Title: A Moment of Weakness

Rating: K+

Genre: Friendship/Nakama-ship, Slight Angst

After: Don Achino Arc

*LINE*

The pirate flag.

The pride of a pirate. The idea of actually trying to be a pirate or a pirate crew without having a flag is unheard of and would be completely shameful. You could never be official without it.

But aside from a pirate's pride and joy, the flag is also a symbol of faith. Faith for both crew and captain. It shows the faith and respect they have for each other. To go against the captain or the crew- or just a crewmate- would be to lose the faith and respect you have for your own flag. It's an iron code for pirates. Every pirate knows it.

But if this was true…then why did Luffy feel so cheated?

*LINE*

They had just defeated Don Achino a few hours ago; everyone was finally able to relax now. Of course being pirates they could never completely relax in case a marine ship decided to make an appearance. (Or at least a majority still kept their guard up enough to be prepared). After returning to their ship and saying goodbye to the Phoenix pirates, the crew only had time to get some food into him (not that it was usually a problem unless you're talking about how much) before Luffy collapsed from exhaustion. He had over-used his Gear Second and was virtually exhausted from it. But they didn't mind. They had committed a major felony even for pirates so tucking him in was the least they could do.

They had lied to their captain about their flag being stolen.

It was one thing to lie, but about the flag? It was shameful. The only one who had an excuse was Chopper. He technically didn't lie. Everyone else just covered his mouth to prevent Luffy from finding out. He still didn't tell Luffy after they let him go though. He had considered it but decided against it. So he kept his mouth shut. Not lying but not telling the truth either.

They were disgusting.

For all that man had done for them, sacrificed for them, lost for them, they had gone against him. Betrayed him. Turned on him.

Lied to him.

He didn't deserve it. He hadn't earned it. They weren't worthy. They didn't deserve him. They hadn't earned the kindness of his heart. They hadn't earned it.

For all he'd done for them…

He didn't have to untie the stranger from the post. The man he'd only just heard of. But he saw something more than that in the man. Saw more than the demon people saw him as. So he untied him. Helped him. Saved him. So the stranger swore himself to the man. To be forever loyal unless the man tried to get in the way of his dream. But he didn't get in the way of his dream did he? No. Then why lie? Why the sudden disloyalty? Hadn't he sworn himself to the man? And wasn't he just demanding respect for that exact same man less than a week ago? If so…then why?

She was just a lowly pirate thief with a special skill in navigation. She wasn't even very strong. But he saw something in her too. So she'd made a mutual sorta-agreement with the man. But when she had tried to leave he came after her, and no matter how much she tried to make him leave her alone, he never did. But did she really want him to? It doesn't matter. He freed her. Freed her village, her home…Bellemere… she went with him after that. How could she not? She owed it to him. She owed him her life. So then why did she lie? It's true she stayed behind to help but that was also to make sure the others had enough time to put the plan in progress. She was even the one who came up with the idea to lie! Doesn't she owe him her life? Hadn't he helped free everyone? Why betray the man she owed it all to?

A liar who liked to play pretend pirate with a trio of small children. Now how did he see anything there? It was kinda easy when you looked past all that though. He was good with a slingshot and had a good heart. He wanted the liar to live. So he helped save the liar's village and the people in it. He even forgave him when he acted stupid and left the crew. And wasn't he just ecstatic over that? So then why? Hadn't he just gotten back after that whole 'incident'? Weren't things still a bit tender on the topic (of Merry mainly) despite the apology? Who was he to do something such as lie to him so soon after all that?

An overly-violent, romantic of a first class cook. That was all he really was when it came down to it right. He didn't have to help him save the old fart's dream. But he did. He even took him out to sea. Helped him realize that it wasn't right of him to stifle his dream like he was doing. Helped him realize that the old fart hadn't saved him only for him to do this to himself. He helped him chase after something that he had long since put aside for something else. He helped him dream again. And isn't that kinda like giving someone their purpose? So why lie to the man that gave him his purpose? What right did he have to do something like that to the man who gave him a reason again?

He was just a lonely monster. He didn't have to save him. Didn't have to save doctor's flag or the country or the castle. He didn't have to offer him a home, family and friends. He didn't have to help heal what he thought could not be healed. He didn't have to. He really didn't have to. But he did. And suddenly the monster wasn't so lonely. And wasn't such a monster. And wasn't that just perfect? So why ruin what's perfect? Lie or did not lie, what difference does it make? He didn't tell him the truth did he? No, he didn't. So what did it matter? You can try to mask it however way you want but a betrayal was still a betrayal after all, right?

She was a demon to world. Everyone scorned her and mocked her very existence. Told her she had no right to live, and eventually, she started to believe them. What right did she have? She had no one anymore. Maybe she should just die. But no.He didn't think she was a demon. He saw her as precious nakama. He barged in and broke down all her walls that she spent years building up. Even when she tried to leave it was too late. When she put up her last wall. The hardest one to pass and yet he still knocked it down. Melted decades worth of ice built up around a shriveled, broken and scarred heart and for the first time in a very long time, she felt warm…so very warm. And wasn't that just the happiest moment of her life? So why jeopardize such happiness? Wasn't this still the same man who had, not even a month ago, declared war on the entire world government just for her? Who had pushed him himself far beyond even his limits to the point of immobilization, just for her freedom? Was this not the very same man who had put more than everything on the line for a demon? And if so, why?

He was just a cyborg with a dream he was trying to make a reality. And in the progress of making this dream a reality, hadn't he beaten the long-nosed guy into a bloody pulp and stole 200,000,000 Beri from him too? And hadn't the man disliked him as well? So why would you save and help someone you dislike? Why would you help that someone fulfill their lifelong dream if you have a grudge against them? But then again, why would you go against that very same person after they still do such SUPER things for you? He had barely been with them for a week for crying out loud! So not SUPER man…

The main question to all of them was 'Why?'. Why did they lie? Why betray him? Why? Because they didn't want to be scolded by a so called idiot? Or maybe because they just didn't want to admit that they let their guard down so much that some weirdo bounty hunters were able to steal something as precious as their flag. Or maybe they were just didn't respect their captain enough to tell him the truth…

When that answer popped into their heads it dawned on them that maybe, just maybe, it might be true. You board any other pirate ship you would never see the crew abusing their captain like they did to theirs on a daily basis. Wouldn't see any other crewmate call their captain an idiot and beat him up when they thought he was being stupid (whether or not he was or wasn't). But since when did they care? Since when did he care? He never seemed bothered by any of it. But no matter how new you were to the crew or not, they should all know well enough by now that when it came to their captain, bad liar or not, looks were very deceiving.

So after tucking in their exhausted captain and finishing dinner, they all stayed in the kitchen. They were all silent, staring at something before switching their gazes somewhere else, trying to keep their minds off of what they had done. The only sounds were of Sanji washing the dishes and when he soon finished with that and stood close by, leaning on the counter, the only sounds were soft sounds of small waves slapping against the hull. Small waves slapping against the hull and snoring. A slightly distant and quiet (ish) sound of snoring emanating from their slumbering captain. That did not help them deal with the surprising amount of guilt they felt over their actions.

"G-guys?"

Surprisingly enough, Chopper was the one to break the silence first. Of course he flinched slightly when everyone turned their gazes on him. "W-why exactly did you, um, we not tell Luffy about the flag?" he asked timidly.

There it was again. That word. Why. They were getting really tired of why's. But either way they all thought for a moment on how to answer that question. Although they could barely answer it for themselves yet alone someone else.

Nami was the one to answer the question. "Because he would scold us if he found out." That was true. Luffy would scold them if he found out and it was one of the initial reasons they wanted to get the flag back quickly aside from the obvious reasons.

"But won't Luffy scold us even worse if he finds out?"

Ah, touché. That was true. That was very true actually. But now what do they say to that. No one was sure so they all stayed silent. They stayed like that until they all finally decided that is was time for bed, each going to their individual places of rest before falling into a long, guilt-ridden slumber.