Hey! As promised, here's another chapter for today! I want to thank Flightwulf and youshouldn'tneedtoknow for their reviews for last chapter, and yukiko hyga-chan who is the only reviewer for chapter 20...

Personally, I think that's really not a lot of reviews, and it saddens me a bit because I work hard to come up with interesting things, but I really appreciate those who take a few minutes minutes of their time to let me know their reaction and/or how they liked the chapter. So a HUGE THANKS to those who do leave a small thought behind x3

Okay, so here's the next little chaptie! It's my second try at this precise theme, the first try leaving me completely unsatisfied. I think this one is much better... I hope you enjoy!

AND BY THE WAY! I highly suggest listening to 'One Piece OST (20) - Kujuu - Kanashimi no ketsui' on repeat (because it only lasts 30 sec... you can find it on youtube, but I downloaded it so I could, you know, put it on repeat ;P)

22. Time

Everything seemed to be in slow motion. One by one, his crew fell, right before his eyes, by the hands of the man he most hated in the worlds. The Strawhat captain could only watch from his shameful position, lying in a tangle of bruised and battered limbs, the earthen ground slowly, so very slowly, drinking his spilled blood in an attempt to nourish itself and the dead forest it housed. The teen fought against the black endless arms threatening to take over his vision, and he fought hard, even though deep inside he felt like giving up. That way, at least, he would be spared witnessing his crew members getting pierced by that hateful arm. That very same hateful arm that had created an enormous hole in his brother's chest. There, it stroke again, burning its victims skin and melting their insides. Luffy's tears didn't come, even though he felt like screaming, and crying, and fighting back, damn it, because it was his crew getting killed! It was his friends getting murdered!

But now matter how much he wanted, his body refused to respond to his demand, only letting it's vital essence, its blood, to flow to the ground, like a river going back to the ocean. Yet the captain couldn't accept defeat easily. He had to get up and fight. Save his comrades. They needed him.

Then blackness overcame him just as his first mate's body fell to the ground and lifeless eyes fell on him. Was it truly the end? Was this his destiny, to be killed by his brother' murderer? Had Ace been killed in vain, then? Had it all been pointless?

The silhouette of someone filled his vision. Waking? Was he waking up? It walked toward him in slow strides, and with its black cape brushing the ground it looked like a funeral march. It kind of fit with everything. The man – or was it, really? – was now standing right before the pirate. Now he could see the stranger's very long beard, as pure a white as an angel's feathers, almost touching the ground soiled by blood. In one hand, the old man held a scythe, and, although he had only vaguely heard of it, Luffy wondered if maybe this was Death coming to claim him.

The man spoke. He spoke of things Luffy couldn't hear, but somehow could see. He spoke of the pirate's life, images of the past filling the teen's mind, and he spoke of destiny – a very thing, almost invisible, thread connecting Luffy's heart to the sun, its fire offering thousands of possibilities – and of death. Yes, death. He explained, in words unheard by the young captain, that death was not coming to claim him. And Luffy wanted to yell at the stranger, he wanted to ask the man what he was doing here, then, because he was Death, was he not? And even though the teen's mouth refused to move, Death shook its head, as fast as if the motion had been lost in time.

It mouthed something, but its meaning was lost in empty air. The words did not reach Luffy's ears as the image succumbed into darkness, leaving the captain in a sea of black once again.

Then light flowed before his eyes, not bright, not bright at all, rather like a silvery beam coming from the sky. The sky? Yes, Luffy found himself lying on a very hard surface, looking up at the starry night and caressed by the rays of the full moon. The wind was whispering nothings in his ears, and he was so very gently lulled by the swaying ship he was the captain of. And as he watched his crew members all sleeping soundly on the deck – because now he remembered that they were heading for the New World – words were whispered in his mind and echoed in his heart.

'The Time will never come, Luffy of the Strawhat pirates, so Death shall never claim.' And in his mind's eye, Luffy could see an old caped man walking away, holding in his hand a broken hourglass, with its golden sand leaving a very long trail behind him, before disappearing into the sun, its fire offering thousands of possibilities. Minus one.

Because Father Time was a very cool geezer who cared for the future Pirate King.

I hope you liked it x3 Please leave a review!

I do not know when the next update will be, but I will try to do it within three weeks... so keep an eye out!

Voxei