Kai Memrana: No spoilers! I did want Luffy to be the one who got sick in canon too. I love him getting hurt cause he always seems invincible. Lol getting stabbed in the gut but just keeps fighting. It reminds me of in Bleach when Ichigo fights all these bad guys and gets stabbed constantly but can still run around and fight. Seems like a common shonen anime trope lol. Though I make Luffy seem pretty invincible in most of the pre-timeskip story. I would love to hear theories, though!

Wishfull-star: Hehe, he'd probably be angry but also impressed. Though in Marineford it's clear he hates seeing him hurt and worries a lot. Though if I had a brother or sister like Luffy, I'd be constantly worried, too.

Zoro was clingy to Luffy. He was fine with it, but Zoro wanted to be with him at all times. Luffy understood why. But he was distracted, too. He hadn't gotten any answers about Ace. What he was doing, where he was going. They'd left too suddenly. "What's wrong?" Zoro asked when he was training and Luffy was watching him sweat without a shirt on quite shamelessly.

"I didn't find out anything about what Ace was doing or where he was going," Luffy said with a frown. "And I can't smell him right now. He might not have gone to Alabasta after all." He was moping, hunched over. Zoro said going to Alabasta wasn't like a real road that was strict and compact. Ace could have gone to Alabasta but not in this area. "Still…"

Sanji came out with a chocolate lava cake with blood in the center. Luffy was surprised by it, but happy. He didn't ask why, but was grateful and ate it happily. Sanji didn't say a thing about it. Maybe because he was there when Luffy was really bad at the castle, near death. They were all kind of clingy. Kept asking how he felt.

Guilt was in him every time they asked. He'd scared them so much. A second time for the three boys. Besides Chopper, who was also clingy to Luffy. He wasn't used to being around so many humans, even if they were nice. He said Luffy didn't smell like a real human, so he was more comfortable to be around. The doctor was no longer bothered by the threatening aura Luffy unconsciously and unwillingly gave off.

Luffy was different, like he was, and that was comforting. Luffy wasn't upset about him being around, even if it annoyed Zoro. Luffy was distracted about Ace, truly. But it didn't stop him from eating too much and realizing too late. Five minutes after he found out he ate most of it (with Usopp and Chopper, too! Wasn't just him!), he was in a cell. "C'mon, let me out!" Luffy called as he was confined in a cage, scrunched up like a ball. Usopp had made the cage out of wood and sheet metal. The kind that they wouldn't use.

"No, you ate all of the food for the 8 of us on our way to Alabasta! You get to stay in time out!" Sanji shouted. Luffy whined that he wasn't a kid. "Adults know to not eat all the food and leave the rest hungry, idiot," Sanji said. "It's not the same for us. You have blood for spare, we don't!"

"But Usopp, Chopper and Carue ate some, too!"

"You traitor, Luffy!" Usopp shouted as Sanji focused his anger on them next. He turned and begged Nami for a fridge with a lock. Nami said that might be for the best. Luffy called out he was hungry from the cage.

Sanji refused, pissed at the boys for taking the food. Damn it.

That night, Luffy was released from the cage, and sat with the others as Vivi explained Crocodile's position in Alabasta more. Luffy was drinking a blood bag like a juice box, nobody really caring anymore. It was nice, feeling so accepted. He just didn't drink from Zoro in front of others. It was way too intimate to do around others.

"Crocodile is the hero of Alabasta?! Isn't he the villain here, though?" Nami said in confusion, saying what Luffy thought.

"In a way. The Seven Warlords work for the government in their own way. Crocodile pretends to behave so the government won't revoke his position. He's very strong, so he could take over Alabasta more directly, but he's doing it in the shadows so he doesn't get caught. At least, that's the conclusion I've come to. Though it also is probably because having the country turn on itself will do less work.

"He's hard to understand. It's hard to understand evil people," Vivi added. Luffy was in Zoro's lap and Chopper in his, regardless of the blood bag. Chopper was a doctor and had been around blood a lot. It was nothing new.

Sanji asked if anyone suspected him. Anyone that wasn't royalty. "No. I don't think so. He drives pirates off, protects the country from them. So everyone sees him as a hero."

"Then nobody would think he's anything but a hero. If they didn't, they would lose some sort of hope and the feeling of protection," Sanji concluded. Vivi nodded. The islanders being duped was easy to understand. It was natural they'd like someone they saw was protecting their safety.

Luffy was done with his drink and tossed the bag over the railing. "But we're still going to kick his ass." The others nodded in agreement, but they first needed to stop the rebellion. "Why? If we defeat Crocodile, then you can just tell everyone without him interfering, right?"

Nami replied, "No. If the royal army defeats Crocodile without giving any proof as to why, then it would look bad. They'd look like tyrants, how some of the country already sees them. Ending the rebellion first is the first step to freeing the country, and then to defeat Crocodile."

"We also have to drive out Baroque Works. Stopping the rebellion would be intertwined with getting rid of the bounty hunters. They work as manipulators as well," Vivi added. Usopp asked how they even worked. The names were odd. "The system is simple. There are numbers in terms of strength, all starting with 'Mr'. Then there are female partners with them that complement their abilities. These people are number agents, taking orders directly from Crocodile. Twelve pairs and one of animals."

"Ah, are those the ones Luffy scared off?" Usopp wonders.

"Yes. Miss Friday and Mr. 13. They usually punish the agents for failing," Vivi replied. Chopper asked what they were talking about. "Luffy scared off those two. They were animals, and reacted badly to him."

Luffy laughed. "Chopper's brave! Shishishi!" Chopper yelled that he didn't like compliments, but smiled. He did that a lot. Uncomfortable but enjoying compliments. Like how he hid around corners backwards.

Vivi said that the crew only had one devil fruit user, and that most of the upper officer agents had devil fruits as well. "Some are dangerous I assume. Mr. 5 could explode parts of his body." Nami roared that they would not speak of that man. Vivi smiled. "Sorry, Nami. But he and Miss Valentine are probably fired. As are Mr. 3 and Miss Golden Week. We don't need to worry about them anymore."

"Why?"

"They all failed. The Unluckies probably offed them or their place in Baroque Works were revoked. We shouldn't worry about them much anymore." They were happy to have those people gone. At least, that's what they assumed now. "Those below the twelve officer agents are not as strong."

"So, taking over Alabasta is the final job for the organization?" Nami asked. "That means all the officer agents will be in the same place!" Usopp and Chopper freaked. Luffy smiled and said he believed in both of them.

"Stupid, that doesn't make me happy!" Sanji smiled and took a drag of his cigarette.

The group was quiet for a bit before Luffy asked, "What is Miss All Sunday like? She was really good at lying, or almost everything she said was the truth. I don't know." Vivi said she was probably a good liar. Working for Crocodile closely gave her important tasks. Lying shouldn't be so hard for someone like her. Crocodile was good at fakery and lying as well.

Zoro asked why he wondered. "I don't know," the captain said simply and honestly.

The next day, they were fishing, attempting to, when they came across a large part of the ocean that was steaming. "Don't worry, that steam isn't harmful to us. Underwater volcanoes spew magma that heats the ocean. There are many more volcanoes in the ocean than on land. In several thousand or ten thousand years, an island will be there."

"Heh, ten thousand years. I wonder if I'll be alive then," Luffy mused as he fished with no bait. Usopp said he wouldn't be. "But it would be cool! But I might be all shriveled up and dry. So never mind, then." They proceeded through the steam before Luffy casually said there were people in there with them.

"What?!" Usopp demanded. Luffy nodded simply. Then he looked down to see somebody had fallen into the water and was sinking. Luffy didn't hesitate to throw an arm down and catch him, yanking him back up. He landed on the deck hard, Sanji inside while the rest were out. "Are you okay, mister?" Luffy asked.

Usopp and Chopper were hiding. "Don't worry, guys! He's seems like a nice guy."

"You're a wonderful person, thank you for saving me! My life has been saved by pirates I don't even know! I will never forget this. Might I have a warm cup of soup?"

"We don't have any food," Luffy said as the others got irritated. "Shishishi, we're starving!"

"WE are, you're not!" Usopp shouted. Luffy laughed again and Nami slapped her face with a sigh. The okama looked up at Vivi, and sort of weirdly said she was cute. Vivi just looked grossed out. Luffy noticed Nami glaring at the guest. Luffy looked at her and she blushed and looked away. Hmmm…

He turned back to the guest, and asked, "So you can't swim, either, huh?" He said he ate a devil fruit. "Oh, what is it?" Luffy wondered. "There are zoans, and logias and paramecias. So cool." The guy said he liked Luffy's enthusiasm.

"Well, I must wait for my ship to come back anyways, so why not put on a show? This is my devil fruit!" He slammed his hand into Luffy's face. Zoro got furious immediately, and made to draw his swords before they were all shocked with the man's new face, which was Luffy's. "I told you this was my show! Stop joking around!"

"Wha! It's me!" Luffy said in shock. Zoro looked disgusted, clearly not attracted to this Luffy at all. Luffy giggled. Everyone was surprised and impressed that it was identical.

"Surprised, surprised?! Touch my left hand and it goes back to normal! This is the power of my clone clone fruit!" He walked and slapped everyone's faces with his right hand, not punching them, and explained that he only needed to touch someone with his right hand to copy their face, body and voice. He changed into each one of those outside. Then he opened his clothes in Nami's body. Luffy was uninterested but Nami punched him in the face for it. Luffy looked up and saw Vivi's face was pink and she was looking away. "Shishishi…"

They cheered him on to do more, and he agreed, changing his face many times into others he had touched before. He sure had a lot of faces to use! Zoro thought the whole thing was stupid, still seeming sour over someone else taking Luffy's face and body.

"How do you like my super special talent?! I never show anybody, but you guys are good! Nahahaha!" The boys started dancing with him, and Luffy really liked him! He was funny and cool. But then his ship came, and it was time to leave. They wanted him to stay longer. "Do not be sad, my babies! Separation is inevitable! Never forget me. Length of time means nothing to true friendship!"

"Come back again!" Luffy, Usopp and Chopper called, tears in their eyes. The guy then told his crew to leave, and they exposed who he was. Bon Clay… Mr. 2. They were shocked, and demanded to know why Vivi hadn't said anything!

She was defensive but upset. "I've never met Mr. 2 or Mr. 1's pair! All I know is that he talks like an okama, looks like an okama, and wears a jacket that says okama!" They all sort of looked unimpressed. It was pretty clear that Bon Clay was Mr. 2 based on just his outfit. "One of the faces he used was my father's. What did he use his face to do?!" she asked in distraught.

Nami walked over and helped her stand, rubbing her back soothingly. Zoro unhelpfully said that there were a lot of bad things you could do with the face of an authority figure. "We just let a really dangerous guy get away. Oi, Luffy. I thought you said he was a good guy!" Usopp said. "He was an enemy."

Luffy frowned. "Everything he said was honest. Can you be a good person… and an enemy at the same time?" he asked. The deck went quiet, everyone thinking about the question. It was a good one. Vivi said that everyone working for Crocodile's cause were bad people! Luffy nodded, and they all tried to move on.

The question reminded him of Miss All Sunday. She was a good liar, and did terrible things. But was she a bad person? He didn't know why he thought she wasn't, but he said nothing. He distracted himself by going to kiss Zoro. He felt like a traitor in that way of thinking. Vivi was one of them. Her enemy was their enemy, too. He just hoped they didn't need to fight Bon Clay.

"It'll be bad if he finds out we're enemies. He has our faces, doesn't he? He could use them for something against us." Zoro pulled back from the chaste kiss that he welcomed completely, and grinned.

"It's a good thing we ran into him. We don't need to be afraid. We can use countermeasures now that we know one of their powers," he said with a proud voice.

The next day, they were all very hungry and Luffy was rationing his blood for every three days. Sometimes using Zoro as a snack because he asked. But there was a problem. The sea seemed to be full of big things to catch, kill and eat, but nothing would approach the ship. Even when Luffy was deep inside the men's room, nothing approached, and they could see things swimming far from the ship.

There was really nothing to eat.

"Ooh, look! A big cat!" Luffy cheered. "But it didn't come close," he pouted

"We wouldn't eat it even if it did. Sea cats are sacred in Alabasta."

"Oooh, we could eat a god?!"

"No!" Vivi scolded. Luffy huffed, and went back to being irritated about driving away any food when they needed it. She turned to Nami and smiled. "We've entered Alabasta's climate. We'll be there soon," she said. Her voice was full of happiness, but also a hint of fear. Nami put her arm around the princess.

"Whatever is there, being here is a big step in the right direction, right?" she asked lightly. Vivi nodded, and leaned her head against Nami's before Sanji came out. Then they separated quickly. Luffy saw Zoro smirking and smiled too. But Luffy hoped Vivi would come with them.

The mood was ruined when they suddenly saw multiple ships, all with enemy flags. All of them were Baroque Works ships. They were all gathering, like they'd thought.

"We have to shoot them with cannons! Before they get to us!"

"No, we have to save their ships and then eat all their food!" Luffy responded frantically. It was the only source of food they had right now. Beating them all up shouldn't be hard, right? He scared away all those other people. But that was with the Unluckies being beaten. Luckily they didn't need to fight and they weren't noticed. But they also didn't get any food.

-x-

"Zoro's smart," Luffy said as they all tied bandages over the X marks on their forearms. That's how they would know if it was them or Bon Clay impersonating them. He wouldn't know about what was beneath the wrappings. Zoro grinned and kissed Luffy's cheek. Those two were excited for fights. Luffy wanted to take out Crocodile as soon as possible.

But there were a lot of steps they had to do in a specific order. Though things rarely went how they initially planned so far in their journey. Maybe this time will be like that. He hoped he got to fight a lot, but not Bon Clay and not Miss All Sunday. Those two weren't bad. They did bad things and were enemies, but they weren't bad.

He hadn't told anyone his opinion about Crocodile's partner, not even Zoro. It would be mean for Vivi, since she had said such cruel things to Vivi and had killed Igaram.

They were coming up on Alabasta, and Chopper was excited to go on a new island. He asked what he should do in this. "Just do what you can and nothing else," Usopp replied lightly. "Run from enemies you can't beat! Just do your best!"

"You're just telling yourself that," Sanji accused lightly. Chopper wasn't bothered, and took the words to heart. He would do his best. Luffy hugged him like a stuffed animal and told them he had faith in all of them. "For someone who can't lie, you're pretty good at being manipulative," Sanji said.

"Mostly just overly positive. He's not smart enough to manipulate us," Usopp added.

"Hey! I was being nice and polite, jerks!" Luffy huffed. Zoro glared at them and they looked a bit repetanant. They were coming up on the harbor and would stop at the inlet on the west side. They had to hide the ship, after all. It wasn't like on other islands where they thought the ship was safe since it was isolated and not densely populated.

Not only was Alabasta dense with population in many parts, but there were a ton of enemies, too. He grinned, excited. "Whatever happens, this left arm is proof of our friendship!" Luffy said, and they all held their arms out. Nami and Vivi brushed hands and smiled wider. "Let's get onto dry land and to a restaurant!"

Then he screamed, startling everyone. "I smell Ace! I smell Ace!" he shouted. "Hurry, hurry! Go faster!" he was bouncing on his toes, and Zoro smiled fondly. Nobody told him he couldn't visit his big brother, even if they were crunched for time. Even Vivi didn't say anything. Which was good, because Luffy would see his brother regardless.

The moment they docked out of sight, Luffy ran at full speed to Ace, even if he was really hungry, too. He zoomed through people and objects as he followed the comforting smell of his only brother. He smelled marines, the scent of their coats they used, but didn't care right now. Ace was all that mattered.

He was so curious about his life as a pirate. His crew, his adventures, everything. And then he would have him meet his crew. He thought Ace would like Zoro, which was relieving. When he found the source of the smell, he saw Ace had fallen asleep in his food at a restaurant. He heard people suspecting he ate something poisonous and died, but he was just asleep with his weird sleep disorder thing.

When they were together, it was only when he turned sixteen that it came. Luffy had to watch out for him a lot, which was training in and of itself. Taking care of someone else, keeping them out of danger while vulnerable. But Ace set out anyways, somehow not having it ever bother him! He was alive after all.

He slammed into him from behind. He jerked awake. "Boo!" Luffy shouted.

"Luffy!" he cheered and turned to hug his brother tightly. "Ah, I missed you! You got a bounty now!" Luffy nodded proudly. "Well, you don't look much different from last time."

"Hey, I'm older now. And stronger. And more attractive."

"Pffft!" Luffy proudly said he had a boyfriend. Ace scowled.

"Shishishi. C'mon, you have to meet my crew!" he insisted, pulling at his brother. "Ah, but I'm hungry. Mister, food please!" Luffy asked, banging silverware on the table. Food was served to him, and he ate a ton before he was full and then he and Ace ran, dine and dashing like old times. "You smell the same!"

Ace was smiling, and asked if his crew knew. "They know everything," Luffy said proudly. Ace grinned wider, and congratulated him sincerely. He had so much to tell Luffy, as well. Luffy stopped suddenly, and dragged Ace into the alleyway between another restaurant and a clothing shop.

"What do you smell?"

"This big marine guy from Loguetown! His name is Smoker and he had a logia fruit and somebody was there that smelled like grandpa but then left a note in my pocket but I lost it." It was a lot of important information in one sentence. Ace seemed interested in the logia part, but then shocked at the other. "I got so much stuff to tell you."

They watched as Smoker went by, and then hurried off to find his crew. They needed supplies and new clothes, but being with the marines was dangerous. They ran out of a corner and to where he smelled Zoro. Ace ran behind him, his watermelon bag on his back. He seemed super happy to see him.

"Ne, were you at Drum?" Luffy wondered, but didn't get an answer before he ran straight into Kuina look-alike! Her glasses fell, and he took them and smashed them. "Shishishi, can't find me now! Hahaha!" Luffy said, leaving her shouting that she couldn't see anything.

Ace laughed loudly and called him a little shit. "She's annoying, though! And a marine, the partner of Smoker!" Luffy explained. But then he laughed, saying Zoro would think it was funny. But they got spotted by marines who saw what he did. Ace calmly said breaking her glasses was pretty obviously something an enemy would do. "Or a mean person."

"True," Ace said lightly.

"It's Straw Hat! Ah, and Firefist!" he marines heard. Luffy could hear Smoker shouting over everything else. What a busy place this was. Luffy exclaimed that Smoker was coming. A logia was hard to deal with! He found the source of Zoro's scent and slammed into the little building alcove they were in.

Ace hadn't followed, and Luffy peeked his head over the side to see Smoker was fighting Ace. only there were loud "whoosh!"s as the smoke and fire fought. "He has a devil fruit! He's even cooler now!"

Sanji shouted at him that he brought attention to them. "But I found Ace," he said, but got a hit to the head. "Well, then let's go!" They gathered everything and went running to the ship, Luffy running backwards while carrying a water barrel on his head. "He's so cool now. He was always cool, but now! Wow!"

Nami smiled, saying it was cute how excited he was. "Well, I haven't seen him in three years! So of course I'm excited. Hey, Zoro. I saw the Kuina look-alike and I broke her glasses so she couldn't follow me. Shishishi." Zoro started laughing and they made it out of town and to the ship.

Before all of them boarded, Vivi had Carue take a thick envelope with papers in it, and tied it to his neck. "This is an important mission I can only entrust to you," Vivi said sincerely. "Go north and give this letter to my father. Igaram and I researched it all. Everything is spelled out clean and clear."

Luffy jumped on the ship, waiting for Ace who would follow them. Carue left with the letter and the task to tell the king that Vivi was here and with dependable people. "Good luck, Carue!" Luffy shouted, Chopper and Usopp shouting, too. Vivi got on the ship, and they sailed down the river further.

All of the crew were excited to meet Ace, since he'd spoken about him before. And they knew he had been there for Luffy with his special needs, and they had been close. And how damn happy he was to finally meet him again. Sanji was surprised at the odds of both of them eating devil fruits. "I know, right?! Even without that fruit, I've never been able to beat him. Well, my fruit is much cooler than fire, but that's pretty awesome, too."

Usopp disagreed. Fire was awesome and powerful. "Jerk! What am I then?"

Sanji took a drag of his cigarette. "Comic relief? But did you really never lose? It's still hard to believe." Luffy nodded. He'd never won. He'd come close a few times, though. But I could beat him now! Shishishi!"

"Just who can you beat?" Ace asked from behind on the railing. Luffy beamed and hugged him again. Ace was just as excited to see him as Luffy was. He turned to the crew. "Hey everyone. Thanks for taking care of Luffy. And his circumstances. Now, which one is Zoro and smells really nice?" Zoro's face turned red. "Oh, I assume it's you then."

"Hey, why are you here, Ace? I smelled you at Drum." Ace raised his brows. Apparently a letter had been left for him but he never got it. "How did you know we'd be at Drum?"

"I didn't. I've been leaving those notes on every island I visit. I wanted to see you after I saw your wanted poster. That face is definitely not what a wanted pirate's face should look like. But it fits, I guess." He was grinning. "I'm here on a hunt for a traitor on my crew. But first: will you come join the Whitebeard crew? With your friends of course."

"Nah," Luffy said brightly.

"Ahaha, I thought that would be the answer." Usopp was shocked to hear Ace was a Whitebeard. "The mark on my back is my pride and joy. Whitebeard is the greatest pirate I've ever known." Luffy grinned, and said he could take him. Zoro commented that he really doubted that. Luffy asked about the traitor. "Blackbeard. Marshall D. Teach. He killed my friend, Thatch, for a devil fruit. So as his commander, it's my job to take care of him."

Sanji invited him inside to have some tea, and Ace obliged. They all went inside, Luffy on Ace's back. He kept smelling him. Smelled like home. And the good parts of his childhood. Zoro looked irritated about it, and Ace looked at him in amusement.

They sat around the table, and Ace said, "Your ship is really cozy. The Moby Dick is massive. 1,600 people and all." Luffy would never want a crew that big. Can you imagine how much food it would cost?

"I don't know, cooking for the masses is a good skill to learn," Sanji said as he brewed and then poured the tea in the cups, all of different appearance. Ace took a sip and asked if they all knew about Luffy's circumstances once again. "Yeah, we know."

Luffy gladly said, "Sanji even makes blood food for me." Ace looked at him in respect. "And Zoro gives me his blood all the time." This made Ace's eyebrows raise quite high. Zoro's face was pink and he looked away. Luffy didn't talk about how aroused it made the swordsman. Only Nami knew about that little tidbit. At least, had been the only one to be around when it happened.

"I did almost die from lack of blood twice, though. Yeah, it was scary, but I'm better now. We actually went to Drum because I got sick on an island with dinosaurs and giants, and then we got Chopper here, as our doctor." Ace was reeling from all the information. His brother nearly died twice, there was an island with dinosaurs and giants that gave him a sickness and now they had a reindeer doctor.

Nami suggested he start at the beginning. "After all, you've wanted to tell him all about our adventures for awhile now." She had a smile on. Everyone was happy he was so happy. Luffy spent the whole time going up the river talking about his life as a pirate so far. Everything since he popped out of a barrel and onto a ship with a fat lady who turned out to be skinny later.

Ace watched and listened with a fond look, making all the right reactions at the right times. Zoro was smiling, too, hand holding Luffy's under the table, as he was embarrassed about being affectionate in front of Ace, it seemed.

"Ace, there was somebody like me, too," Luffy said, making Ace look serious immediately. "They're dead, but have the same features I have, the same needing to drink blood."

"Who said it?"

"A guy taking care of a whale. His old captain had this stuff. He wore contacts and dyed his hair so nobody knew other than his crew. I trust him. He knew I was something before I said anything. Did you know people in the Grand Line aren't freaked out about my eyes?" Ace said people looked all different in this sea.

He was happy for Luffy. Ace wanted to talk to Luffy on his own, so they went to the crowsnest, Luffy bundled up in a blanket, as the ride up the river would take awhile. "I missed you. And I have a lot to tell you, too." Luffy nodded, and heard all about the Whitebeards. His friends, the pranks, Whitebeard, who they called their father, and his best friends. "Marco is the first mate. We tease him all the time. It's fun. There's so much in the world to explore. So much you don't know yet. But I won't give any spoilers."

Then his face fell, and he bit his lip. "What's wrong?"

"... It's about my friend who was killed. He was stabbed in the back by one of my own division. I feel so responsible for it. Like, I should have noticed before. That he was rotten," Ace hissed. He clenched his hands tightly. Luffy moved next to him and leaned against his side. "I wish you could come with me. But I'll never take you from your happiness."

Luffy nodded. "Well, they knew him longer. Not your fault, right? I'm sorry I can't help. I don't know what he smells like, but I maybe could help you find him."

"It's not your job. I just want you to come for company, not as a tool." Luffy nodded and smiled. "I want to talk to your boyfriend, Zoro. Don't worry, I won't hurt him. And don't eavesdrop or I will know," Ace said, looking happy again. Luffy nodded, and was glad Ace still talked to him about important things, when he used to be so incredibly closed off. Isolating and internalizing all of his problems before Luffy broke down his walls.

Still one of the things he was the most proud of ever.