Here's a quick update! Sorry it's so short, but I didn't have much time to write...so well ;) I wish you all a Merry Christmas!

Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece.

YXYXYXYXYXYXYX

Chapter 7 – We don't know why, but we do care

Luffy suddenly saw white. It was like a bright hotness had invaded his brain and blinded him. It hurt but at the same time it felt good, and Luffy knew suddenly that all his memories returned. A few seconds passed and his eyes were clenched shut; all his surroundings were gone and he couldn't hear anything but his own quickened heartbeat.

He was one again; he knew of his devil fruit, walking, his haki... it all came back to him instantly, rolling over his soul like a tidal wave of warm water. Rayleigh's words were all back as if he'd heard them just yesterday. The moment he swallowed his devil fruit, the disgusting taste... he could feel it on his tongue, and how Shanks had yelled at him... how he stretched and bounced around so naturally like he'd never done anything else.

He knew, he could remember how he loved to run and never stop and would still try to go faster and faster until his legs gave out. Luffy knew how to walk again, it was so easy, and it occurred to him that it was a ridiculous thing to forget because running was so much fun.

Despite the loss of his hand, Luffy smiled. Despite the pain, he felt great. He looked at his friends and noticed the shocked faces all around him. For a second, he felt really bad for being the cause of those expressions, but he knew there was no other way. And if he could save his crew, he would give all his limbs and even more.

Luffy felt nauseas and light-headed, but he was complete again. Now, Chakena wouldn't stop him anymore.

"Oh my god, oh my god... he really... ugh!" Usopp vomited again. His head was spinning and he felt miserable. He felt like there was a cold stone someone dropped in his stomach and it sank deeper and deeper, invading his body with icy coldness that left him trembling. It was horrible. That guy lost his hand! He just cut it off!

Chopper sprang out of his shock and rushed forward, wanting to treat that wound so badly right now. If he didn't, the guy would bleed out in no time. Chakena suddenly stood in his way, blocking the path between him and the stranger with a glare.

"Ch-Cha-", Chopper was roughly cut off.

"You don't wanna help the enemy, do you? Chopper." Chakena asked him none too gently in a voice that suggested no disagreeing.

Chopper gulped and his eyes drifted off to the bleeding boy. Why would his captain stop him? He knew that Chopper was a doctor, and a real doctor didn't differentiate between friend and foe. It was his job to heal people, no matter who it was. Just like Sanji would feed anyone hungry, he would treat anyone hurt.

Did Chakena forget that? Or rather, did he forbid him to act after his very important principles? Why now? Why did he act so cruel suddenly?!

"B-but he needs me!" Chopper protested weakly, unable to understand. Chakena bent down so that they were eye-to-eye. "Chopper... forget your principles." With that said, Chakena pressed his thumb against his forehead and closed his eyes. Chopper squeaked but didn't put up much of a fight, and then it was over and he cocked his head in wonder.

"Ch-Chopper-san?" Brook murmured in concern, having watched numbly.

"You... stop that!" Luffy spat but it had happened so fast Luffy didn't have the time to gather his bearings and defend Chopper. "Damn you!"

Chopper just blinked and watched Luffy warily, like he knew he wanted to do something just now but forgot what.

"I'm fine..", Chopper told them with an unsure smile.

Meanwhile, the rest of the crew still tried to progress what happened. They were all in some sort of daze, swaying slightly on their feet as cold sweat broke out.

"Why would he...?" Robin covered her mouth with a hand. It was really hard to progress.

Sanji's own hands shook. This had been a huge shock, but he still didn't understand; why were they all so taken aback? Why would they all care so much for this strangers' hand?! He felt bad, like something really horrible had just happened... as if someone cut off his hand, not the stranger's. But why would he give a damn? They all had witnessed so much tragedy during their lives, so many people who died or had awful wounds and this shouldn't be a sight that triggered such a strong reaction from them all. There was this great sadness that spread inside him, taking over his whole body; he wanted to deny what had just happened vehemently. Why...? Sanji's hand touched his sweaty forehead as he realized with a hitched breath, he did care.

Nami tried to blink away the sudden blurriness before her eyes and touched her cheek in numb surprise.

"Tears...?" She was crying? Nami looked at her fingers as if seeing them for the very first time. The whole situation was disturbing. She sobbed as her shoulders began to shake, and Brook tried to offer some sort of comfort by laying a bony arm around her trembling body.

Luffy panted, trying to ignore the pain as he dropped Wado Ichimonji. It was a small price he head to pay after all. Sweat ran down his forehead and he stood up on shaky legs. "Before you make me forget about my friends, I'd rather cut off my hand!" He declared.

This triggered something inside the crew's minds and they all widened their eyes. Chakena was their captain, wasn't he? Then why was this weird kid fighting so hard for them? He was so desperate as to sacrifice one of his limbs without hesitation. It made them develop an enormous rage, and the insecurity grew. Maybe... just maybe...they really knew him?

"Ugh..!" Chakena took a step back. He himself could hardly control the trembling of his body. "D-damn!"

His eyes darted back and forth like an animal caught in a cage, and he tried to avoid to look at the severed hand on the deck. Holy heck, all the blood...! He blanched even more if that's possible and inhaled deeply to prevent himself from throwing up like Usopp had. His stomach cramped. That guy was insane... he really cut off his hand, just like that! Who would go so far? Chakena didn't understand. That boy was young, famous and strong. It would be easy to find a bunch of other people who were ready to follow him! Why did he want them back so badly?

As Chakena managed to calm himself to some point, he looked at the shaking form of Luffy. Then a crazed smile found its way to his lips.

"Y-you are truly something! You're different from all the other weaklings I've encountered so far, truly fascinating. But you won't beat me like that! You can't walk, you can't use your powers, you don't have your haki and you'll bleed to death in no time! Just look at you!" He laughed hysterically, trying to cover up the fear that began to creep into his mind like a shadow.

Luffy finally looked up and grinned at Chakena, clutching his hurt arm with a trembling hand but refusing to back down. "What the hell are you talking about? You don't have control over my memories anymore. I remember it all. I broke the connection between us!"

That did the trick. Chakena turned completely white and fell on his butt, screaming. "How do you know?! Waah! Get away from me, asshole!" He looked around in sudden panic. "Roronoa, Sanji! Quickly, help me out! Kill that freak!"

Mentioned men frowned at Chakena and didn't move from their spot.

"What are you waiting for? Protect me, I'm your captain! I saved you from Captain Morgan, didn't I?" Chakena shouted. Zoro clenched his fists when he remembered that, and moved first, lifting his swords but there was a certain hesitation to his movements and he froze again. He really didn't want to fight this kid. Sanji was the same, he shook his head to clear his mind and tapped his foot on the ground, but it was not enough to convince him. Besides, if Chakena couldn't defend himself against that kid now, then what kind of captain was he?

"Zoro! Sanji!" Luffy turned his head, glaring them down. They flinched upon hearing his voice and looked at him. "The Zoro and Sanji I know wouldn't listen to someone like him who doesn't value his friends. They would never follow a weakling!"

Chakena nearly pissed himself. "H-how can you say that, freak?!"

Luffy grinned at him cheekily. "Because I am strong!" Chakena gaped. It didn't make sense. No one had ever gone this fucking far for his crew before. It was making him sick, that kid had so much optimism. The tables had turned, but he refused to let go of his plan that easily. He wanted fame, and friends, and enjoyed the feeling of suppressing others like that. His own crew pulled a mutiny on him a long, long time ago... he never wanted to feel that insecure and alone again. Now he had a crew and he could control them as much as he wanted. He couldn't lose all that now because this individual kept on fighting, kept on getting up. He had to go down now; there had to be a limit of that kid's silly willpower.

"You stupid fuck! How can you beat me with that arm of yours?!" Luffy was in front of him in an instant, there was no time to avoid the fist that smashed into his face-

"-maybe like THIS?!" Luffy screamed furiously. "I actually have TWO ARMS!"

Chakena flew through the air, and when he landed hard, his smirk was long gone. In its place was a horrified expression, one that showed true fear and clear knowledge of his upcoming fate. Chakena knew it, it was a logical consequence, it was impossible to win now. Unless he could let the crew fight, of course.

Caught in between panic and megalomania, he rose again and grabbed jerkily at the railing for support. He laughed between huffs of exertion and his arms flailed around wildly. Luffy approached slowly, hat shadowing his face. "M-Monkey D. Luffy! Memories of your crew: Forgotten! Memories of fighting: Forgotten! Memories of-oof!"

Another punch broke his babbling and he crashed against the mast, sliding down painfully slow. He gasped and huffed, shaking and not showing his face. All his reasoning was long gone, and insanity was taking over. "You- you should forget! You shouldn't remember anything!"

"Are you dumb? As I said, I disconnected us." Luffy told him matter-of-factly, grabbing his wounded arm and clenched his teeth. "I saw through your lame devil fruit and figured you would need some sort of bond with your victim. That's why I cut it off."

Chakena's eyes widened in disbelief. "You are crazy!"

Luffy snarled. "Maybe. But right now I'm only ANGRY!" With an almighty roar, Luffy threw another punch, and it was satisfying that he didn't use haki and the guy flew around like a rag doll by raw strength alone. He could use haki now again but it wasn't necessary. Luffy enjoyed it more this way. A kick followed, and all frustration and anger was let out. Finally he could fight him and pay him back for what he did. Luffy didn't stop until the enemy didn't move.

When Chakena lay on his back, eyes closed and blood dripping from his lip, Luffy's energy sagged dramatically and his knees buckled from the blood loss. Now he was done.

Panting, he knelt beside Chakena and tried to suppress the pain now that the adrenaline was fading. The others watched, speechless. Billy wiped his face and smiled warily. He really did it... Luffy had beaten that crazed man who had started that nightmare years ago.. he'd freed him. Billy was happy and wished more than ever for his own crew to be there and witness this. Unfortunately, it was too early to celebrate.

Chakena looked dead, but he was actually still quite alive. It all happened quickly, and Luffy hadn't eaten well in a while and he'd been under some emotional pressure, not to mention his wounds. So now he was slow and exhausted. Chakena sensed his chance and shot up, grabbing Luffy's end of the arm where his hand used to be.

With sick satisfaction, Chakena squeezed, and it was agonizing. Luffy couldn't bite back the scream of pain that escaped his throat, and he pulled back quickly, but Chakena was clinging to him, tearing at his arm so much Luffy's sight blurred from the pain. He fell back, arms flailing and trying to get Chakena off, crying out.

"Luffy!" Billy shouted in horror. He wanted to get up and help, but a shadow beside him was faster and shot forward.

The memory-manipulator sneered at Luffy and at the twisted expression he was showing, but his disturbed pleasure didn't last long. The moment Luffy thought he'd lose consciousness, Chakena let go of him suddenly with a screech.

Luffy blinked, and when his sight cleared he was glad he was still awake, because what he saw was the best thing since two days. Zoro stood behind Chakena, and he looked tall, proud and pissed off. The hand with his sword still was outstretched and a deadly glare was boring through Chakena's back of the head. If looks could kill, Chakena would be burnt to a mere crisp by now.

And Luffy realized, with a small smile, that Zoro would never attack from behind... unless his captain was in danger.

Finally Luffy stood on the right side again, he was the captain and his first mate had protected him. This was how it was supposed to be. Luffy felt tears well up and he rubbed at his nose furiously.

"Zoro..," he croacked, "You...", the rest of the sentence got stuck in his throat. There was this huge lump, and Luffy found he couldn't force any words past it even if he wanted to. He swallowed, the smile never leaving his face.

Chakena hackled, surprise and pain mixing in an interesting facial expression. His head turned around. "Wha-what? Roronoa...?!" He had cut his back!

"Someone like you doesn't deserve my respect. You will leave Luffy alone." Zoro told him darkly, and even though he wasn't sure why, it felt like this was the best thing he had done in a while. He knew without really remembering that he had done the right thing to protect the boy.

Luffy didn't feel the tear that ran down his cheek. It's been a while since Zoro had said his name... no, it felt like an eternity.

Everyone else watched wide-eyed as Zoro slashed their captain. Robin grabbed her forehead. No, wait- it felt good to see Chakena being stopped. It had hurt them all more than it should have when the stranger had begun screaming in pain, and everyone had felt the immediate desire to stop it.

Slowly, their legs began moving, and they approached Chakena and the boy. Luffy looked up at them with a hopeful expression. But they only saw dark, trustful eyes, bangs underneath them that didn't belong there, tears, a lost hand because of them, and they all swallowed hard.

"He's- he's attacking your captain! I'm needing some back up against this monster!" Chakena all but shouted, looking really pitiful as he scrambled away from Zoro on all fours.

The crew regarded him with a stoic glance and without thinking, they reacted instinctively. They stood in front of Luffy, forming a wall and shielding him from Chakena. They had no memories of him, but he was the one they wanted to protect. Logically, it was wrong but it felt just so right, and their legs were frozen on the ground and wouldn't budge no matter what their brains demanded.

Chakena tried one more time, desperate. It was impossible for his spell to be broken like that. No one could do that. They couldn't remember the strawhat boy, so they shouldn't protect him! "What the hell are you doing?! I'm the one in help here! You don't even know him! This asshole is breaking us apart!"

It just broke out of them, like a volcano that erupted with great force.

"I'M GLAD HE IS!" Sanji finally screamed and kicked him. Chakena shrieked but didn't have time to talk as the rest of them began to rush at him at once in sheer rage. They were furious at Chakena, who was supposed to be their captain.

There was this unexplainable, hot anger and they wanted him off the ship now. All of sudden, hate clouded their sights and they roared furiously. They didn't want to follow him, even though they apparently had followed him more than two years, but it all didn't matter. If he really was the captain, then they'd gladly start a mutiny. Chakena needed to get away from that boy... All they wanted was to keep the scrawny kid... they wanted to keep Luffy save.

"You won't touch him anymore!" Brook yelled.

Luffy watched, taken aback as the rest of the crew followed Zoro's example. He felt endlessly relieved as he knelt on the deck, shaking and bleeding, but happy. He was captain again, and his crew – his friends – protected him and fought against Chakena. They were his again. He smiled and wiped his snotty nose. 'I did it,' he thought, 'they are back again! See, Billy? There was a way. They belong with me, and I belong with them and no one can separate our bond.'

Because even if their minds forgot, their bodies remembered.

YXYXYXYXYXYX

A yay for the Strawhat crew! :D

Ashlielle: It's gonna be fine, no worries :) Nope, he doesn't need to anymore, though that would be scary... yeah, he deserves that :3 Thank you~ ! *hands you a piece of cake* uhm I hope you like cake?

jam klaoo: Thank you so much! I was so insecure about it lol, I'm relieved you liked it! :,D

Valeria Aurelia: Thanks, I'm so glad! :D Ahahaha, no way, I'm totally the same! xD I'm always so scared I close my eyes but then I go another round ^_^ I never thought Oda would actually do that! Woah, really? That sounds interesting! What's it called? Yeah, there's gonne be lots of hurt/comfort later on. Hehe I googled it and there was really a cow! x3 Sorry about that, but here's a quick update! Thank you so much for your lovely review :)

SilenceOfRain7: Thank you! I'm so glad! :,) Heck yes, that totally took me by surprise! O.O I really didn't see that coming! But it's an awesome movie! I know, shitty cliffhanger, but I worked hard to update today so here it is ;) Yep I had, thanks~ :)

okinu: Ahaha, thank you! :)

Guest: Thanks alot~ :3 Here you go

Thank you so much, it was like an early Christmas present ;-) Again, Merry Christmas guys! :)