Ch. 64- A Moment of Weakness
One Piece © Oda
Story and OCs © Me
The Straw Hats watched as their captain stood before Aokiji, his brow furrowed as he had his fists clenched tightly. There were no words spoken... just a pirate and a Marine Admiral, face-to-face. Past Zoro, Past Sanji, and Past Nami were nowhere to be found, having fled back to the Merry with Past Usopp and Past Chopper.
"You seriously left him on his own?" asked Blizzard. "You do realize he probably didn't have a chance, right?! Not without Haki anyway!"
"Of course, we knew that," Zoro answered, "but what could we do? We had our orders... and you know how Luffy is when we interfere with his fights."
"...Doesn't mean I like it..." the wolf-dog muttered.
"We don't like it any more than you do, Blizzard," Sanji said, "but even so... we couldn't interfere. I think Luffy knew that we'd be risking more casualties if we tried to help."
"...You really are an odd one," said Aokiji, "aren't you, boy?"
Soon, Past Luffy charged at full speed, unleashing a mighty roar as he ducked underneath Aokiji's hand and kicked him high into the air. Then, he sucked in a big breath and twisted his inflated body around before unleashing the air inside his body, sending him flying up toward Aokiji.
"That's the move he used to finish Crocodile!" Aika exclaimed. "He's gonna win this!"
"Hold it, half-pint," Franky said. "I don't think it's gonna be that easy, this time."
"What do you mean?" Aika asked.
"GUM-GUM STOOOOOOOORM!" Past Luffy roared as he punched Aokiji with his flurry of fists, shattering him into a million pieces... or so it seemed. Before he could react fast enough, the Admiral had already reformed his whole body and grabbed onto Past Luffy's body... causing him to slowly freeze!
"AAAAAAAAAAH!" Aika screamed in horror.
"Oh, no!" Kumi cried.
"...He didn't stand a chance...!" Brook whispered in disbelief.
"Dammit, I knew that would happen!" Blizzard shouted. "What was that idiot thinking?!"
Before long, everything went totally black... and yet, everyone could hear the sound of their captain's heart beating... but it was growing slower and slower.
"W... what's happening?!" Aika asked.
"Luffy's still aware of what's going on, but just barely," Robin said. "It was the same thing for me when I was frozen."
"What?!" Chopper questioned. "That's terrible!"
After a few tense seconds of silence, save for the sound of Luffy's heartbeat, Aokiji was heard sighing.
"Damn... looks like you got me. I agreed to fight you, one-on-one... but I bet that was your plan all along, wasn't it? If I went after your crew, now, I'd look like the bad guy, wouldn't I?"
"Was... was that really his plan?" Nami asked.
"I don't even know," Zoro said. "You know how we never can tell what Luffy's thinking, half the time."
"Big Brother...!" Aika whispered as she listened to her older half-brother's heartbeat beginning to slow.
"Or... did you really think you could beat me?" Aokiji was heard asking, though it was slowly fading. "I'll just say this... soon, you'll all see that that woman... is more trouble than she's worth. Nico Robin was born with a brutal personality... and nothing you do will change that."
Robin narrowed her eyes as she clenched her fists... but then they heard the sound of something shattering, causing them to gasp... but they could still hear the faint sound of their captain's heartbeat, signifying that he had not been broken.
"I could just shatter you, right here and kill you effortlessly," Aokiji began, "but I do owe you one. You took care of that whole mess with Crocodile... so now we're even... and... ah, forget about Smoker's stupid message. See ya."
Soon, there was the sound of footsteps receding... but then, several more footsteps were heard, followed by some faint but familiar voices, though nobody could really tell who was speaking because by now, the sound was just too faded and garbled.
"Look... he is! ...Luffy!"
"He... shattered!"
"Quick... Get him back... ship...!"
"Hang..."
The last few words faded away... just as Past Luffy's heart stopped.
"W... what happened?!" asked Aika worriedly. "Did Big Brother die?!"
"No, Aika," Chopper answered. "His heart just momentarily stopped, but Zoro and Sanji managed to bring him back to the ship in time to thaw him out!"
Aika whimpered as she hugged Luffy's hat in her arms, fretful tears welling up in her eyes despite her trying so hard not to cry, prompting Nami to kneel down and hug the poor child. She knew that seeing all these memories would be too much on her. Truthfully, Nami wanted to cry as well since she hated watching this just as much as she did, as did the others... but they knew it had to be done.
"That was truly frightening," said Brook, solemnly.
"Tell me about it," Franky agreed. "I mean... I thought that maybe he'd struggle just a little... but he didn't even last 5 seconds!"
"Trust me, I thought the same thing," Usopp agreed, "and things were only about to get worse."
Suddenly, the Straw Hats began to hear this familiar thumping noise... the sound of a heartbeat. It started low, at first, but then began to grow stronger and louder... and soon after, the memories began to fade into view. A groan was heard as Past Luffy finally began to stir... and the first thing he noticed was that the others were sitting around him with looks of worry.
"He's awake!" Past Usopp exclaimed with tears of relief. "Thank god!"
"Oh, Luffy...!" Past Nami sighed in relief.
"...Guys?" Past Luffy asked, weakly. "W... what happened?"
"You almost bought the big one, that's what happened," Past Zoro answered.
"...I did?" Past Luffy asked as he tried to sit up, only for Past Chopper to gently push him back down.
"Don't get up, Luffy," the reindeer advised. "I just got your heart beating, again. You need to rest for a little bit."
"...Robin," Past Luffy muttered. "W-where's Robin?"
"She's over there," Past Sanji answered as he pointed to the cot beside him, where Past Robin was lying. Her face was a bit flushed and her eyes were closed... but he could see her chest slowly rise and fall, showing that she was breathing.
"...She's alive..." Past Luffy whispered before he smiled. "Good..."
Robin couldn't help smiling, either. Despite the fact that he was practically looking death right in the face, she was touched that her captain was still worried about her more than himself.
Before long, Past Luffy closed his eyes again, and at first, the others got a bit frantic... until they heard him snoring, that is.
"He fell asleep..." Aika whispered.
"Yeah, he was pretty exhausted," Nami said.
"You try staying awake after being nearly frozen to death," Sanji added.
"That's the second time Luffy almost lost his life," said Kumi, sadly. "Seeing him fight like this... it's actually hard to believe he used to lose like that, a lot. I always thought he was practically invincible!"
"Luffy may be insanely strong," Blizzard began, "but nobody is invincible... not even him."
"That had been one of the scariest moments of my life," Usopp said. "I mean... thinking that Luffy and Robin were about to die... it really got to me." He furrowed his brow, anxiety beginning to set in. "I... I never once thought that Luffy would ever lose... and worse yet... I started to think that the further we went on our adventure... the more powerful enemies we'd run into... and it scared me." He screwed his eyes shut and clenched his fists. "Everyone was fighting to keep Luffy and Robin safe and what was I doing? I just stood by, frozen with fear... I couldn't do anything! I felt so... so... useless..."
"Usopp..." Chopper whispered, sadly, remembering when the sniper had begun to doubt himself during this stretch of their voyage... and how much worse things would get.
"So... what happened then?" asked Aika.
"Well, we couldn't sail away, just yet," said Nami. "We had to wait for Luffy and Robin to completely recover from being frozen, so we stayed anchored for about 4 days."
The memory shifted, showing the same room that Past Luffy and Past Robin were lying in. They could hear the sounds of the other members walking around on the ship and talking... and meanwhile, Past Chopper sat nearby, setting a lukewarm towel on Past Robin's forehead, the archaeologist seemingly still sleeping.
Past Luffy, on the other hand, looked bored as he lied on his cot, staring up at the ceiling. He had a blanket draped over him to keep him warm, one hand was tucked underneath his head, and the other was lying on top of his stomach... which was beginning to grumble noisily. Past Luffy sighed before he kicked the blanket off and began to shakily get to his feet, which Past Chopper noticed.
"L-Luffy, wait!" he called. "What are you doing?!"
"I'm hungry," Past Luffy replied.
"You're not supposed to get out of bed!" Past Chopper cried. "You're still recovering! It's only been a day! I need you to stay in here so I can monitor you and Robin!"
"Don't worry about me," Past Luffy said. "I'm just fine."
"But Luffy!" Past Chopper started as the Straw Hat Captain prepared to head out the door... only to be met with Past Nami's angry gaze.
"Just what do you think you're doing?" she asked.
"Well, I-" Past Luffy started.
"Didn't you hear Chopper?!" Past Nami asked. "You're not completely better! Now go lay back before I knock you out!"
"But I'm hungry!" Past Luffy complained.
"Then I'll have Sanji make you something!" Past Nami countered. "Just be smart, like Robin, and go lay back down!"
Past Luffy huffed in frustration before he begrudgingly climbed back into the cot.
"Jeez," Franky said. "I guess he's not really taking this well."
"You know how Luffy doesn't like being told what to do," Nami replied. "He's just so stupidly stubborn that way."
The following days proved to be rather frustrating for Past Luffy. Unless he had to get up to use the bathroom, it was like he was under constant surveillance. Whenever he got up, someone was quick to tell him to go lie back down and rest, even though he claimed he had rested, plenty. He couldn't have any meat because Past Chopper was worried that his digestive system wouldn't be able to handle solid foods yet, so he was forced to eat things like soup or rice pudding, instead.
Past Luffy was lying in bed, once again, with Past Chopper giving him a checkup, as usual.
"Okay, Luffy, take a big breath," he told him, prompting Past Luffy to take in a deep breath. "Okay, let it out."
"Phew..." Past Luffy sighed.
"Your lungs sound okay," Past Chopper replied. "You've got a slight heart murmur, though, but it's nothing too serious. Another day of rest, and you should be right as rain."
"Chopper, I don't wanna rest anymore," Past Luffy said. "I'm telling you, I'm fine!"
"I don't wanna risk it, Luffy," Past Chopper rebuked as he walked out. "You need more rest. Doctor's orders."
Past Luffy quietly groaned as he flopped down on the bed... and meanwhile, Past Zoro sat nearby, taking a guzzle of his ale.
"...I hate this," Past Luffy spoke up, causing the swordsman to glance over at him.
"Look, Luffy, I get that you're upset about being cooped up in here," said Past Zoro, "but you did almost die."
"Yeah, almost!" Past Luffy argued. "I'm okay now, though! Just because I almost died, that doesn't mean that everyone has to treat me like a baby!"
"We're not treating you like a baby," Past Zoro countered. "Chopper just wants to make sure you're 100% before we go anywhere. That's all."
"You know, Moss-head, you really don't have the right to talk," Sanji muttered.
"Oh, shut up!" Zoro barked as he got in his face. "I've seen you not listen to Chopper, too, sometimes!"
"Not nearly as much as you do!" Sanji shouted.
"Don't either of you start!" Nami yelled as she pushed the two of them apart while in the memory, Past Luffy just turned over on his side, his back facing Past Zoro.
"...Look, you can sulk if you want," Past Zoro began, "but your health comes first. I hate to be the one to tell you this, but you're not invincible, Luffy."
With that, he stood up and walked out... leaving the Straw Hat Captain to lie there on the cot, staring up at the ceiling. He slowly raised his right hand and attempted to clench his fist, only to wince in slight pain before he let his hand flop back down to his side. It was obvious that he still hadn't completely recovered from being frozen... and the Straw Hats couldn't help but feel just a tiny bit of sympathy for him. They knew it pained their captain to be like this.
"...Not enough..." he whispered as he put his left hand over his eyes. "I'm strong, but I'm not strong enough..."
Suddenly, the memory began to blur, and the Straw Hats heard this dripping sound... and as the memory began to fade to black and they heard their captain make this soft hiccup... they realized what that sound was.
Luffy was crying.
TO BE CONTINUED...
Next time on One Piece: The Fire Within!
Past Robin: If you are a pirate among pirates among pirates among pirates, then bring your steadfast crew to our island.
Usopp: W-w-wait, wait! I don't remember this.
Nami: Yeah, neither do I...
Sanji: Same here.
Past Luffy: Whoa, this place is huge!
Aika: ...There's something wrong here... something horribly wrong.
Zoro: What do you mean?
Blizzard: Aika's right... there's something... off about this place. It's like... it shouldn't be here.
Baron Omatsuri: Now you will see... the pain that I endured!
Usopp: W... what the hell is THAT?!
Next time: The Secret Island
Here it comes. Get ready for it.
Review, please!