy, pulling him out of the way as Chopper's massive hand came crashing down on the spot where they had been. Luffy screamed, "ZORO! WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU?!" His cries blended with Chopper's own unearthly howls as the crew stared at where their swordsman used to be. The giant reindeer continued to rampage around the fracturing crew.
Luffy turned on Sentomaru, who was still dodging Chopper's blows. "Hey! What the hell did that guy do to Zoro?! WHERE IS HE?!" And Sentomaru, being the most tight-lipped man, unintentionally explained that there was a rumor that Kuma could send people flying for three days and nights with his paw pads. He also let slip that it was a certainty that Zoro would not be found on the Sabaody Archipelago and would be found on the other side of the world. There was a disconnect between Luffy's understanding of the explanation and his brain and heart where his brain was trying to tell him that Zoro was alive, but his heart was still mourning the swordsman's disappearance. Things weren't clicking anymore. Things weren't right without Zoro there by his side.
The rubber man watched the events that followed unfold around him as if there were a haze between him and everyone else. Usopp went to attack Kuma, but PX-1 got ready to fire at his back. Kuma slipped in between the pirate and the Pacifista and erased it just like he did with Zoro. Then Kuma was looming over his friends again and Luffy snapped back into himself, realizing that there was only one thing to do now.
"Just run! Move your asses!" Heads snapped towards the captain. "Just go! Get out of there! We can figure out a plan once were safe! RUUUUUNNNNNN!" Despite their grief and confusion, the crew reluctantly ran away from the spot where Kuma was, where Zoro had been. They wanted to look for their dumb swordsman, but they had orders and scrambled to follow them. They didn't have to think for themselves anymore, not when grief and helplessness overwhelmed them all.
Sanji couldn't walk on his own, so Usopp helped him stand. Brook stood in front of them as Kuma advanced on him. "I'll protect you even if it costs my life!" the skeleton vowed, blocking the Warlord from getting to his friends. "Oh, but I'm already dead, I suppo-" The paw-hand came down and Brook vanished before his joke was even finished.
Luffy's heart broke again.
"BROOK, NOOOOO!" Usopp yelled.
"DAMNIT!" Sanji wailed. "How the hell could I let this happen?! The bastard's erasing all my friends right in front of me!" Sanji pulled at his hair in anguish. He then pushed Usopp off of him and commanded the sniper to run. Usopp argued back, but the cook leaped into action, flying towards the Warlord.
"No! Sanji just run!" Luffy howled, but the cook was far beyond listening. He went to kick the Warlord, but the attack was deflected, leaving Usopp wide open as Sanji crashed to the ground. The poor sniper was scared out of his mind, but he had enough of his wits to fight back and try to run away until he tripped. Kuma approached him leisurely, unfazed by the teen's attacks. He raised his arm and brought it down towards the trembling pirate.
"NOOOOOO! STOP IT!" Luffy screamed, but then his best friend was gone too, erased. His heart cracked again.
Sanji stood up again and charged the emotionless Warlord. Luffy pleaded for him to stop fighting, but it came too late. The hand moved, and Sanji disappeared. Another crack.
"He got Sanji…what now? What do we do?" Luffy mumbled, his mind grinding to a halt. He didn't know what to do. He didn't know what he could do. And while he couldn't figure it out, his friends were being erased one by one.
Kuma disappeared, reappearing way over by Rayleigh and Kizaru. Luffy got to his feet, taking a step towards the Warlord as Robin tried to stop him. It took him a minute to get over there, but when Luffy was standing in front of the Warlord, he activated his Second Gear, interrupting whatever conversation the three men were having.
"YOU BASTARD!"
Kuma look down at the young pirate's fury indifferently and moved before he could attack. He reappeared in front of Nami and Franky, taking a hit from the cyborg's Strong Right to the face without a reaction. Luffy attacked, determined to save the rest of his crew, howling his anger out like some sort of deranged animal. Kuma deflected both the first punch and the second, sending the rubber man flying. In the mere moments where Luffy recovered his feet, he touched Franky, and the cyborg disappeared.
Another crack.
Kuma moved again and this time Nami was screaming. "Someone help me!" the navigator wailed, reaching out towards Luffy. He reached for her hand but it disappeared from his grasp.
"NAAAAAMMMMMMIIIIII!"
Another crack.
He sank to the ground, his Second Gear turning off due to exhaustion. He couldn't fight like that anymore, but he charged the Warlord again anyway, kicking up clouds of dust. He leaped into the air, ready to punch the bastard's jaw clean off, but Kuma disappeared from his vision, and Luffy crashed to the ground.
"Luffy!" Robin called, stumbling as the ground shook around her. She turned around in horror as Monster Chopper roared. His blank gaze was fixed on Kuma as he howled, and the Warlord gave him a blank gaze in return. The monster reindeer shook his head furiously, wailing and reaching out to crush those in his path.
"Chopper, no! DON'T DO IT!" Luffy yelled, pushing to his feet yet again. But it was too late. The reindeer vanished.
Another crack.
Luffy clenched his fists, fighting back tears as he looked at the spot where Chopper used to be. "Dammit…" he whispered pitifully.
Kuma walked towards Robin and the terrified woman backed away unsteadily before turning to run. A chasm yawned in Luffy's brain, his pain and grief blocking out every thought except for no more. Maybe he said it out loud. "Please stop." That he did say out loud. "Please stop. Just stop. Please stop!" His whole body shook, and now the tears did come, pooling in his eyes as the last member of his crew fled from the monster behind her. "Leave her alone!" Luffy howled, running to save Robin.
"Luffy!" She screamed, reaching out for him as Kuma loomed over her.
"ROOOOBBBIIIINNNNNN!"
"LUUUFFFFFFFFFYYYYYY!" But then she was gone.
His heart shattered. His world collapsed. He fell to the ground.
On his hands and knees, he finally cried. Sobs of anguish and loneliness wracked his body. He couldn't control himself anymore and swayed this way and that as he wailed. He hit the ground with his fists. Like a bawling child, he smacked his head on the ground and tried to push himself forward with his feet in that position. He grabbed his hair and started pulling at it. He banged his head on the ground, again and again, trying to get the pain he felt inside onto the outside. It hurt. It hurt so much he couldn't process what hurt. He was alone. That's all he knew: he was alone and he hadn't been able to do anything about it. He hadn't been able to save even one of his friends. He hadn't been able to save the people he loved, the people he cherished. Robin was gone. Chopper was gone. Nami was gone. Franky was gone. Sanji was gone. Brook was gone. Usopp was gone. Zoro was gone. All gone. Gone. Gone. Gone.
Anyone watching him would've called him pathetic, but Luffy didn't care, he just cried.
"How could I not save them? I'm useless! How could I?!" He cried harder, fat tears rolling down his cheeks. He punched the ground again, he kicked at the dirt. He didn't want to feel this way.
He wanted to sing with Brook.
He wanted to gawk at Franky's newest creation.
He wanted to nap by Robin while she read books.
He wanted to play with Chopper.
He wanted to fish with Usopp.
He wanted to eat Sanji's cooking.
He wanted to bug Nami until she called him stupid and hit him.
He wanted Zoro to hold him. He wanted Zoro to kiss him and tell him that everything was going to be alright.
He didn't want to be alone.
"They're all…gone." He sniffed, finally calming enough to just sob quietly. "I couldn't save any of them…what's wrong with me?" There were voices around him now, and if Luffy was paying attention, he would've recognized Kizaru, Sentomaru, and Rayleigh. But he wasn't aware of these powerful men as he wallowed in his grief. It wasn't until a familiar footfall sounded that he looked up.
"You and I will never meet again," Kuma said, almost softly, but with a note of his uncaring calm. Luffy glared at him with hate, tears coursing down his face. "Farewell Straw Hat," he said, reaching towards the young man.
And then Luffy was gone too, leaving only despair in his wake.
To be Continued...
