Chapter 7: Pain

{Amazon Lily…}

Trafalgar Law had seen madness. In his own eyes when he looked in the mirror, in the faces of those who experienced the most painful of life lessons, and in those who had lost something precious. But not to a degree such as this. All of those things clustered when it came to the boy whom had tore a hole clean through the roof of his submarine. It had been quite the sight for the bandaged, weakened, and wounded boy to tear through such thick metal as though it were paper. He landed upon the ground, a tangled heap of limbs, gauze, and blood before dragging his broken frame onto his knees. Law would be lying if he denied that a chill ran down his spine when the boy screamed, clawing at his face, calling for his brother. It was like a wounded animal, the sound that ripped out of his throat and made his crewmates freeze where they stood.

Feral. That was a good word to describe the boy that bared his teeth, hissing and snarling like a wild beast as he threw off his men like they were rag dolls. The sheer strength he exuded stemmed from a lack of pain receptors. His mind and body were past the point of being able to make rational sense of what they had endured, and Law knew that all to well. His injuries, and the toll of watching his brother die in his arms had destroyed his body and shattered his mind. If he were to be blunt, the month that had passed hadn't done anything to mend those wounds. Admittedly, anyone would be lucky to come back from this.

Because there wasn't anything left of the person he'd met on Sabaody.

He watched the others around him, stare at the sight of the emaciated, bleeding form of the boy who had stormed Impel Down and fought in what the world now called the Paramount War. The experiences had as good as stripped the boy of his senses. If the Straw Hat crew saw him as he was now: they would see a demon. Those dark gray eyes were blown wide, face white and sallow, washed with misery and insanity. He didn't even look like the same person anymore. Law knew he could easily use his Devil Fruit and render the boy immobile, but doing so would require taking apart his body, and would only cause more mental trauma, which the boy obviously didn't need. Especially if that wild look in those dark eyes were anything to go by. Sighing, Law watched as Luffy backed away with his teeth bared, running into the depths of the jungle that surrounded them while they heard screams and the snapping of trees and the crushing of boulders. Jinbei had watched him, disbelieving of what he had witnessed while Law himself couldn't help but observe the chaos behind him in mind curiosity.

"He's insane. That wasn't even the same person we met before," Bepo said this with a shaky tone, and Law couldn't help but agree.

"How can someone that injured be so damn strong? He broke through the sub like it was nothing!" perhaps it was just shock, but even Law knew that his crew was well aware of what strength inhibitors were, and that if they broke down humans were unnaturally powerful. Especially if they were abnormal like Devil Fruit users. Or, perhaps those random few who carried the initial of D.

"Jinbei, I suggest you go and get him. If he reopens those wounds he'll die," he stated as the Fishman nodded and slowly walked towards the chaos.

None of the Heart Pirates wanted to go into that jungle with the boy that had escaped. Law could only watch them as they tried to make sense of the things they had witnessed. Though, he knew better than any that insanity didn't adhere to rhyme or reason. It enjoyed misery, and very few escaped it. The Surgeon of Death sighed in annoyance at the recognition that the boy he had saved possibly was better off dead with his current mental condition. It would take something serious to knock him back to his senses, and even more time and guidance for any of them to have a prayer at restoring the boy's mind to even half of it's former state. He would always have nightmares, things would trigger horrible reactions that Luffy couldn't control, and sometimes those responses wouldn't make sense because if his mind didn't recall, his body sure as hell would. And, even with medical care, medication, and therapy - it wouldn't ever be more than possibly manageable.

Because you didn't get rid of post traumatic stress disorder.

"Looks like you guys had something interesting happen," a voice spoke and Law looked up to see a familiar face.

"What does the Dark King want with us?" he cut to the point, and Rayleigh smiled.

"I came to see if Luffy is actually here," he answered and Law sighed, annoyed by this development.

"He's currently occupied." the man turned his gaze towards the forest where screams and crashes were still occurring.

"I see. Is someone in there with him?" Bepo nodded.

"Jinbei is there. We're hoping he might be able to calm him down some before he hurts himself more," he explained while Rayleigh smiled.

"I think he'll be fine." Law stood up, not quite caring for the circumstances.

"Time to patch up the sub and ship out. Give the Dark King the medical supplies for Straw Hat," he stated as his crew got to work and Rayleigh watched him, seeming to appraise him momentarily.

"Well then, I didn't think I'd see another one so soon. I suppose your kind really do gravitate towards one another," he mentioned as Law rose an eyebrow.

"What are you talking about?" he questioned out of politeness, not as a requirement.

Honestly, Law had an idea of what the man was talking about. It was almost frustrating how easily he had picked out the reality of the situation. Though, no one knew his own origins, save for Bepo; however, he had to consider who had come up with this observation, and ultimately could only internally grumble at the idea of what was happening. Of course, Silvers Rayleigh of all people would notice the similarities - however distant they were - and was clearly going to focus in on those factors as he smiled to himself, watching the chaos in the jungle.

"You people who descend from the Clan of D are always drawn to one another somehow. It's kind of poetic if you think about it," Rayleigh mentioned. Law grumbled under his breath.

"I'm not exactly interested in forming a relationship with another one like me. Especially one as unhinged as he is right now. Hell, he probably doesn't even know what our ancestry means… though, we're not related considering how many centuries have passed. Now, it's just a coincidence." the former Pirate smiled.

"Oh, there are no such things as coincidences, Trafalgar Law. But, maybe you'd rather not know that…. still, I get the feeling that someday you're going to end up meeting him again and when you do you're never going to get away from him. Luffy draws people to him, it's only natural that you'd be pulled in as well in due time," he mentioned.

"Not if I can help it." Rayleigh let it slide there, but Law couldn't shake the feeling that the man's statement was scathingly true even as he departed from Amazon Lily, not intending to look back. He only hoped right now that the boy would come back to his senses and not end up killing himself.

While Law was processing his own internal notions of these circumstances, Jinbei was faced with a greater challenge. He had tracked the boy down by following the trail of destroyed trees and stone, having left a wide berth that made it look like a massive beast had tore through the jungle. It was impressive, and unsettling as he saw a thin trail of blood mid-way through his walk and followed it to where he now found Luffy, hissing and growling, eyes wide and expression wild as he clawed at his head, screaming and crying, pleading for it to stop and leave him alone. Jinbei saw the same chaotic madness that he had on the shore, and knew that the boy before him was lost and afraid. Therefore, he stepped forward, and started towards him, unafraid of the fight he would be greeted with as those crazed dark gray eyes locked onto him and lips pulled back to expose bloodied teeth. The sight would have shaken most to their core, but not Jinbei.

It would never make him step back, not when he promised Ace that he would protect his little brother. Jinbei approached, reaching out for the boy whose small frame shook and seemed to be twisted at a horrid angle that had to be painful even for him. The moment his hand touched the boy's skin he felt the flush of a fever, but also sensed the next action that was a wild scream and hands clawing at him as Jinbei made an effort to calm the boy down. That proved more difficult than once thought before as Luffy fought him tooth and nail as he howled in pain, kicking and clawing and begging for the things he saw in his mind to disappear as he bowed backwards to the point that if he hadn't been made of rubber - his spine would have likely snapped. It looked like possession, an image of horror as Jinbei did all he could to stop the boy from loosing whatever remaining strands of sanity he possessed.

"Luffy, come to your senses. You have to realize -" a fearsome glare was placed upon him, something that left the ill boy before him looking less than human and more akin to the monster the world saw him as.

"Don't! Don't you dare say it!" the words came out as a feral hiss, voice coarse and colder than ice as Jinbei watched Luffy struggle against his own mind.

The sight of the boy like this made him wonder if there was anything honestly left of the boy he had met in Impel Down. There was no warmth in those eyes, no familiarity in the gaunt face, and no human strength in that corpse-like body that was recognizable. This was a different person, something twisted and rotten that made the son of the sea wonder if saving him was even possible. Jinbei knew he had no choice as he was certain to uphold his promise to Ace, but when he looked at the shaking, thin body before him that bordered on no longer appearing human and more like something that had clawed its way out of the pits of hell itself - he had to question if there was enough left of the boy who had existed before the war to reform into the person his crew knew him to be.

"He's almost to far gone… if his crew saw him like this they would be devastated."

Jinbei knew as well as anyone that even if Luffy could somehow climb his way back to a semblance of his former self - he would never be the same. There would be very little of the carefree and eager boy left at this point. And, if he were to be honest it was cruel to expect him to carry on as though nothing happened. His body and mind had endured enough trauma and much more would destroy him, at least as he was right then. However, Jinbei persisted and put his hands on the boy's shoulders, feeling how his muscles and bones contorted at unnatural angles as he tried to reason with the little bit of the boy's mind that still remained intact.

"You know the truth, Ace is -" Luffy turned on him, punching him clean across the face, surprising him by the sheer strength that came from the action.

"Your brother is gone, Luffy! But you are still here!" and the screaming returned, the anger and pain and feral behavior that made those dull eyes spark with darkness. He asked for the images to stop, for the pain to stop, but it didn't as he slammed his head into a rock as Jinbei dropped him. He watched as the boy curled up on the ground, forehead pressed into the ground as he clutched the soft soil in his bandaged hands.

"Me… King of the Pirates? Yea right… I can't even protect my crew… I couldn't save my brother…. I'M STILL SO WEAK!" the boy reached up, pulling at his hair, clawing at his face as he tried to make sense of the destruction of his world. It was painful to watch as the boy continued to hurt himself, and Jinbei clenched his fists, unable to stand it any longer.

"Stop this!" he grabbed hold of him once again, and was greeted with conflict as Luffy locked eyes with him.

"Fight me!"

The voice was cold and loud, lacking empathy and warmth and feeling so wrong coming from that boy. But, here he was, eyes vicious and wild as he struggled to his feet, blood seeping through the bandages on his hands where he had busted his knuckles open. Jinbei did as asked, moving into a fighting stance as he watched the boy's frail body struggle to remain capable of fighting as he ran low on stamina and was clearly starving. However, he attacked Jinbei as though it was second nature, getting in a few jabs before being thrown into a boulder as the Fishman held Luffy in place, who was struggling to breathe, but kept clawing and kicking at him, eventually chomping down on his arm in retaliation that surprised Jinbei at the sheer force that drew blood as the Fishman slammed Luffy into the boulder again, knocking the boy nearly unconscious as he tried to retain his strength and fight. But, his body couldn't do it and finally he stopped, seeming to accept his defeat, going almost limp as Jinbei lowered him to the ground.

"He's gone…" the Fishman nodded slowly.

"Yes, Ace is dead." the boy before him covered his face with his wounded hands, tears coming fast as the fog of hysteria seemed to begin to clear.

"Then, I'm alone again…" that voice was small, broken, and afraid, leaving Jinbei to crouch next to the boy, watching him try to hold whatever fragment of reality he had together as though the pieces were opposing magnets. They refused to connect, but he kept trying to get them too, even if it hurt.

"Think about what you still have in this world, you're not alone!" Jinbei assured him firmly as Luffy stared at his hands, the blood there that made him close his eyes tightly before taking in a agonizing breath. He stared at his bandaged hands, stained with his blood, not Ace's. It was then that he heard familiar, but distant voices calling for him.

"Hey, what are you doing up here, I'm working out. Wanna join me?" green hair and eyes, doing absurd weight training that normal humans shouldn't be able to. Three swords and a blunt but fun attitude. Luffy lowered one of his fingers. Leather and metal.

"Leave everything to your sniper, the Great Pirate Usopp!" a bold face liar, long nose, and crazy inventions that worked. The scent of damp earth after rainfall. Another finger was curled down.

"Hello Luffy, would you like me to read you a story? Or do you want to learn about archeology?" black hair and cool blue eyes. A gentle voice, and keen intellect, he raised another finger. Flowers and old books.

"That wind is coming in fast, we should get ready for a storm. You got it Luffy?!" ginger hair, a brash attitude and clear eyes. Tangerines and ink. Another finger was lowered as those dull gray eyes seemed to begin to spark with life.

"The ship is in good hands, promise Captain!" metal and skin, blue hair and a super attitude. Cola and oil. A small smile started to form at the edges of his busted lips.

"Hey! Get out of the kitchen, it'll be ready in a minute! You stupid food thief!" A faint glimmer of a familiar light pooled on those dead eyes as he curled another finger against his bandaged palm. cigarette smoke and spices.

"If you need any help with feeling better, don't worry - you're in good hands!" warmth, soft fur, a blue nose and the scent of medicine and snow. The paleness of his skin started to shift, seeming almost flushed as Jinbei watched Luffy, his eyes becoming clearer and almost shining as he counted.

"Oh, hello there Captain, would you like a song? Yohohoho!" bones, music, silly jokes, and the scent of saltwater and oak. Tears flooded his eyes as he recalled them. Eight precious people that he had narrowly lost in the haze of madness and grief.

"Lu? Luffy! Captain Luffy! Captain? Trouble maker! Luffy!"

"I still have my crew… I want to see them… I want to see them again!" and finally that madness fell away from him, and Jinbei saw the person he'd met in the depths of Impel Down. He was still broken and hurt, but those eyes shined with familiar light and warmth as tears fell fast and this time, when he cried, it was out of relief, out of genuine hope that there was something still keeping him tethered to the world of the living as he feared the future without his brother there. Ace was gone, the guiding light that he had known for so long had vanished, but eight new lights could take his place and help Luffy regain himself.

Jinbei sighed as he saw the boy rub at his eyes carefully, seeming to try and calm himself as the Fishman crouched down and pulled the teenager onto his back, telling him to hold on as they started out of the jungle and towards the shore, Jinbei noticing how quiet Luffy was as they followed his path of destruction before they finally breached the jungle and were back on the shore where Rayleigh waited for them with a few of the Kuja Pirates who had brought food, this included one Boa Hancock who was seeing Luffy for the first time in quite a few weeks. Jinbei helped the boy off his back, and kept a hand upon his shoulder as Hancock came towards them, greeting Luffy as he gave her a tired and brittle smile that the woman seemed to understand as she assured him that everything would be fine and that he should eat something. Jinbei agreed and the Pirate Empress started to tell him not to eat any of the food, but stopped when Luffy asked him to let him be. She nodded, fawning a little over the notion of his kindness as Rayleigh sat down to talk with the two as Luffy looked at the large quantity of food before him with a displeased expression.

He didn't want to eat.

Jinbei noticed this, and took a piece of the food, handing some of the meat off to him, which Luffy took after it was held out for a moment and seemed to struggle with the notion of having to consume it before he took a bite and his eyes snapped shut tightly. Why did it taste so bad? Why did it smell so awful? He forced himself to chew and swallow, but everyone could tell he was struggling to make himself do so. Rayleigh knew the symptoms, and so did most of the people there. Having that aversion would make sense after what he'd experienced in the height of that war. The stench of burning bodies would be enough to kill the hunger of most people. The boy forced another mouthful down, seeming to know it was for the best despite not wanting to eat as he took in a deep breath and finished the meat he had before grabbing a fruit to pick at, the apple being a bit more satisfying for the time being.

Jinbei sighed, taking his time to eat as he watched the boy try to recover his energy and put some nutrients back into his body. To be honest, he wasn't sure how long the physical recovery would take as he did notice how pale the boy had gotten, the fact that his already normally slim frame looked a bit thinner than it should have, and that he shook when he tried to do to much. This would take a lot of time to heal him from, and they were prepared for that. Rayleigh had some experience in helping people heal from wounds of a less physical kind, and as he watched the boy force himself to eat his mind considered the circumstances of how long Luffy's wound would need to be treated before he could begin preparations to return to Sabaody. Smiling, Rayleigh looked at the boy.

"Law gave me instructions on how to care for Luffy's wounds until their healed, so he can continue recovering here if that's possible?" Hancock nodded.

"Of course." naturally the woman wouldn't hesitate, seeing as she had quite the crush on the black-haired teenager.

"How long did the Heart Pirate's Captain say he needed to rest?" Jinbei inquired this and Rayleigh looked at the paper that Law had handed him before he'd left.

"Two weeks. Afterwards, the major wounds should be healed enough that he can begin rehabilitation, and he'll definitely need it," he stated as Luffy paused with another apple having just been raised to his mouth.

"When can I go back to Sabaody?" the people around him stared, worried and unsure of how to best handle the situation at hand.

"Firstly, you need two weeks to finish healing so you don't open your wound up again. However, after that if you wanted to, you can go back immediately, but I have a proposition for you," Rayleigh stated as dark gray eyes, tired and a bit dull still looked to him.

"What's that?" the Dark King smiled.

"How about I train you to use Haki properly?" the others were indeed surprised by the statement, but also nervous.

"He's in no condition to begin training!" Jinbei stated as Rayleigh nodded.

"You're right. He's going to recover here on Amazon Lily for two weeks, and then he'll come with me to Rusukaina and begin training." Hancock looked nervous, as she watched them and how Luffy was unnaturally quiet as he sat there, slowly chewing upon the apple he held.

"Luffy has Conqueror's Haki, correct?" she asked this and Rayleigh nodded.

"In addition to Observation and he can definitely learn Armament Haki as well. I figure in two years I can have him completely capable of using this with relative ease." Luffy tensed.

"You don't want me to go back too Sabaody for two years?" Rayleigh sighed as he noted the strained tone in his voice.

"I know you want to see your crew again, but after what you've experienced can you honestly say that you're capable of facing what the New World will have you combat? The damage from the Paramount War is significant, and I hate to say this, but you won't survive long enough to reach your goal," Rayleigh stated, disliking the fact that he had to be so tough on someone who clearly wasn't stable.

"But… my crew is going to be returning to Sabaody… they could already be there waiting for me, what should I do?" Rayleigh nodded, reaching out to place a firm, but gentle hand atop the boy's bandaged shoulder.

"I have an idea, if you're willing to go along with it?" Luffy thought for a moment, taking in the reality that he had faced in recent weeks and how his body shivered whenever memories of the war surged in his mind. Rayleigh was right, and though the idea hurt it was the best thing to do right now.

"Okay, I want to hear your plan."

{.…}

Author's Note: I expanded upon the state Luffy was in post his coma. To be honest, I kind of thought that it could have gone a little more in depth during the moments we saw that break. It also makes sense for someone of his age to develop PTSD because of the trauma he endured both in Impel Down and at Marineford. Logically, someone whose brain is still developing would endure that kind of neurological response from experiencing something like that. Also, I've pulled some of the details from personal experiences with my own PTSD, and the behavior of a few of my friends who have worse cases of it than mine and what they were like during an relapse episode. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed the chapter.

Sincerely,

ShadowDragon94.