Chapter 4: Teach
(Hey Guyz~! So… Guess what. Not in the opbigbang anymore… Yeah… I never got any info and apparently I missed a deadline… Oh well. So, this morning, I literally woke up thinking about this story. I ended up having an idea so I had to change up the plotline. Oh well. All I did was involve a little bit more shit and move what was gonna happen this chapter to chapter 9. Yeah. I have that much planned at this point. On to the crap!)
Warning: There will be mistakes no matter how many times I proof read it.
-x-x-x-
Previously:
"Then… Do you regret being born…?
"You said you would never die and then told me you never wanted to live… So which is it?"
"Both… I had my reasons for not wanting to live, because of who I'm related to. I needed to protect you back then but now I have more reasons. So… I'd rather live another day with my family."
"You want to live…?"
"Yes."
"Good. 'Cause I'm not letting you die."
'Not this time…'
-x-x-x-
"As long as you think it'll help. Anything for a son."
Ace and Sabo looked at each other with large grins after hearing their father's words.
After Luffy's outburst, the two older brothers had a thought. Immediately they had told Thatch to watch over Luffy and ran straight to their captain. They explained to their captain their little brother's affiliation with 'Red-haired' Shanks and begged to call the man. The two believed if they brought their brother's hero to meet him, then there was a chance Luffy would gain at least some of his memories.
The two watched as their massive captain picked up the nearby den den mushi and dialed in a certain red heads number.
"Hello~!" a drunken voice called from the snail, the sounds of a large party in the background.
"Akagami." Whitebeard greeted kindly with his usual grin.
"Whitebeard? What's with the sudden call? Lemme guess! You finally decided to have a party with my crew!" Shanks slurred while the snail showed a drunken grin.
"Not exactly." Whitebeard said before passing the den den to Ace and Sabo.
"Then why are you calling me!?" Shanks yelled before the brothers could speak.
"Shanks. Luffy needs your help." Sabo said, his voice and face completely serious.
"Anchor? What happened?" Shanks questioned, his voice suddenly sober as the background sound instantly died.
"We can't entirely explain but…" Ace said before explaining their situation and stating their location.
Everything was silent for a few moments before the den den spoke again. "Alright. We'll be there in about a week." Shanks said before his voice became slightly distant. "Oi you bunch of drunks!" There was a chorus of people screaming about the fact that their captain was just as drunk – if not more so. "You heard 'em! Get ready to set sail! We're going to see Anchor!" A chorus of cheers was heard before the den den went silent and fell asleep.
-x-x-x-
Thatch was panicking. The two Second Division Commanders had left their precious little brother with him and then ran out leaving the much talked about boy and him alone. He was watching the boy and doing as told until he looked away for a split second and the kid was gone. Vanished. No longer there.
Now, Thatch wouldn't have been panicking if he was under different circumstances. First of all, if the ship wasn't as big as it was, he would have stood a chance at finding the kid. Then there's the fact that Luffy was small – and rubber according to his brothers – while Thatch was normal and – let's admit – a little overweight. Lastly and most importantly, the two older brothers. He knew the brothers were extremely protective of the ones they loved and – according to their stories – even more protective of a certain younger brother.
He wouldn't have believed how protective they were over the kid, but Thatch had seen it. They were terrified when they heard about the kid losing his memories and forgetting about them. He heard their stories they were telling the youngest and Thatch instantly knew why they were protective. The kid was trouble incarnate. Then there was his little outburst.
Thatch had never thought of Ace as the kind of person who wanted to die. He always seemed like a kid that wanted to live and enjoyed everything about life – while he was part of the crew at least. So hearing that Ace had always carried a thought like that, a thought that he shouldn't exist, honestly terrified Thatch. He was – easy to say – overjoyed when he heard Ace say that he wanted to live because of the family he had now. The crew and his little brothers.
That was the part that terrified Thatch the most in his current situation. Luffy had been a third of the reason Ace wanted to live and he just lost said reason. He didn't even know how to explain to the brothers what happened!
"Oh hey Ace, Sabo. Luffy? Yeah about him. He kinda disappeared." Thatch tested with his head down before sighing. "I'm so screwed…"
"WHAT!?"
At the sudden shout, Thatch shot his head up and looked in front of him only to see the two brothers standing in the doorway with expressions that were a mix of shock, worry, and fury. "Thatch…" The two brothers growled.
"Shit…" Thatch muttered, knowing he wouldn't get out of this unscathed.
-x-x-x-
Luffy considered himself lucky. He didn't know much about himself but he knew one thing. He didn't like sitting still. So when a woman walked into the galley and started talking to Thatch – who seemed completely focused on her – he took his chance. He carefully got off the barstool he was sitting on and left the room.
As soon as he left the room, he walked towards where he thought the deck was. After a few turns and corridors, Luffy officially claimed himself as lost. Even with this fact in mind, he continued walking; considering it as an adventure. Eventually, Luffy found himself within the inner workings of the ship. Looking around, he found a door. Curious, he opened it and walked in only to find a long row of cells.
Luffy walked down the row of cells before finding a person on their side and with their back to the door.
"Hey mister? You alive?" Luffy called as he walked up to the door.
At the sound of a new voice, the man rolled over and faced Luffy. He couldn't help but think that the man was fat and ugly.
"Who are you?" The man asked.
"I'm Luffy!" He shouted before muttering. "At least that's what Ace and Sabo said…"
"Ace and Sabo? You know them?" The man questioned.
"Yup! They're my brothers." Luffy said with a grin.
"Brothers?" The man said with a fake shock that Luffy didn't notice. "But… They don't have another brother."
Instantly, Luffy's grin dropped. "Yes they do. I'm their brother."
"Portgas D. Ace and Sabo? The Second Division Commanders?"
"Yeah. I think so at least." Luffy said, with slight confusion.
"Let me tell you something Luffy. Those two are liars. They don't have any other family. They seem innocent, but they aren't. They killed everyone related to them." The man said before gasping in false horror. "And if they're calling you their brother… That means you're next."
"No… Stop it! You're lying! They wouldn't do that!" Luffy shouted in fear, backing away from the cell a few feet.
"How do you know? You don't know them do you? From what you said earlier, it looks like you can't remember anything. How do you know they aren't tricking you?" The man questioned as he fought back a smirk.
"They aren't! They're too nice for that… Ace, Sabo, Thatch… Everyone's too nice to do that…" Luffy said, fear and worry taking over along with a hint of betrayal.
"Do you know where you are? This is a pirate ship Luffy. They lie and kill. That's it."
"Then what are you doing here…?"
"Me?" The man asked, pointing at himself. "They kidnapped me from my home. They took something of mine and threw me in here. I overheard them saying Thatch planned all of this and was going to sell my possessions while Ace and Sabo kill me and my family."
Luffy was struck by horror. He starred at the man with wide eyes. "No…" He gulped and shook his head before looking back at the man. "You say… You say they're bad people and don't have family… Then how do I remember them? I have memories of us as kids! Explain that!" Luffy shouted in pure fear.
"When the mind is blank, it takes whatever it hears and creates a memory." The man got closer to the door, causing Luffy to step back. "Now I see it… That wound on your head… That proves it… They tried killing you but you must have avoided a majority of the blow. I bet they're planning on making you believe they're your friends before they betray you and kill you."
"No… They…"
"They wouldn't?" The man finished for Luffy. "How do you know? I've been here for a long time. I know them better than you. Trust me Luffy. Why do you think they haven't tried to help you yet?"
Luffy was silent. This man… He had a point. Luffy couldn't remember anything so he couldn't prove him wrong exactly. Unconsciously, his hand traveled to the wound on his head. As soon as he touched the wound, the thought of Ace and Sabo attacking him became an image. He gasped in shock before looking at his hand and seeing some blood on his fingertips. Quickly, the few drops of blood that covered his fingertips spread and covered his entire hand, causing him to see nothing but blood.
"Hey! Hey are you alright?" The man called, his voice cutting through the haze that covered Luffy's mind and bringing him back to reality.
"They… They really did this to me…? They really attacked me…?" Luffy muttered, looking at the man with eyes that begged for answers.
"I think so… I'm sorry… I'm just happy I could tell you before they did any more damage. But don't worry. I can help. But first, I need you to do something for me." The man said in a somehow calming voice.
"What…? What can I do?" Luffy asked automatically.
"Go to Thatch's room and look for a medium sized chest. It should be easy to find." The man said, using his hands to show the approximate size of said chest.
"Alright but… who are you…?" Luffy asked.
"Teach. Just call me Teach." The man said.
"Alright… I'll be back Teach." Luffy said before turning and running to Thatch's room.
"Make sure you don't get caught!" Teach yelled after Luffy.
-x-x-x-
Fifteen minutes later, Luffy was at Thatch's room. Surprisingly, he hadn't taken that many wrong turns. He had been on the right path for the most part. Eventually he had found a hall that had plaques on each door. He followed the hall until he saw the one he was looking for.
'Forth Division Commander Thatch'
Quietly, he checked the hall to see nobody was there before opening the door enough to see in. When he saw the room was clear, he walked in. Quickly he looked around, carefully checking cabinets, closets and anything else. He soon checked the nightstand and found the chest. He grabbed the chest before shutting the nightstand drawer and checking the rest of the room. Seeing everything still how it was when he entered, he ran out the door and closed it behind him.
Ten minutes later, he was standing in front of Teach and passing the chest to him. "Sorry it took so long. It was hard to find my way around…" Luffy apologized after getting his breath back.
"Don't worry about it." Teach said before opening the chest and checking its contents. "Good job Luffy."
"Thanks. You need the key to this cell now, right? Where is it? I'll get it for you." Luffy said quickly.
"Are you sure? It could be dangerous." Teach asked, false worry covering his face.
"Yeah! Anything to get out of here." Luffy said, believing Teach's lies to be truth.
"Alright. The key is in Marco's room. He's the First Division Commander and really strong so be careful." Teach said.
"Alright. I think I saw that room before so it should be easy to find." Luffy muttered to himself before looking back to Teach. "I'll be back soon! Don't worry!" He shouted as he left the room again.
Quickly, Luffy ran through the same path he took before and even faster. In five minutes, he was in front of Marco's room. He read the plaque and nodded before opening the door enough to see in. Once he saw the man wasn't in there, he walked in. He carefully checked everywhere he could but didn't find the keys. He checked the desk but didn't find a single sign of the keys. He checked the dresser and the night stand but, yet again found nothing.
"Where are they…?" Luffy muttered to himself.
"Looking for these, yoi?" a voice called from the doorway.
Instantly, Luffy was facing the door and the rooms owner. He saw Marco standing in the doorway with a hand on his hip and the other hand in the air. When Luffy saw what was in Marco's other hand, he gasped. Marco was holding the keys as if expecting Luffy to come for them.
As Marco took a step forward, Luffy made a run for it. The young raven haired boy was caught before he even stepped foot out the door. He fought and struggled but the blonde's grip was too strong. When he looked to see the blonde's face, he realized the man was only holding him back with only one hand.
Seeing this Luffy came up with an idea.
Almost unconsciously, Luffy did a back flip and twisted Marco's arm. Having not expected it, Marco was shocked. He tossed the keys to Teach's cell somewhere in his room before grabbing Luffy with his other arm. He quickly infused his hands with Haki before grabbing Luffy's arms and holding them behind his back. Luffy couldn't help but yelp in mild pain as Marco's grip tightened. He swiped his leg around and kicked Marco's leg, causing the blonde to nearly lose balance. Almost instantly, Marco had Luffy pinned with the youths face pressed to the ground.
"Let me go!" Luffy shouted.
Marco ignored Luffy as he threw the youth over his shoulder and carried him out, closing the door behind them. With anger and annoyance, Marco carried the raven haired boy to the deck. Whenever he thought Luffy was getting too annoying, he would hit the boy's head against the wall, inevitably shutting him up.
After what felt like forever, they were on deck with multiple eyes watching them. Marco was honestly surprised when the boy stopped moving and yelling. Presuming it was because of all the people, he continued walking to his destination. Finally, he found the two brothers chasing Thatch around the deck. Ignoring the few bruises and light burns Thatch had, he stepped in front of the pair of brothers and caused them to stop.
"Oi Marco!" Ace shouted, his fist still on fire and his eyes still on Thatch.
"Who's that?" Sabo asked, pointing at the boy over Marco's shoulder.
"Your kid brother, yoi." Marco said as he dropped the boy on deck, anger and annoyance obvious in his voice and face.
"You found him?" Ace asked, paying no attention to Marco's tone.
"Whatever he did, we're sorry." Sabo apologized, curious as to how Luffy made Marco so mad.
"A simple apology won't fix what he was trying to do, yoi." Marco stated.
"What are you talking about?" Ace questioned, watching as Luffy stood back up and rubbed his wrists.
"The brat was looking for the keys to free Teach." Marco stated angrily.
"W-what…?" Sabo questioned, completely shocked.
"You heard me. He was trying to free Teach. I saw him digging through my room after leaving the cells, yoi." Marco informed.
"Lu… Why would you do that?" Sabo questioned, confusion and worry showing on his face.
"That man is evil Lu. He tried to kill Thatch, our friend. Why would you want to help him?" Ace asked.
Luffy was silent. He didn't say a word as he kept his head down. His hat covered a majority of his face so not a single person could see his expression.
"Lu… Please. Talk to us. We're your brothers." Ace stated.
Unknowingly to Ace and everyone else, Luffy's eyes widened before narrowing dangerously. If anyone spoke, it was heard by deaf ears. Luffy wasn't listening to anything. The only thing he heard was the echo of Ace's last sentence. 'We're brothers.' Without a second thought, Luffy reached up and punched Ace in the face as hard as he could. With that much strength, Ace flew back nearly thirty feet only to stop by hitting the mast and leaving a medium sized crater in the large mast. As soon as he hit the wooden structure, he had coughed up a mouthful of blood.
"ACE!" Everyone on deck shouted in shock.
As soon as Luffy was about to run at Ace, hoping to hit him again, he had at least ten people on him.
Immediately, Sabo, Marco, and Thatch – who had been watching from a safe distance away from the brothers – were next to Ace and getting him out of the mast. Soon, Ace was standing again and wiping the blood off the corner of his mouth. Walking towards his youngest brother, he ignored all the people asking if he was alright and just kept walking. The only thing that stopped him was the feeling of a familiar hand on his shoulder.
"Sabo… He wouldn't normally do this…" Ace muttered.
"I know. Even when he would be angry with us, he wouldn't fight…" Sabo stated, standing next to his brother.
They both stood there, questioning whether or not to walk up to their youngest brother or not. To talk to him, to ask him why. Right as they were about to speak, they both heard the soft sounds of crying. After focusing on the sounds for a few moments, they realized the sounds were coming from their little brother. Soon, Ace and Sabo found themselves standing in front of Luffy. Unconsciously, Sabo put his hand on his little brother's shoulder, in attempt to comfort him, only for the younger to pull away from him.
Both Ace and Sabo were shocked. Luffy had never avoided their touch. He was the one begging to be with them. But now… They couldn't believe how much the brother they cared so much for could be so different because of memory loss. Their thoughts were cut short when they heard Luffy's watery voice mutter something unclear under his breath.
"What…?" Ace whispered, loud enough for only his brothers to hear him.
"LEAVE ME ALONE!" Luffy shouted, shocking and silencing everyone.
"Luffy…" Ace and Sabo unconsciously muttered in unison.
"I don't wanna be near liars…!" Luffy said, lifting his head and showing his tear filled eyes and tear stained cheeks.
"Lu…" Sabo muttered.
"Don't call me that! You're liars! For all I know, that isn't even my name!" Luffy shouted as more tears fell.
"Why would you think we lied? We're your brothers. We have been for ten years." Sabo questioned.
"Ten years? Ten years!?" Luffy shouted. "We don't look anything alike and we've been so-called brothers for only ten years!? ARE WE EVEN BROTHERS!?"
In that instance, the entire ship went still. Everything froze. Even the soft breeze seemed to stop and turn cold. For Ace and Sabo, it was much worse though. The two brothers could practically feel their hearts stop at that one statement. Their little brother, the one they cared most about, didn't even like them in the slightest. They weren't heartbroken. Their hearts were shattered.
Due to the sudden shock, the people holding Luffy down lost their grip. He took his chance and escaped their hold, but didn't leave. He stayed where he was. If he moved at all, it was to take a step towards Ace and Sabo.
"Tell me the truth… Do you even know me…?" Luffy begged in a soft voice as tears continued to fall. "Are we even brothers…? Please… Tell me everything you said was true… That everything he said was a lie… I don't… I don't want to be alone… Being alone… It's more painful than getting hurt…"
When Luffy said that, Ace and Sabo could feel their hearts break all over again. Hearing him say that was exactly like when they were kids. All the Second Division Commanders wanted was to hug their little brother. Within seconds, they were doing just that. At first, Luffy thought they were going to hurt him but that thought faded when he heard the duo speak.
"You aren't alone. Everything we said was true." Sabo stated.
"We could never lie to you Lu. You're our little brother. No matter what people say." Ace whispered.
"We're family. Always have been, always will be." Ace and Sabo said in accidental unison, causing the two of them to laugh softly.
"R-really…?" Luffy asked as the tears slowed.
"Of course."
With those two short words, Luffy's tears of pain had turned into ones of joy. They hadn't lied. They really did care about him. They wouldn't hurt him. He wouldn't be alone. He had brothers.
At the end of their short speech, the three were all hugging each other with small smiles. All the crew seemed to loosen up as they watched the three brothers talk secretly and laugh quietly to themselves.
"Sorry I hit you Ace." Luffy apologized with a nervous smile.
"Nah, don't worry about it. Actually kinda proud that you got so strong." Ace said with a laugh, rubbing his cheek where he had been hit.
"Sorry to ruin the moment, yoi…" Marco said calmly, standing next to the brothers with his hands on his hips. "But you said 'he'."
"Oh yeah…" Luffy said, glaring lightly at the ground in the direct of the cells. "Stupid Teach…"
"Teach? You were talking to him?" Sabo questioned in worry.
"Yeah… He said you guys were lying to me and that you were gonna kill me…" Luffy said, his voice fading out towards the end. "Um… Thatch…? He said you had a chest in your room… What's in it…?"
"The chest?" Thatch asked, a shiver running up his spine. "I don't even want to think about that stupid thing."
"Why do you ask?" Marco asked before looking at Luffy's nervous face. "No…" Almost instantly, Marco was gone from the deck with Ace, Sabo, Luffy, and Thatch following. Within a few short minutes, they were standing in front of an empty cell with nothing but an open and empty chest sitting inside.
"I'm sorry guys…" Luffy said shyly. "He made me believe him. He said we would get away from here…"
"Don't worry about it kid. You were confused and he was saying things that sounded right to you. It's not your fault. He tricked all of us. That's pretty hard to do." Thatch said.
"I wouldn't say it's too hard to trick some of us…" Ace muttered, glancing at Thatch.
"Hey!" Thatch shouted with false hurt.
Marco sighed. "I'm going to report to Pops. You gonna be alright kid? He didn't mess with you too much did he, yoi?" He asked, looking at Luffy.
"Yeah… I'll be good. I didn't really believe him that much anyways." Luffy said with a small smile as he stepped towards his brothers.
"We'll watch over him. Don't worry about it Marco." Sabo said, wrapping an arm around Luffy's shoulders and pulling him towards him.
"Good." Marco said before leaving to see the captain.
Feeling something wet on his sleeve, Sabo looked at his arm only to see a dark crimson covering his black sleeve. He looked at where his arm was and saw the same crimson color on the back of Luffy's head. Quickly and carefully, he moved his little brothers hat only to see his wound had reopened and was bleeding again. Sabo sighed. "Ace. Help me get him back to the infirmary. His head's bleeding."
"Seriously? What'd you do Lu? Smack your head?" Ace teased, guiding his brothers to the infirmary.
"No!" Luffy shouted.
"He's right. That was you Ace." Sabo said with a smirk, following his brothers.
"That's only because of Lu!"
"I said I was sorry!"
Thatch watched as the brothers left the room and as their arguing voices faded off into the distance. He looked at the cell next to him and thought only one thing.
'Teach… Now that you have that fruit… Just what are you going to do…?'
(Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand done! Took all day and multiple writers block moments due to mom distracting me. But it's up. Not exactly proud of it but hey. At least I tried! Can't yell at me for that. Sadly, I don't have as many chapters as I would have wanted. Originally, I would have had about five or six chapters planned but uh… four of those chapters went into this one chapter. It's one of those days that I wanted to write but I couldn't put any detail into anything… Sorry if it sucked…
Omake:
~After Ace and Sabo find out Thatch lost Luffy~
Thatch: Shit…
Ace: *shoulders catch fire and growls* Thatch…
Sabo: *grabs his pipe from his back* Where's Luffy?
Thatch: *stutters* U-um… Well… You see…
Ace: *arm turns to fire* THATCH!
Thatch: Oh shit! *runs out of the room with Ace and Sabo chasing him*
Ace and Sabo: GET BACK HERE!
Thatch: Not until you decide to NOT KILL ME! *runs into Marco* Marco! Save me!
Marco: *sees Ace and Sabo still running after him* You better fix whatever you did wrong, yoi. *walks away*
Thatch: Traitor! *sees the brothers getting closer* Fuck! *runs at top speed around the deck, Ace and Sabo still chasing him* SAVE ME!
Reviews (from chapter 3):
Nurofen – Maybe. Luffy doesn't have a good memory but remembered Izo because… well… I think it's obvious.
XxFire-PhoenixxX – I think I've answered that before. Marco's too fun to not tease. Luffy I think will make it a goal to mess with him but to also stay away from him for a short time.
PsychoRien – Not really making Marco like him am I? XD
iiILurvePancakesii – It was only glimpses so I don't think he would have froze up. Of course Ace wants to wear one! Who doesn't?
SkyBlue24 – Of course. I'm not gonna have him an amnesiac throughout the entire story! He has to regain his memory for the end!
Collette Nicole – I don't know if I should apologize for making you tear up…
sisimiura – Maybe one day I'll attempt to draw that and send it to you.
coolgamer – In my opinion, you don't need to be that far in the manga to understand this. It's more of an AU.
general yumi – Immediately after I wrote that part, I started writing the omake before actually continuing the chapter. My memory is shit so I had to do it like that otherwise it wouldn't have happened.
Itachi – Do you realize who you're talking to? Marco, Ace, Thatch, Vista, Haruta, and Izo are my favorite characters on the Moby Dick besides Oyaji! Of course they're gonna be there!
Cyborgnetics – Sorry if it's rushed. I'm not the best but I'm still trying. He's only getting simple flashes, not entire memories. That's gonna take a while.
Reviews (from the update/ authors note):
Itachi – Thank you for understanding. But I'm back now. At least somewhat. I still have school so it's kinda hard to work on my stories. Next week, I have three half days and then break so it should be easier. And just so you know, I check my account EVERYDAY to see what you guys are saying. I love my viewers so I try to please them.
D. Akisira R.T.M.S – Trust me, I won't abandon this. There's too many people who actually like it, much to my disbelief. So, even though I may go on break, I'm not getting rid of this story.
MeryChosoany – Like I told Akisira. I'm not abandoning this story. If I wanted to, I would make a poll asking for your guys' opinion but that's not gonna happen.
TheCaptainOfShips – Gomen Sencho! I didn't mean to make you cry! Does this make up for it?
PsychoRien – Welp. Now I understand the name. Your vote counted and made this chapter possible. Demon side, it isn't nice to knock someone out. (Says the psychopath)
animelovwers – Why does everyone think I'm abandoning this story? If I did, I would tell you and the summary would say discontinued. Not gonna happen. I'm just taking forever to update.
Thank you everyone for all of your comments and praise. This story so does not deserve it. Anyways. Fave, follow, vote, read my other stuff, and review. Bai~! c(X )
Start Time – 2:00 PM Sunday
End Time – 9:18 AM Monday (Had to sleep so it took a little longer…)