Warnings: Violence, blood, character death, possible OoC characters

Disclaimer: Eiichiro Oda owns One Piece. I own this plot.

The Storm

"Things are going to go downhill after this, aren't they?" Marco said, staring at the image of Shanks, Usopp, and Luffy. Shanks sighed.

"I wish none of it had ever happened. But, there was nothing we could do to stop it. We did the best that we could, given the circumstances," Shanks replied quietly as the memory continued to move on, showing a different scene that looked just as calm and happy as the one they had just seen.

"How bad will it get?"

Ace stared at the red haired man, eyes boring into him. The ghost just stared at the scene with solemn eyes.

"Worse than you think it will."

The scene changed.

Luffy appeared to be around two years old. He was sitting off of his mother's hip, whining and reaching out for Shanks and Usopp with watery eyes. The black haired teen grinned at the child.

"C'mon Luffy, don't cry. We'll be back soon, alright?"

But still, the toddler sniffled.

"Luffy, I thought you were a man. Men don't cry, right?" Shanks said, patting the toddler on the head. The child sniffed one last time before bringing up his small hands, rubbing the tears from his eyes. He looked up at Shanks and Usopp with a big grin, causing them to smile. His mother cooed and smiled, hugging her baby closer to her. The boy giggled and snuggled closer to her.

"Come back soon, alright?" She said to the two. They both nodded, discretely looking over her worriedly. She had been healthier these past few weeks, but still, she was pale and bags were heavy under her eyes. She was skinny, dangerously so, but it could not be helped. The illness was harsh on her, part of this whole retched curse.

The village was smaller now. The houses stood, but many were empty as the two young men walked through the town, waving to the few living inhabitants. There was maybe around twenty of them now. Everyone else had fallen.

The two had hunting gear slung over their backs. They were the only strong, healthy people in the whole village. It was their duty to find food and bring it back. Luckily Usopp's aim was like his fathers, and he also knew how to care for plants, so they rarely went hungry.

The two were walking, laughing at each other's jokes. The sky was orange, with sparkling yellow scattered around it, some dark hints of red splattered here and there. It reflected off of the ocean, making them look silhouetted against the horizon as they walked the sole, lonely path of the island.

They went quiet. Shanks continued to walk but Usopp stopped, staring out at the place where sky met sea. He brought his hands down from behind his head, his eyes sorrowful.

"Shanks." The red head stopped and turned around, staring at the teen. A soft wind blew by them, coming from the direction of the pillar of light far off in the distance, blowing their hair back and ruffling their clothes. "How much longer do you think we have?"

Shanks blinked, tilting his head upward slightly. He looked where the pillar met the moon. He couldn't even remember what the moon looked like anymore. It was a memory long lost. But he could remember the years, long and agonizing.

"Not much longer."

It was quiet for a moment as the sounds of the creatures, flying by above, echoed.

"Despite everything, I'm happy," Usopp said, smiling. "Though it was painful, I'm glad to have gotten to live again."

Shanks grinned down at him. "Me too. Now come on, we have food to find!"

Usopp laughed. Shanks began to run ahead without him. Usopp yelled and chased after him, both laughing loudly.

Wind whipped around them violently, howling. It pulled trees up from the ground as branches went flying through the air, crashing into everything in their paths. The rain was pelting down harshly, drowning out all sound. Lightening lit up the sky as thunder boomed, echoing.

Shanks and Usopp were hiding in one of many obviously dug caves, huddled within it, staring out.

"This isn't good," Shanks said, grimacing. Usopp frowned, wiping some water from his nose as he bit at his lip. It was the third day into their trip. They had almost made their full circle. They would've been back at the village by now if it wasn't for this storm.

Suddenly everything stopped.

Aurora Borealis suddenly lit up the sky, a bloody red. The sky, within seconds, turned black, green lights sparkling against it like diamonds in a mine.

"Shanks, I have a really bad feeling about this."

"I do too. Let's go back by the path. That's the most obvious way someone will get there. It's the only way to find the village."

They ran.

There was only one way to get to the village. One had to follow the dirt path. It was a cause for obvious attacks, but there was nowhere else to go on the island.

Right now, it was obviously a bad idea.

Usopp was running ahead of Shanks. They were nearing the area where his friends were frozen in stone.

Unfortunately, so were some humans.

And they looked ravenous.

Something was obviously wrong. They weren't supposed to have been able to find this island, but there they were, surrounded by a red cloud, wielding weapons and running toward the stone statues, surrounded by a green light.

The barrier was breaking.

Usopp bolted faster than before, and Shanks just knew what was going to happen. Shanks yelled and sprinted, trying to catch up to him, but he was attacked. A sword came down on him from behind and he fell to the ground, shocked and pained. The attacker ran past him and Shanks scrambled to his feet, but he was already there. Shanks began to run again and screamed his name. Some men were coming at him, and he had to parry and block, moving forward as fast as he could. Usopp wouldn't be able to hold them off forever with his long slingshot. He was good at long range attacks, not short distance.

He spoke too soon.

"Usopp!"

"Stay away from my friends!" His yell echoed and Shanks could only watch, horrified, as he spread his arms in front of the statues.

Swords came down on the teen. There was no scream of pain, only blue blood. The swords went right through him, slicing him.

Shanks yelled and began to plow through the men. Some of them began to run down the path, and he went after them, but others chased him down. There was too many. Had this been years ago, when he was still alive, this would have been a piece of cake. But he wasn't alive. He was dying. He may have been one of the few healthy people left, but that was healthy in comparison to the ill and weak ghosts, not the strong and fit and healthy.

The sword chopped through his arm. Added to the other injuries, it was too much. He fell to the ground and the men ignored him, running to the village. He could only watch for a few moments, as the fires shot up and the screams echoed, before everything went black.

When he opened his eyes again, it was to ash and snow. It was cold, covering him in a blanket of frozen white and pieces of gray and black. The sky was still dark and covered by the Aurora Borealis. He faced the village…at least what was left of it.

He pushed himself up using his right arm and looked down at his left side. His arm was a stump now. His lower left arm was lying on the ground nearby, tattered shirt sleeve attached to it, stained blue, covered with the mud of footprints that had run over it, trampled it into the muddy puddles.

Shanks gripped at the stump and grit his teeth. He felt no pain, but it was still a grave loss. Especially when he didn't know the conditions that he was living in at the moment.

He gasped and turned, managing to stumble to his feet. He ran toward the statues or, more specifically, the body that lay at their feet. When he reached it, he collapsed to his feet, ignoring the yellow-orange smoke that had mixed with the green.

"Usopp! Usopp, wake up! Usopp, can you hear me? It's me, Shanks! Open your eyes!" Shanks yelled, grabbing the teen by his shoulders, shaking him a little. But there was no movement. Their hearts didn't beat, but he could tell. He knew that the teen was gone. He actually looked transparent.

His hands suddenly slid through Usopp's shoulders and slammed to the ground.

"Usopp?" He whispered, shocked. Sparkles began to emanate from his body, floating up. Shanks eyes followed them, watching as they mixed with the yellow-orange and green smoke. His eyes widened in realization as the last of his body faded out of existence. He brought his hand up, bringing it close to the three statues. He was stopped not seconds later by a barrier, a yellow-orange ripple encircling the stone. "This is your path…you really are a brave warrior, Usopp."

Shanks eyes watered and he brought his right hand back, wiping at them. He stood and stared back at the village. There wasn't much left of it.

"I have to go Usopp. I'll see you later."

His steps were slow. He didn't want to see what had become of their home. He knew it would be bad. But at the same time, he needed to know their fate.

The town was silent when he stepped inside the boundaries. Smoke was coming from the destroyed houses, piles of charcoal on the ground. The village was dyed blue and bodies, in different states of disappearing, covered the ground. Smoke was floating in the sky in mixed colors as the sparkles levitated upward, seeming to join the stars in the sky.

The closest house was Roger and Rouge's.

Roger had fallen gravely ill, as of late. Rouge had been tending to him, barely leaving his bedside to relieve herself or eat. She slept by his side each night despite his protests for her to rest. She refused. Neither were in any position to help themselves, much less defend themselves or each other.

The door of the house was kicked in, hanging off of one hinge. It creaked as he gently touched it, walking into the house. He stepped over pieces of shattered wood. The furniture of the house was destroyed, having been smashed against the walls and floors or cut up with swords. The ceramic bowls had been smashed against any surface and the tub of water used as a sink was knocked over. The water was dried but it left a large stain in the floor.

Shanks walked carefully, following the path of destruction to the back room. He ignored the sound of crunching under his feet as he pushed open the second broken door.

He leaned against the door, feeling heavy.

The bodies were no longer there, but streaked over the walls was blue blood. It had already dried, stained itself to the surfaces. It had obviously been a brutal murder.

Shanks turned and walked out of the house. He ignored everything around him as he walked by it – the bodies, the smoke, the blood. He could still smell the ash from the flames thick in the village, covering him like salt in the sea.

He heard a faint sob in the distance.

His head shot up as he listened carefully. There it was again. Shanks began walking, following the sound as best he could. The closer he got, the faster he moved until he was sprinting toward the source.

There was Luffy.

"Luffy!" Shanks yelled as he immediately crouched next to the toddler, pulling him into his arms. He held the young one protectively as his wails permeated the stillness and silence of the village. "Thank God you're alright," Shanks whispered, holding the toddler even closer. Small hands gripped onto his shirt desperately as the small form shivered in his arms.

"Mama…Papa…" He choked out between sobs. Shanks looked down, a horrified and downtrodden look coming over his face at the sight of the child covered in blood. He buried his face into the black locks, breathing in. He himself began to shake as some tears welled up and spilled over his cheeks.

"It's just us now Luffy. But don't worry. I'm not going to leave you."

They left the island.

They could still walk over the water. It was the only escape they had from that place, no longer home for them. Sometimes they walked side-by-side, Luffy's small hand in Shanks'. Others Shanks would carry the toddler, allowing him to rest. Sometimes they would both rest and Luffy would look beneath the watery surface, making amazed sounds at the creatures underneath.

The boy had stopped talking.

Shanks wasn't even sure if he understood words anymore.

The guilt he felt was immense, but there was nothing else he could do. He had to keep moving. Regretting what had happened would only endanger them further. He had to focus on the present.

Especially since he didn't know how much time he had left.

That smoke was surrounding him, the green one. It was faint, but he had a very bad feeling about it. He didn't know if it had surrounded the others before, but he knew that it probably foreshadowed bad things approaching.

"Father."

Shanks was holding Luffy off of his hip. The child was sleeping out of exhaustion. Walking for days on end, though it was an adventure, was tiring to the toddler. The red haired man stared at the girl before him. They were on an island, wind whipping around them violently as the Aurora Borealis shined above them. It had not vanished since that day of the attack a few months ago.

"Rose."

He would've smiled and welcomed her under normal circumstances, but these were far from normal happenings.

"It's ending. I know you can tell too. That smoke is growing thicker and the boy is aging faster."

He held the child closer.

"What are you getting at, Rose?"

"Teach will go after him if he is left alone." Shanks tensed. "I don't wish for it to happen either. But I cannot do anything about it."

"Why not?"

She smiled ruefully. "None of the creatures of the night know what has transpired over these past one hundred years. What's worse is how everything, except for the people, will return to normal. I'm sure Roger told you what will happen."

Shanks looked out at the horizon. The ocean was filled with glowing spots of monsters bodies. "Yeah. He told me."

"There's no way for me to easily get him off of the ship. But I know where someone from the ship will be able to find him and bring him back easily."

"How so?"

"Teach betrayed us," Her fists clenched. "I know who is going after him. I know where Teach will go. There are a few islands with clues of how to get the power of the All Soul. I know which one he will go to first. Put Luffy there, he will be found easily and quickly by Teach. But, Teach assumes it is an adult, not a child who is the All Soul. Ace will come and kill him and then Luffy will likely attach himself to Ace. The All Soul knows the differences between beings and won't bat an eye at the violent tendencies of vampires."

It was silent for a few moments, interrupted only by the wind.

"Where is this island?"

Shanks coughed violently, his hands covering his mouth. Next to him Luffy, whose face was covered in food, looked at him, shocked and scared. They were sitting on the street in a busy town. They had little to no money and no one knew who they were. They were lucky that the baker had taken pity on them.

But now Shanks regretted eating.

He didn't know why, but he was suddenly in extreme pain. Breathing became unbearably laborious. His lungs stung, like knives were stabbing them repeatedly. One of his hands clenched the front of his shirt as he felt Luffy grip his shirtsleeve. He barely registered the nervous, scared sounds of the toddler.

Something wet covered his hand and dribbled down his chin.

He pulled his arm away, looking down at his hand, now colored blue. Luffy gasped, making whining, worried sounds.

The townspeople had a different opinion.

Everything was blurry for Shanks, muddled, as if he was underwater. But he could tell they were angry. Some people ran while others came at them with weapons.

Shanks crouched over Luffy. He felt stabs and slashes at him followed by attacks of blunt force. They yelled slurs as they aimed kicks for his face, stomping on his back. But he was firm. They wouldn't get the child.

Luffy's eyes were wide in horror. It was happening again. He didn't know it when it happened to Mama, but they were hurting Shanks, taking away all he had left. Luffy didn't want that. He didn't want to lose anyone ever again. His face, streamed with tears, scrunched up into a pout of frustration and anger. He clenched his eyes shut as he opened his mouth, letting out a bloodcurdling shriek.

The attacks stopped.

Shanks watched with awed fascination as everyone suddenly collapsed. He looked down at the boy, who seemed suddenly exhausted. Shanks hugged the boy. "Thank you, Luffy. Let's get out of here," He said, struggling to his feet and dragging himself out of there.

They were near the island. Luffy was holding Shanks hand, pulling the man forward. His eyebrows furrowed in concern. The man was breathing harshly, face pale but cheeks red, eyes bloodshot. He had grown weak. He wondered if it had to do with the smoke, which had grown thick around him. It had been two months since he had talked to Rose. He knew he had to get there before the creatures woke up.

Shanks felt as if he was failing Luffy. In the past two months, he had gotten ill often. They had been attacked more than once because of the sight of blue blood. Shanks had managed to figure out that Teach had somehow told everyone that all of the blue bloods must be killed. It angered Shanks, but there truly was nothing he could do.

He felt that this might be his last day alive.

He trudged forward, looking at the little boy. He truly had grown. He was still a toddler, a baby – he cried and he was curious and he loved the simplest things and he had that odd way of knowing without knowing, something that seemed innate in children – yet he could act so mature and brave for his age, even without words.

When Shanks' feet finally touched solid sand, his legs gave out. He fell face first into the sand, unable to move. Luffy's shocked cry next to him made him feel terrible, but nothing could be done.

The Aurora Borealis shined violently above them. The green stars twinkled. The pillar of light brightened their world.

"Luffy…I can't go on any further," Shanks managed to rasp out, staring at the little child next to him. Tears welled in the toddler's eyes as he whimpered and whined. Shanks smiled regretfully. "I'm sorry Luffy…take this," He whispered, shakily pulling the straw hat off of his head and placing it on the young boy's raven locks. Luffy stared at him. "It's yours now…Know I'll always be with you," He managed to mumble. Luffy nodded vigorously, holding onto the hat with his small hands. He sniffled as many tears fell down his cheeks. "You're a good boy Luffy…remember…go to the village…" Shanks didn't know what he said after that. All he knew was that Luffy held his hand until everything went dark.

"I don't know what happened after that," Shanks said, staring at the pirate crew. "The next time I opened my eyes, Ace was carrying Luffy out of a village torn apart by Teach, planning on getting the toddler food."

He stopped speaking for a moment, allowing everything to sink in. Nami was crying softly, muttering about stupid, long nosed idiots. Sanji tried to comfort her. Zoro was tense, arms crossed. Ace held Luffy close, trembling as he thought back to what had happened to his parents. He closed his eyes, gritting his teeth.

Teach…

The light began to fade.

"You need to get Luffy to that island. I suggest you don't go as one large group. Rose can guide you. That's her job."

Marco looked over at the red haired woman, who said nothing, merely staring at her father with sad eyes.

"I can't hold this up any longer. I wish you luck."

Despite everything, Shanks grinned.

AN: I'm back from hiatus! With a long chapter to boot. Sorry if this was extremely sad (and horrifying) to some of you, but this had to be done for the plot. Also, new arc starting now! But, you WILL SEE the affects that these memories had on the characters. I kind of got lazy and tired at the end, but you will see how it affected everyone.

Two things:

1. I have a poll up for my next story. PLEASE go vote in it. I have too many ideas. I'm like drowning in them. You can vote for 2!

2. I decided that I will be taking requests. You can PM me if you want, but I am saying now that while I do write romance, I do not write smut of any kind. Please keep that in mind if you do make a request.

Thank you guys so much for reading! I know that I haven't responded to any reviews, but know that I will start replying again next chapter and your reviews truly make me happy! I love all of them! You guys are awesome! I'm tired now, so I'm gonna go to bed. G'night! Thank you and please review!