Can I just say how utterly disappointed I am? Everyone keeps on 'following' this story, but only one person bothered to actually review. Seriously guys, it's not that hard to leave a comment. You don't even have to log in. I don't like the 'I-won't-update-if-you-don't-review' method that much but I'm not really motivated to continue a story no one reviews even though some people read it.

Anyways, thanks a lot to nani-onigiri for your awesome review, you rock! This chapter is for you and I hope you'll like it :)

Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece.

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Chapter 2 - Replacement

"What?!" Luffy turned to his friends in alarm.

He watched in shock as each of his friends cringed one by one as if they got an electric shock. Then they suddenly froze and stared ahead with wide eyes.

"Guys, what's wrong? Hey you! Stop that!" Luffy roared furiously when he realized his crew was completely unresponsive. He ran up to Brook and shook him by the shoulders, hoping for any kind of reaction that wasn't there. The same for Nami, Chopper, Usopp... it was useless, they didn't move an inch upon skin contact or talking/shouting. It was as if they were in some kind of shock.

"You asshole!" Luffy turned to Chakena. "What the hell have you done to my crew?!"

Chakena laughed. "This is my devil fruit power." He wriggled his fingers at that. "I can manipulate memories to the extend where I am able to erase them if I want to. They won't recognize you when they come to their senses."

"What?!" Luffy's body shook upon those devastating news. This couldn't be happening. Hadn't they tried to be really careful, now that they finally got into the New World? How did this stupid guy manage to show up out of nowhere and just harm his friends? Not only that, but he'd been so excited for this island, too.

Luffy was pissed off to the point his fists shook with silent rage. There was no way he was going to let him escape. No one would pull off some crazy shit like that and get away without a beating. And Luffy swore to himself he would beat all the 'I-can-steal-memories' shit out of him.

"Zoro! Robin, Usopp! Can you hear me?!" Luffy tried one more time, but the result was the same. He roared in frustration and stormed to Chakena. "Fine, have it your way! I'll make you turn them back!"

"Futile attempts. I just took your crew away and they will trust me, and not someone like you."

This only added more fuel to the fire. "Someone like me? They are my friends! We trust each other with our lives!"

"Oh really? Well, let's see about that." Chakena answered and jumped onto a nearby rock to escape Luffy's swinging leg.

"You can talk all you want, but I know that they are loyal!" Luffy jumped after him but he was faster than expected. "Stand still and fight me like a man, you coward!"

"Heh, no thanks. I'm not foolish enough to believe I can beat you with raw strength. I have my own ways of fighting. By the way, I wouldn't turn my back on them if I were you, who knows what might happen?" Chakena said, highly amused as he dodged Luffy's punch.

„Shut your stupid mouth! I don't believe you! I am the captain of this ship, and this is MY crew! I trust my frie-", a sudden pain made Luffy stop deadly in his tracks. His eyes widened and his breath hitched as the smell of blood was in the air. Trembling, Luffy slowly looked down to the tip of a sword exciting his stomach.

He paled visibly, but not only because of the sudden blood loss. He'd recognize that sword anywhere. But how was this possible? He would never- he could never- why him?!

„Z-Zoro...?" Luffy turned his head to look back at his swordsman, Chakena momentarily forgotten. Zoro only stared back with icy coldness, no emotion on his face other than clear disgust. It was the kind of face Zoro only showed to enemies, but never to friends. Never to him. Up until now.

„What-what are you doing?" Luffy stuttered, completely taken aback. It hurt like hell, but the fact that his first comrade had driven that sword through him made the pain ten times worse. He didn't understand.

With a sick squelching sound, Zoro pulled the katana out of Luffy who stumbled a bit and looked at the bloody blade in morbid fascination. Chakena chuckled about that, leaning back on the rock with one brow raised.

„What was that you were about to say? Did I hear the silly little word 'trust'?"

Luffy spit blood on the ground and shot around. „You jerk! You are the one controlling Zoro, aren't you?! He'd never attack from behind!"

The other man laughed. „Oh, you know your 'friends' well, don't you? But let me tell you one thing, Strawhat: Things like 'friends' or 'trust' are meaningless when I'm around. All the memories you've made with them, everything they know about you... it doesn't exist anymore."

Luffy's legs grew weak. „You mean... you really...?" Was this what Billy had felt? This couldn't be happening-

Chakena smirked. „Yep. I've erased it all. Roronoa is acting on his own accord."

It was as if someone had told him a huge meteor would destroy the earth. No, even worse than that. Everything he'd achieved so far, everything he'd fought for was shattered into pieces. Emotions came tumbling down nearly as hard as the reality and he had to breathe in deeply not to throw up.

"You... you asshole! They are my friends and not your toy!" Luffy shouted in fury. "How dare you manipulate them!"

"Me? What are you saying? Those guys are my nakama. Zoro, if you would be so kind?" Chakena replied coolly, waving in Zoro's direction.

"Your nakama?!" Luffy was just about to hit him square in the face when the ex-pirate hunter suddenly blocked his fist with his swords, glaring him down.

"Zoro!" Luffy looked like he'd seen a ghost, flinching back. But he managed to regain his composure quickly. "Don't stand in my way! What is wrong with you?!"

"Shut up. You are getting on my nerves." Zoro only grumbled, tightening the grip on his swords. "Get lost or you'll regret ever stepping in our way. If yo want to fight, then fight."

"What? No! I don't want to fight you, it's him I want to beat up!" Luffy argued, the feeling of horror slowly sinking in. He was fighting a losing battle. "Guys, it's me! Luffy! Don't tell me all of you really lost your memory?!"

"What the heck is he talking about? Who is that kid?" Sanji frowned, looking rather pissed off. Sanji was often ticked off by him since he always stole food, but Luffy had never seen his cook regarding him with such a look. "I really thought we could take a break from all those bounty hunters once in a while."

"I'm not a bounty hunter! Sanji, you have to fight back! It's me! You have to remember! Snap out of it!" He couldn't stop the panic that swung within his voice. He could see it all before his inner eye. It was like a card house slowly crumbling down, and he was standing on top. When he looked down, all he could see was a dark abyss.

"Luffy? That's a funny name." Nami commented dryly. "I'm sorry, Luffy, but this is the first time I see you, and I've been part of this crew the second longest." She spit out his name as if it was some kind of disease.

Luffy couldn't help the pang of pain in his heart when she looked at him as if she'd never met him before. With clenched fists and a heavy frown he realized they all looked at him like that. His friends didn't recognize him at all. To them, he was just some stranger. Whatever Chakena told him, he didn't lie and he certainly hadn't exaggerated.

"Nami, guys... ,"

"Wait, Luffy? That name rings a bell." Usopp piped up, scratching his head. Luffy looked at him with hopeful eyes.

"Usopp! You know me, don't you?"

Suddenly, the sniper let out a silent cry and hid behind Zoro. "Oh oh yes! It's him! I recognize him! It's Monkey D. Luffy, and he's really famous! I- I think he got a huge bounty on his head, too."

Luffy visibly sagged. But he couldn't give up. "Guys, I don't know what he did to you or how he did it, but you have to believe me! That guy's a liar and I'm gonna kick his -", again he was interrupted by Zoro's swords. Luffy jumped back, the crew's circle slowly closing around him.

"Threaten our captain one more time and I'll slice off your head." Zoro spat in his face with such venom it made Luffy cringe.

"But he is not the captain, it's me!" The only response he got was a silent snicker from Chakena and a handful of glares. No one believed a shred he told them. In their eyes he was the liar and the true victim was 'their' captain Chakena.

Luffy may not be the brightest bulb on the shelf but slowly he began to understand what had happened. He didn't want to believe it; tried to deny it stubbornly, but the facts were staring at him with an ugly smirk.

Chakena had misplaced the memories they had of Luffy by himself. When Luffy thought about the time he beat up Arlong, the strawhats saw Chakena kicking Arlong's butt instead. To make it short: Luffy, captain of the Strawhat pirates, had been wiped off the plate.

All those amazing adventures, all they laughter and tears and efforts they'd put in... and it took only one person to destroy it all in a matter of seconds.

"There's no place for you here, asshole." Franky told him, and something inside Luffy broke. He wasn't afraid of anything, he would face all dangers and enemies ahead with a laughter, but only if his crew were behind him. All of sudden, they didn't trust him anymore and followed that weird guy's orders like they had known him forever. Like he was the one who shared those friends around him by his own strength.

Luffy was too overwhelmed with shock to react anymore. They way his crew growled at him.. he couldn't stand it. He never thought something like this would happen. The utter trust he had in them all was made fun of and he felt like there was nothing he could do now.

As they sneered at him, and Usopp even looked scared of him, he sagged inwardly. Luffy hardly put up a shield when Franky approached him and kicked him hard in the face. It sent him flying against a tree and in the dirt where he lay, defeated and homeless, abandoned by his crew.

Usopp peeked at him warily. "That's it? Could've sworn he'd go totally apeshit on us with that huge bounty."

"You're right, that was easy. I thought he would put up more defense." Sanji commented, glancing at Luffy.

Zoro turned away while putting his swords back in their sheaths. " The fight is over, don't bother with him anymore. Probably wasn't his day."

"What kind of freak was that? We never meet normal people." Nami muttered.

"Well done, guys. Now let's forget about that idiot and go grab a bite. I'm starving!" Luffy heard Chakena yell with an expressionless face. He could only lay there and stare into the sky with empty eyes. Minutes before, he'd be the one to shout for dinner, not Chakena. He got replaced.

He listened to the fading sounds of their food steps and didn't even so much as blink. That's right, don't bother with him anymore.

Strawhat Luffy, captain of the Strawhat Pirates, didn't exist anymore. Now he was just Luffy, and he was alone.

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Uh well, I got actually nothing to say... Reviews, please?