Ch. 45- Luffy's Beliefs
One Piece © Oda
Blizzard, Monkey D. Aika, Kumi, Kovar, and Monkey D. Star © Me
Shade © Gakuto1991
"Big Brother Ace left..." Aika said, sadly.
"He did," Nami replied. "We did end up seeing him, again, though."
"It was sometime after Franky and Blizzard joined us," Usopp replied.
"He sure was a lively guy," Franky agreed. "It's just...too bad that after that..."
"...After what...?" Aika asked in slight concern.
"Well," Sanji began, only to sigh. "No...forget it. You'll see later."
"...You guys always say that," Aika pouted.
"Only because the memories explain it better than we ever could," said Blizzard.
As they were talking, Robin glanced over at Zoro, who had his arms crossed and a troubled look on his face, which was rare for him. Naturally concerned for her boyfriend, she lightly puts her hand on his shoulder, prompting him to glance at her.
"Is everything all right, Zoro?" asked Robin.
"...Just...just wondering about Luffy, I guess," Zoro answered. "About...what he thinks he should be to all of us...a shield, so to speak."
"A shield?" Chopper repeated.
"Luffy wants to protect us," Zoro replied. "It's the reason why he got stronger during those two years...it's the reason why all of us got stronger...but to Luffy, it has more meaning to him...he believes that as the captain of the crew, he's supposed to lay down his life for us...but Ace was right: he has it backwards. Luffy's not supposed to lay down his life for us...we're supposed to lay down our lives for him."
"But Luffy doesn't want any one of us to die," said Nami. "After what he's been through in life...I don't blame him. It's the same with me and what happened to my village...I didn't want anyone laying down their lives for me, so I chose to take on everything on my own...and I didn't even care if I gave up my own life as long as everyone else was safe."
"But Luffy should also know that we feel the same way about him," said Usopp. "That we don't want him to give up his life for us...if he dies before he fulfills his dream, what good is ours?"
"Maybe Luffy will be more willing to listen to us," Chopper began, "once we tell him about what we've seen and how we feel."
"It's worth a try," said Brook.
"What he said about me not wanting to stay also bothers me," said Zoro. "I think part of him still thinks that I'll leave the moment I accomplish my goal."
"Well, it's up to us to help him realize that none of us are going anywhere," said Nami. "For now, let's just watch these memories."
As she said this, the memories began to return, this time showing the Past Straw Hats walking through the desert. The sun was still setting behind them, so they knew that it wasn't long ago when Ace left the group. As they walked (well, rode in Past Nami and Vivi's case due to them riding on Eyelash the Camel), Past Nami held out Luffy's hat to him while holding a needle and thread in her other hand.
"Here, Luffy," Past Nami said. "I sewed on Ace's paper to your hatband for you."
"Thanks, Nami!" Luffy replied as he took his hat and checked behind the ribbon, where Ace's Vivre Card had been sewn on. "You're a lifesaver!"
"I try," Past Nami smiled. "I know that since Ace gave it to you, it's important to you. You wouldn't want Eyelash to eat it, right?"
"Right!" Luffy nodded.
"I still don't know why you're making a fuss over some tiny scrap of blank paper," said Past Sanji.
"Hey!" Luffy spat. "If Ace wants me to have it, must be important, so I'm keeping it!"
"All right, all right!" Past Sanji replied. "Jeez, no need to get so worked up."
"That's a way of putting it, cook," said Zoro.
"Okay, to be fair," Sanji started, "none of us realized how important it was until that whole fiasco on Thriller Bark!"
"Yeah, until then, we just thought it was some blank scrap of paper," said Usopp.
Soon, the Past Straw Hats had reached the top of a large sand dune, but when they got there, they only saw the ruins of a sand-buried town...just like in Erumalu.
"Is...is this Yuba?" asked Aika.
"That's right," said Nami. "This place wasn't safe, either."
"We found ruins like these the whole way there," said Chopper.
"Jeez...that's awful," Kumi said, sadly.
"Just like in Erumalu," said Past Zoro as the wind howled around them. "You can hear crying, here, too..."
"So there's no water here...?" Luffy asked, his tongue dangling out of his mouth. "I'm thirsty...!"
"...No way...!" Vivi whispered in horror. "This place was hit, too?!"
"...I'm sorry, Vivi," said Past Sanji as he put his hand on her shoulder.
"Me, too," said Past Nami as she hugged her, while Robin looked down in shame and guilt for putting the princess through all of this. She could clearly see now that this girl loved her country so much, and yet she helped nearly bring it to ruin.
Suddenly, Blizzard's ears twitched as he heard what sounded like a shovel scraping the sand.
"Someone's...digging...?" he asked.
"Hmm?" Luffy hummed as he also heard the sound coming from a large hole in the middle of town. "Hey, guys...I think someone's still here!"
"Really?!" Vivi asked, suddenly feeling hopeful as the group approached the hole, and inside, they could see an old, dressed up in tattered robes and shoveling sand.
"Uh...hello?" asked Past Nami. "Excuse us!"
"Hmm?" the old man hummed as he turned to face the group. "Oh, travelers...you must be exhausted from your long trip here. Well, I'm sorry, but I'm afraid Yuba is all dried up. I can't offer you any water, but please, stay and rest for the night if you need to. This place has many inns you can stay in. We're famous for our hospitality!"
"Well, it's nice to know that someone is still quite generous, even in such harsh times," Brook said.
"Just wait," Nami said.
"Umm...excuse us," said Vivi, trying to hide her face. "We heard that the rebels were stationed here."
"Hmm?!" the old man growled, a suddenly deadly glare in his sunken-in eyes. "And what do you want with the rebels?!" He then began to throw many objects at the group. "ARE YOU TRYING TO JOIN THEM, TOO?!"
"Ah! He turned scary, all of a sudden!" Aika cried as she hid behind Nami.
"Jeez! What happened to hospitality?!" Franky questioned.
It was then that the old man revealed that the rebels had left Yuba, to everyone's shock. He then explained that the sandstorm from three years ago had wiped out the oasis town of Yuba, and once the water dried up, the rebels left and had made the city of Katorea their base.
"Katorea," Luffy repeated before he looked over to Vivi. "Vivi, that's close to here, isn't it?"
"No," Vivi replied. "Katorea is near Nanohana, back the way we came!"
"What?!" Past Usopp questioned. "You mean we gotta backtrack?!"
"Hold it!" the old man exclaimed as he turned to face the group. "You there, girl...did that lad just call you 'Vivi'?!"
Vivi gasped silently while Luffy yelped and stood in front of her.
"N-now, hold on!" he cried. "I know what you're thinking, but she's not a princess!"
"SHUT UP!" Past Zoro and Past Sanji shouted as they bopped him on the head.
"Princess Vivi...it's really you...!" the old man whispered as he approached her. "Thank the gods you're still alive!"
"D...do I know you?" asked Vivi, causing the old codger to chuckle as tears formed in his eyes.
"I'm not surprised you don't recognize me," he said. "I used to be a bit more heavyset than this."
"...Wait," Vivi whispered as a look of recollection appeared on her face. "Toto...? Is that really you?!"
"Yes...it's me!" Toto nodded.
"Toto?" Luffy replied.
"Toto...what happened to you?!" asked Vivi. "You look so scrawny!"
"Does he know Vivi?" asked Aika.
"Toto is the father of Kohza, Vivi's childhood friend," said Chopper.
"Sheesh," Franky muttered. "Poor old codger looks like he's been through a lot. I'm surprised he's still kickin'!"
"Princess," said Toto as he put his arms on Vivi's shoulders. "I still believe in your father! Many of us in this country still do!"
"...Really?" Vivi asked.
"Of course!" Toto exclaimed as tears fell from his eyes. "I know that His Majesty would never betray his people! You know it, too, don't you?!" He then fell to his knees. "This rebellion is complete and utter lunacy! Those faithless fools! I tried many times to convince them that there was no point to the rebellion, but they wouldn't listen! And now, the rebels have also reached their limit!" He then looked up as his tears spilled onto the dry sand. "This next battle...will decide everything! They're willing to die if that's what it takes!"
"...No...!" Vivi whispered in horror.
"Please, Princess Vivi," Toto began, "I implore you...you must stop the rebels! You must stop Kohza! My foolish son is going to get himself killed for a cause that he shouldn't even believe in!"
"...Kohza...!" Vivi whispered.
"You gotta admit," Sanji began, "those rebels really do love their country if they're willing to go this far for it...as stupid as it is."
"Yes," Robin agreed. "However, that was something that Crocodile used to his advantage. He used the people's love for Alabasta to trick them into fighting against one another."
"Damn that Crocodile...!" Blizzard growled viciously.
There was a moment of silence before Vivi handed Toto a handkerchief while she smiled warmly.
"Don't worry, Toto," she said. "I promise...I will stop the rebellion!"
Toto gasped, tears falling from his eyes once again...but this time, they were tears of hope.
"...Thank you...!" he whispered. "Bless you, Princess!"
"That's Vivi for you," said Sanji, smiling proudly. "Kindhearted, through and through."
"Such a big heart she has...!" Brook whispered with a sniffle while Franky was busy sobbing.
"That princess has such a kind soul~!" he cried.
"Yeah," Zoro began, "but unfortunately, she's also naïve."
"Naïve how?" Aika asked, but the memory shifted before she could get an answer. This time, Luffy was down in the hole with Toto, digging away at the sand with his hands.
"Where are the rest of you?" Brook asked.
"We all went inside because we were so tired from our trip," said Chopper.
"Luffy wanted to stay outside with Toto because he wanted some water," said Nami. "He came in sometime after we all fell asleep."
"Yeah, I remember," said Sanji. "We couldn't pull him out of bed without saying 'breakfast'."
The Straw Hats couldn't help but laugh at that one.
"Hey, Dried Up Pops," Luffy said. "Where's all the water? My throat's so parched!"
"Maybe if he hadn't drunken most of the water, we'd still have some by then," Usopp grumbled.
"What a pig," Sanji muttered.
"How can you stand to live out here?" Luffy asked Toto. "It's horrible."
"Yeah, I wouldn't wanna live there, either," said Aika.
"Me, neither," Kumi added.
"There is water, my boy," said Toto as he kept digging. "The Yuba Oasis Town will thrive, again!"
"Hmm?" Luffy hummed, inquisitively. "You think so?"
"I know so!" Toto exclaimed, confidently. "Yuba shall never surrender to the desert! I'll dig for as long as it takes if I must! After all, King Cobra entrusted this place to me!"
"Hmm..." Luffy hummed before he nodded his head. "I see. In that case, I'll help you, Pops!" With that, he began to dig furiously into the sand, but in doing so, he accidentally threw more sand into the hole where Toto was digging, which caused him to yell at the boy before they were going back and forth about who was filling whose hole with sand and "mystery holes" and whatnot. It didn't take long for the Straw Hats to burst into laughter, despite the situation.
"Leave it to Luffy to call the things he does a mystery!" Zoro spoke.
"Silly Big Brother!" Aika said.
"Well, you can't deny that Luffy has a big heart, too," said Nami.
"Yeah," Usopp concurred. "If only his brain was that big, too."
"Ah, big brain or small brain," Blizzard began, "you gotta love him."
"You said it!" Chopper added.
After a while, the exhaustion from walking through the desert finally caught up with Luffy as he conked out in the middle of the hole, thus causing the memory to fade.
"Sometimes, I feel like we underestimate Luffy," said Nami. "He might be a bundle of energy...but sometimes, he can be just as tired as the rest of us, if not more."
"...I noticed something, actually," Chopper said. "Before the two years, Luffy could sleep for nearly 10 hours or so...but now, he sleeps for about half as long."
"I did notice that," said Sanji. "I mean, if you don't count him sleeping off his food comas, he hardly sleeps through the night."
"Yeah, and sometimes I've seen him be tired in the middle of the day," said Usopp.
"Really?" Aika asked. "I haven't noticed, at all."
"Yeah, I haven't noticed, either," said Kumi.
"Well, Luffy's busy playing with you squirts," said Franky, "so I guess that's no surprise."
Soon, the memory returned, this time showing that it was daybreak, and the Past Straw Hats getting ready to hit the trail, once more with Toto seeing them off.
"Princess," Toto said. "Please forgive me for this disgraceful sight."
"Don't apologize, Toto," Vivi answered. "We'll be off, now."
"Before you go," Toto started as he handed Luffy a small tankard, "here, Luffy...take this."
"Whoa! Is it water?!" Luffy asked as he took it.
"Water?!" Past Usopp exclaimed in excitement. "Hey, Luffy! Gimme a sip of that!"
"You finally hit some water, Pops?!" Luffy asked.
"That's right!" Toto answered. "Just as soon as you fell asleep while digging, I hit some damp sand and was able to extract water from it!"
"I don't know what that means," Luffy began, "but thanks, Pops! I'll be sure to drink it REAL slow!"
"Luffy, saying he'll drink slowly?" Blizzard quipped. "That's a first."
"Actually, he really did drink it slowly," Chopper said.
"Wait, for real?" Kumi asked. "But...I mean...well, it's Luffy!"
"I was surprised, too, believe me," said Sanji.
"That there is genuine water from the Yuba Oasis," said Toto. "I'm sorry there isn't any more."
"That's okay!" Luffy replied. "I'll make it last! Thanks again, Pops!"
"You're very welcome," said Toto. "Safe travels to all of you!"
With that, the group headed off with Vivi waving to Toto, who waved back at her as they left. All the while, Luffy and Past Usopp were arguing over the water that the old man had given them, but eventually, Past Nami managed to break them up.
"That was really nice of Toto to give Big Brother some water," said Aika.
"Yeah, but why just him?" Usopp asked in a complaint. "I was thirsty, too!"
"Ah, quit your whining," said Zoro. "You got some water at the next town, right?"
"Didn't expect you to understand," Usopp glared.
Just then, as the Past Straw Hats walked by a dead tree, Luffy suddenly dropped down on his rump and leaned against it with his arms behind his head.
"Huh?" Aika muttered.
"What's Luffy doing?" Brook asked.
"What the-?" Past Nami asked. "Luffy! What are you doing back there?! Get up!"
But Luffy didn't even so much as look at her. The corners of his mouth were pointing down in a bit of a pout and he grumbled in his throat.
"Luffy, what's the matter?" asked Vivi.
"...Nope," Luffy said, bluntly. "I quit."
"HUH?!" the Past Straw Hats questioned.
"Wait, what?!" Franky asked. "What's he gabbin' on about, now?!"
"He quits?" Blizzard repeated. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?!"
As for the crew members who were present at the time, they all only sighed in exasperation.
"What's going on?" asked Aika. "What's the matter?"
"You'll see, Aika," Nami said, "but it's not gonna be pretty."
"What do you mean, 'you quit'?!" Past Usopp questioned. "Come on, Luffy, we don't have time to deal with your little mood swings, now and then, now get off your ass and let's go!"
"We're going back, right?" Luffy asked.
"Of course we're going back!" Past Sanji answered. "We gotta go all the way back to where we came, go to Katorea, and stop the rebel army, or else this whole country's gonna be bathed in blood! Now get off your ass and let's go! We're doing this for Vivi's sake!"
"...It's boring," Luffy said.
"What?!" Past Sanji questioned. "What are you talking about, you idiot?!"
"Yeah, he's not making sense!" Kumi exclaimed.
"What's gotten into Big Brother, all of a sudden?!" Aika asked.
"I must say, this is quite unlike him!" Brook spoke, worriedly.
"...Interesting," Robin mused.
"...Hey, Vivi," Luffy said.
"Y-yes, Luffy?" Vivi asked.
"...Right now," Luffy began, "all I wanna do is kick Crocodile's ass, you understand?"
Vivi gasped silently at this.
"So what if we stop the rebels?" asked Luffy. "It won't stop Crocodile. There's nothing we can do in Katorea. We're pirates, after all, so it's best if we don't go there."
"...Luffy..." Past Nami whispered.
"Wow," Past Sanji said. "For once, Luffy's actually making sense."
"Yeah, that sounds like Luffy," Past Usopp agreed, while Past Zoro and Past Chopper remained silent.
"Wait...I still don't get it," said Aika. "Why aren't you guys gonna stop the rebels?"
"Because Luffy's right," said Nami. "Stopping the rebels doesn't solve the problem. The real root of the problem isn't the rebellion. It's Crocodile."
"Ah, I get it now," Blizzard realized. "It's almost the same, every time...Luffy knows that in order to solve a problem, you gotta to the source of it...and the source of this problem is Crocodile."
"And Vivi needed to realize that," said Zoro. "Personally, I'm glad Luffy finally said something about it."
"But...but Luffy!" Vivi cried.
"But nothing!" Luffy countered. "You think you can stop the rebels without anyone getting killed?! That none of us or any of your people are gonna die?!"
Vivi gasped at this.
"We're going up against one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, y'know," Luffy said with his eyes closed. "There are like a million people getting ready for a big fight...and you expect everyone to come out alive?" He then opened his eyes and glared at Vivi. "You really are stupid, aren't you?"
"What?!" Past Nami questioned. "Luffy, how could you say that?! Vivi loves her country and its people-"
"Wait, Nami!" Past Sanji cried, holding his arm out to her.
"But...but Sanji-" Past Nami stammered.
"Let him talk," Past Sanji said. "I don't really like how he's doing this, but...it's the only way."
"What's wrong with not wanting people to die?!" Vivi questioned.
"...Vivi," Luffy began, "people die, no matter what."
"...Harsh," Franky muttered.
"Harsh, but true," Brook said. "Death is just a part of life as anything else..."
"...It's not just that," said Nami. "Luffy's saying these things from experience."
"What do you mean?" Chopper asked.
"...His mother...and Sabo..." Robin said. "They were two people that Luffy deeply cared for. Star died...and then Sabo's boat was sunk...even though he survived, Luffy didn't know until later."
"In any case," Zoro began, "Luffy knows that death isn't something you can stop...Vivi needed to know it, too."
Vivi gasped...but then she growled and smacked Luffy across the face so hard that she sent him tumbling across the sand.
"SHUT UP!" she shouted. "Don't say things like that! If you say it, again, I'll make you regret it! Don't you see?! I'm trying to stop people from killing each other! I'm trying to stop the rebels from throwing their lives away, needlessly! Them and the Royal Army! Don't you understand?! No one in the kingdom is to blame here! Why must any of my people die for something that they didn't even do?! THIS IS ALL CROCODILE'S FAULT!"
"...If you know that," Luffy started as he stood up, "then why...ARE YOU RISKING YOUR LIFE?!"
POW! He socked Vivi across the face, causing her to fall to the sand, and it took everything Past Sanji had not to lunge at Luffy.
"He...he hit her?!" Aika questioned.
"Whoa, that's low!" Kumi cried. "I've never seen Luffy hit a girl!"
"I have," Blizzard spoke, casually.
"I seriously wanted to kick Luffy for that," Sanji said, "but I knew it wasn't the time."
"What do you know about anything?!" Vivi questioned as she tackled Luffy and began to smack him across the face, multiple times. As they watched, Nami couldn't help but think about when Arlong betrayed...about how she completely lost it when she felt that she no longer had anything to fight her. Seeing it caused her to look away, screwing her eyes shut as tears formed in her eyes, but then Robin reached over and put a hand on her shoulder while Aika held her right hand, causing her to smile and nod her head, gratefully.
"Are you kidding me?!" Luffy questioned as Vivi kept slapping him. "I've only been here for a day, and it's obvious what I see!"
"And what do you see, Luffy?!" Vivi asked, angrily. "What is it?!"
"I see that you can't do this on your own!" Luffy shouted.
"I HAVE to do this on my own!" Vivi argued. "I don't care what it costs me! DON'T YOU GET THAT?!"
"OF COURSE, I DO!" Luffy yelled as he pushed Vivi off. "WHICH IS WHY I SAY YOU SHOULD LET US HELP YOU, YOU IDIOT! WE ARE FRIENDS, RIGHT?!"
Vivi gasped as she covered her mouth, her tears spilling from her eyes while the crew watched.
"...That was the moment she finally understood," said Zoro.
"Understood what?" asked Aika.
"Vivi thought as the princess of the country," Nami began, "she had to take on everything by herself."
"She was naïve, though," Zoro said. "You can't fight a battle without making sacrifices...whether it be your life...or the lives of others."
"And Vivi had to realize that no matter how much she wished for it," Robin began, "people would die, no matter how much she tried to prevent that. It doesn't matter if Crocodile manipulated them or not...the people chose to fight out of their own free will."
"Vivi already sacrificed enough as it is," said Usopp. "It'd be pointless for her to give up her own life."
As Luffy sat up on the ground, Vivi pulled her hood over her face as tears fell from her eyes.
"...Tears, huh?" Luffy quipped. "I guess even a princess can cry."
"...Mm-hmm...!" Vivi nodded while Past Sanji put his arm around her shoulders.
"...I know, Vivi," Luff replied. "Out of all us...you wanna kick Crocodile's ass the most, don't you?"
"...Mm-hmm!" Vivi nodded again as her tears fell at full force. The Past Straw Hats all turned to Luffy, a look of seriousness on their faces before they all nodded, knowing what had to be done.
"...Okay, Vivi," Luffy said as he put his hat back on his head. "Just point us to Crocodile."
And with that, the memory faded to black.
TO BE CONTINUED...
Next time on One Piece: The Fire Within!
Vivi: We'll find Crocodile at Rain Dinners.
Luffy: ALL RIGHT! TIME TO KICK SOME CROCODILE ASS!
Brook: It seems subtlety is not really a thing with him, now is it?
Usopp: Not really, no.
Crocodile: So...we finally meet, Straw Hat.
Luffy: CROCODILE!
Smoker: Why are you all here in Alabasta, anyway?
Vivi: CROCODILE! I'LL KILL YOU! *tries to slash his head off*
Past Nami: VIVI, DON'T!
Next time: Enter: Crocodile
Yeah, this one's pretty short, but maybe the next one will be longer.
Review, please!