By Duzzie

Word Count: 100

An End

...

It shouldn't've happened, but it does. He slips away while his crew lies bloody and unconscious.

"You won't lay a hand on them." says Luffy. It is not a question.

"…No, we won't." says Smoker. He means it.

Luffy takes his hat off, sets it next to Nami, and asks Tashigi to right a note. He puts it in Zoro's hands and for a brief moment the hand clamps onto his, its owner already knowing something is not right despite being asleep.

He doesn't look back, and by the time they wake up, it's already too late.

"Don't give up."