AN: Hey guys! Again, sorry for the long wait… Life got in the way, you know?
But anyway, this chapter is just a small interlude, giving some insight into what happened to Luffy after he and Ace were separated in the fight with Akainu and Kizaru. Introduced in this chapter are two more very important characters as well. Also, thanks to Niji Hitomi Kabra for betaing!
I hope you enjoy~
Interlude
-Luffy-
Luffy was lost and alone, and everything hurt. Pain clouded his mind, causing his thoughts to go all messy and foggy, and it was only sheer will that had him staggering along the burnt out streets. He couldn't find Ace anywhere, and the painful sobs building within him were making it all the more impossible to think clearly.
Where had his brother gone? He had… protected him earlier, but he didn't know where…
"A-Ace…" He whimpered and fell to his knees, the pain causing his legs to lose all strength. He didn't know if he was in the city anymore, because everything was just - all burned and covered in ash and silent, and death hung in the air like a heavy shroud. Where was his big brother? He couldn't…
He coughed, and he felt blood trickle down his chin. Luffy placed a hand on his chest as the cough continued, causing his small body to shake; he needed to get up again… to find his brother…
The world tipped sideways, and Luffy stared at the broken shell of what was once a house. His vision was blurring, black around the edges, and he couldn't hold the tears in anymore. He had always tried to be strong for Ace, to make his brother proud but he just couldn't -
A pair of booted feet entered his vision. The boy gave a slow blink, trying to force the fog from his mind, and strained his eyes, moving his gaze up the legs and torso, and strange clothes, to the concerned face peering down at him.
"Hey." The man's voice was calm, comforting. Red hair, the colour of blood, framed his face, and on top of his head he wore a worn-looking straw hat. Eyes that shifted between red, brown and black shimmered and seemed to give off an old, all-knowing air. the three lines - scars - that marred the left side of his face didn't detract from that at all. Lips, pressed into a thin line, suddenly shifted into a smile.
Again… comforting.
This man… put Luffy at ease.
"You're pretty badly injured." The man crouched beside him and raised a hand, gently placing it on the boy's back. "It's ok. You're gonna be just fine. I'll help you, alright?"
Luffy swallowed thickly, unable to reply verbally, and he gave a slow nod. Ace said that he was always too trusting, but… really, what could he do? He couldn't… move… and the pain was getting to be too much…
Soothingly, the man ran his hand down Luffy's back, and strange warmth spread through Luffy's body. His eyelids grew heavy, and the boy found that he couldn't keep them open…
Panic began to stir in his gut, and he tried to fight against the encroaching exhaustion. The man let out a soft shushing noise, and Luffy strained his eyes onto the man's face. His lips remained curled in a smile, but his eyes showed surprise at the fact that Luffy was – managing to fight against –
Whatever it was the man was doing to him.
"It's alright." He murmured again. "I'm going to help you. Trust me."
The man's voice – his smile, his eyes, everything was just so compelling, and Luffy lost the will to fight.
He closed his eyes, and the pain vanished along with his consciousness.
Luffy had no idea where we was when he woke up. He just knew that it was very warm, and very comfortable. The bed back home had never been comfortable, and Ace usually let him sleep snuggled up against his side and tucked under his wing…
This didn't feel like that at all. He was on a soft mattress that dipped beneath his weight as he shifted, and the blankets on top of him and the pillow beneath his head were soft and warm, not scratchy at all…
Where was he?
His eyelids felt too heavy to open right now, but even still he tried.
He instantly regretted it - the light in the room was blinding, and Luffy let out a loud groan and rolled over onto his side, shoving his head underneath the pillow.
"Ah." A dark voice of smooth velvet said, causing the boy's entire body to stiffen in fear. "You're awake. Perfect."
Luffy shoved the pillow off his head and sat up, staring with wide eyes.
A man sat in a chair beside the bed he was in. Dark skin, black hair, black robes, and piercing silver eyes were trained on Luffy. He looked exhausted, nearly black circles under his eyes, and his lips pulled down into a frown.
He unnerved Luffy.
For all of about five seconds.
Then he was bouncing on the bed, clutching the pillow close to his chest, and asked loudly, "Hey mister, where am I?"
His eyes darted around the room - taking everything in quickly; there was a large window in the wall beside the bed he was in, a bookcase opposite it and a closet beside it, and the single chair in which the man was sitting.
Next, he took stock of himself. His entire upper body was swathed in bandages, and where Luffy got hurt… there was no pain. Just numbness."I was really -hurt before. And there was that guy! With the red hair and the cool hat! Where'd he go?"
The man stared at him, one dark brow raised in surprise, before he said, "I'm amazed you have the energy you do. But then again, half-bloods are generally stronger than humans…"
Luffy blinked and tilted his head. "Hey mister, how do you know that? Ace said people aren't s'posed to know." He frowned and hugged the pillow tighter. "You better tell me now! Or I'll have Ace eat you!"
The man stared some more before letting out a loud snort. "Eat me you say?"
He stood up without another word and made for the door, and Luffy watched with a pout. Before he could open it, someone else did it for him - that red-headed man in the straw hat.
A large, goofy smile stretched across his face. "Hey, Law! How is he? Is he awake?"
The dark-haired man - Law's - expression became blank. "You could say that. Honestly Red-hair, why in the name of the gods did you call for me? Demonic taint or not, I know damn well you could have healed him all on your own. So, mind explaining?"
A loud laugh escaped the red-headed man and he clapped Law on the shoulder - and he didn't look at all impressed.
"You're a specialist in dark magic!" The scarred man exclaimed. "I knew you could do a splendid job! Now-" He pushed passed Law and fully entered the room, eyes instantly settling on Luffy. "You, kid - how are you feeling?"
Luffy stared at him with wide eyes, the conversation between the two men having flown over his head. "Uuuuh. Fine? Where am I? Where's Ace? Who are you? I'm hungry, do you have any meat? And where's Ace?"
The scarred man laughed again. "Well you sure do have a mouth on you, that's for certain. Firstly - the names Shanks. Nice to meet you! Currently you're safe - in the cottage of a friend of mine, who's going to be looking out for you 'til you're all better. As for food - I'd like to look you over before giving you anything, but I'm sorry to say that meat's out of the question - you'll be given something a lot more easier to go down. And lastly…"
He grabbed the chair and dragged it closer to the bed, took a seat on it, and leaned forwards, resting his elbows on his thighs. His eyes shifted from soft green to a deep blue. "Who is this 'Ace' person you keep mentioning."
Luffy was pouting at being told that he wouldn't be able to have any meat, holding the pillow even tighter - but his expression brightened when he was asked about Ace.
"He's my brother!" The boy explained excitedly. "He's awesome! He's really strong and really brave, and always looks after me and Sabo! He gets us food and water and keeps away all the bad people from our home."
"Aah, I see!" Shanks grinned and nodded. "You speak highly of him - you must love him very much."
"Mmhm! I do!" The boy's expression fell, and he began to chew his lip. "Where… where is he?"
The scarred man's face softened. "I'm sorry, kid. When I found you, you were alone. Barely alive. There was no-one else around."
Luffy's eyes grew wide. "A-are you sure? He might have - not looked like me or you. He might have been big - and scaly. With wings."
"Really now…" Shanks' eyes narrowed in thought, before he sighed and shook his head. Leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms over his chest, he said, "I'm sorry, there was no one. Only a bunch of destroyed buildings and burning trees. And you. It looked like you'd gone through hell, kid. It's a wonder you survived. But then again, you appear to be a half-blood…"
There was a snort from the doorway, where Law still stood with his hands shoved into the pockets of his robes. "As fun as listening to all this is, I really must get going. Please, do not call me for something as trivial as this again."
Shanks turned to pout at him, and waved him away. "Yeah, yeah, get goin' - you did leave poor little Eustass out there all by his lonesome. But thanks for the help, Law - it really is appreciated."
Law merely snorted and then left, closing the door gently behind him. There was a pause, where Shanks focused his attention on the window behind Luffy - and wondering what the scarred man was looking at, Luffy turned to look as well.
He hear the noise first - one that was painfully familiar, and it caused his heart to beat almost painfully in his chest.
Ace! That was the sound that Ace made when he flew!
Excited and happy, Luffy crawled forwards and plastered his hands and face against the glass, struggling to peer outside - the sun was shining brightly, it took a long time for his eyes to adjust, but - there it was!
A large red, gold, and purple beast rising into the air, Law riding on its back. The bright sunlight shone off what appeared to be an arm covered in metal armour - but before Luffy could get a better look, they were gone. Off into bright blue sky, beyond his sight.
Disappointment curled within Luffy. It hadn't been Ace afterall…
Slowly, he turned back around to face the man, once again picking up the pillow and holding it to his chest. His body was beginning to ache, and in the back of his mind, fear began to stir.
Where was Ace? Where had… he gone?
He wanted his brother…
"Hey."
The boy snapped his attention back to Shanks, his lip trembling. He wasn't going to cry. He wasn't. Ace didn't like it when he cried.
"I can't keep calling you 'kid'." The man pushed the hat back to scratch his head, causing it to fall and hang down his back, a string securing its place around his neck. "What's your name?"
The boy sniffled. "I-It's… Luffy. Monkey D. Luffy."
That same glint from before appeared in the man's eyes, but it disappeared just as quickly. He held out his hand to the boy, and said, "Nice to meet you, Luffy."
Hesitantly, Luffy shook it, and at the contact he felt something spark.
And instantly, he knew.
This man was… much more than he first appeared to be.
"I need you to listen to me, Luffy."
There was a tone in Shanks' voice that had Luffy paying immediate attention. The goofy smile had dropped, and those blue eyes had lightened, turning almost icy. It fascinated the boy, and he wanted to ask what was up with his eyes, but the man spoke before he could even string the thoughts together properly in his mind.
"I'm going to tell you something very, very important." He began slowly, and Luffy nodded solemnly. "The world is in the midst of a very important revolution. Pieces are falling into place, creating a much, much larger picture - and things are being revealed. Change is coming, and society as we know it is about to be reconstructed."
Luffy blinked. He wasn't quite sure if he got it, but he nodded anyway.
Shanks' lips twitched, as if he read Luffy's mind, and he reached out to ruffle his hair. "You are a very important boy, Luffy. Tell me… How would you like to change the world?"
AN: So guys, what'd you think? And comments, questions~?
ALSO!
I have posted a new SaboAceLuffy story called Wretched and Divine! Go check it out!