Heyy my dear readers here I am again with a new chapter!

I know that I'm waaaay too late again and I'm terribly sorry! I thought I had overcome my writer's block, but obviously I have quite underestimated it. I have written every day on this chapter, but unfortunately it took me so long again. That's why I don't want to promise you when the next chapter will come out. I also want to take my time to not write some nonsense that I would regret afterwards. In the end I want to deliver good chapters for you. Quality before quantity right?

This chapter has become more dramatic than initially planned, but I hope it makes sense and that you like it of course. Please let me know!

I also want to thank you for all your nice comments! Thank you so much for your support, I really appreciate it!

Sooo now please have fun!

Nami couldn't believe her eyes when she saw the person emerging from behind the big flames. Judging by the flames, she had first thought it was Sanji, but the voice and the appearance told her that it was someone else. A very specific person that she herself had not yet had the chance to meet. If her eyes didn't deceive her, it was indeed the chief of staff of the Revolutionary Army and also Luffy's big brother Sabo, whom she had only known from newspaper articles.

Nami, who had just shed tears of despair and grief for Luffy, now felt like crying with joy. It had only taken one attack from Sabo to take out the two soldiers in front of the cell, neither expecting to be attacked. While the two were writhing in pain on the floor, Sabo glanced around the cell and a relieved smile appeared on his lips when he spotted the orange haired navigator, which was reciprocated by Nami.

"Nami wait, I'll get you-" Sabo trailed off as he laid his eyes on his precious brother. The revolutionary could feel his heart shattering in his chest at the appalling sight of Luffy. His eyes widened in shock. Despite the fact that the vivre card in his hand had warned him about Luffy's condition, Sabo did not want to believe it, but the reality was unfortunately no different. The situation seemed to be very critical indeed.

"LUFFY!"

Nami seemed to be in a terrible state, bleeding from the many wounds on her body, but Luffy seemed to be far worse, despite the fact that his injuries were almost as bad as Nami's, because he didn't seem to be conscious, which Sabo could interpret by the lack of any reaction from him.

Sabo's movements were frantic as he searched the pockets of the soldiers, who by now had lost consciousness, for a key to the cell. He had difficulty controlling his trembling hands, but after a short time he was able to fish the keychain out of the man's pocket.

"Sabo, oh please hurry up! Luffy doesn't wake up, he's had to endure too much already!" Pleaded Nami, the fear for her captain clearly visible in her eyes as Sabo quickly unlocked the door to the cell and rushed to her side first, to free her from her handcuffs. Nami didn't feel the relief when she finally got rid of the cuffs that had torn into her wrists, her own pain long forgotten as she could only think of Luffy and his agony.

"Are you okay? Can you walk?" Sabo asked worriedly, looking at the orange haired navigator with concern as she nearly lost her balance and almost fell back to the ground. The whole ordeal had been too much for her body after all, even if she couldn't really feel the full extent of it yet.

Despite her body resisting any movement, she could still feel the adrenaline coursing through her body and she just nodded firmly.

"I'm fine…I-I'll be fine. Luffy is our priority now!"

Sabo just nodded in agreement as Nami quickly picked herself up and together they hurried over to Luffy. The blond haired man tossed Nami the keys so she could free Luffy from his bonds, while he himself desperately tried to shake Luffy awake by kneeling in front of him and firmly holding both of his brother's skinny shoulders.

"Luffy, you need to wake up, please! Hey, can you hear me?" Sabo's voice trembled with great concern and he panicked even more as Luffy's drooping head swung limply along as he shook his body.

Sabo's eyes wandered scrutinizingly over his brother and he could now see, that Luffy's fragile body was very badly battered and there wasn't a spot on his skin that wasn't covered in his blood that was still slowly oozing from the various cuts. The only less worrisome thing he could see was that the wounds, just like Nami's, were not too deep, except for one in his right thigh. But even this fact didn't let Sabo breathe a sigh of relief, since he couldn't interpret exactly what else the damn marines had done to Luffy. Moreover, his little brother was very sick.

Luffy's breathing was just barely present, and Sabo realized how sluggishly his chest was rising, as if he was having a hard time sucking air into his lungs. Sabo gritted his teeth, hoping there was nothing wrong with his chest that was making it significantly harder for him to breathe.

An audible gasp suddenly escaped Luffy's lips the moment Nami, after fumbling with the various keys for a while until she finally found the right one, released her captain from the handcuffs, causing Luffy to fall straight into Sabo's arms. The revolutionary caught his brother and gently held him close to his chest while lifting Luffy's head to look him in the face, surprised and delighted at the same time when two half lidded onyx colored eyes looked up at him.

"S'bo...*cough*" Luffy croaked out with effort, which immediately made him cough slightly, a few drops of blood coming over his lips and staining Sabo's shirt.

"Shhh, we're gonna get you out of here now, alright? You just have to promise to stay awake, okay?" Sabo assured his brother, whose eyes were almost falling shut again, and wiped the blood from Luffy's raw plump lips with his gloved thumb, not breaking eye contact. Nami also sank to her knees beside the two brothers, completely relieved that her captain was still conscious after all, and carefully stroked Luffy's back with deliberation on his myriad wounds, forgetting her own.

Luffy decided not to use his voice this time and instead nodded as a sign that he understood, even if what his brother wanted from him was not easy for him. Every fiber in his body was screaming to just let go, close his eyes and fall into a deep sleep that he didn't know if he would wake up from. So Luffy mustered all the willpower he had and tried to fight the unyielding fatigue. He had to persevere, not for himself, but for his friends and brother.

"Alright, we need to hurry now before-" Sabo was suddenly interrupted by a loud explosive bang that seemed very likely to have come from outside the prison wing. This was followed by more sounds of gunfire and shouting, indicating to Sabo and Nami that their friends had finally arrived and had begun to cause commotion.

"There seems to be fighting going on outside. I assume it's Zoro and the others, well at least I hope so..." Nami surmised as she then stood up supporting herself with one hand on the wall. "I'm sure it's them. Koala should be with them too. Come on now, let's get out of here!" Sabo smiled reassuringly at Nami before deciding to give Luffy a piggyback ride, thinking that this would be the best and more comfortable way to carry Luffy.

Without wasting any more precious time, Sabo ran out of the cell after making sure that Luffy was safely and as comfortably as possible positioned on his back. Closely followed by Nami, who always kept an eye on Luffy for safety, the blond revolutionary ran with big steps back the entire narrow corridor he had followed straight ahead earlier, to finally escape this gruesome and dark place.

Fortunately for them, during their escape they didn't encounter any other soldiers or, even worse, the base officer, who could be a dangerous obstacle for them. Sabo was not allowed to fight with Luffy on his back under any circumstances and Nami had neither her clima tact nor the strength to fight the marines. All the soldiers were probably at the execution field right now, which is where the fighting sounds were coming from, to fight the rest of the straw hats.

The closer Sabo and Nami got to the exit, the louder and more intelligible the sounds became, and before they knew it they arrived outside, amidst the various battles. Sanji and Koala had apparently teamed up and were fighting the crowd of soldiers, while Brook was off to the side fighting more beefy marines, goofing off in his own way as usual. Zoro, on the other hand, had taken on Tetsuo, thus stalling him, because otherwise he would have already appeared in the prison wing to prevent Luffy and Nami from escaping.

So far, no one seemed to have noticed Sabo and Nami, but just as the two were convinced to sneak away completely unnoticed, soldiers suddenly appeared out of nowhere in front of the entrance to the prison wing and surrounded them with guns in their hands, ready to fire at any time.

"Shit!" Sabo cursed under his breath as Luffy, still fighting unconsciousness, looked up from his shoulder only to see the dicey situation they were in.

"Oh no, what are we going to do now?" Nami addressed the question to Luffy's big brother, slowly approaching him, afraid that the soldiers might shoot.

"Chief of staff of the revolutionary army, you won't escape us!" Shouted one of the soldiers, taking up a fighting position. "That's right, come on, turn yourselves in! One wrong move and-" Another soldier tried to threaten, but his sentence was cut short as an overwhelming haki wave was suddenly emitted, causing all the marines who couldn't withstand it to topple over one by one in the blink of an eye, including the soldiers standing in the way of Sabo, Nami and Luffy.

"I...I d-did it...haah..." Sabo heard a faint wheeze on his right side, which made the blond haired young man look over his shoulder at Luffy, and his expression changed from one of surprise to one of pride when he saw the tired smile on Luffy's lips.

"Well done little bro!" Sabo praised Luffy with a wide smile and then turned his attention back to what was happening in front of them. All the fighting was suddenly paused as everyone was caught off guard by the sudden strong use of Haki , drawing everyone's attention to the trio in front of the prison wing entrance.

Also that of the base officer Tetsuo, who by now was in his bull form.

"Oh no, I will definitely not let you escape from here!" Tetsuo roared furiously across the entire field and in the next moment raced towards Sabo at top speed, his horns rigged with haki, ready to attack.

"Sabo! Nami!" Sanji yelled in panic as he prepared to rush to their aid noticing that Sabo was completely incapacitated with Luffy on his back and Nami beside him totally helpless and wounded to boot. Sabo himself offered a brief apology to his brother before launching his attack as well, but at the exact moment before a collision between Sabo and Tetsuo could occur, Zoro suddenly appeared between them and blocked Tetsuo's attack with his two swords.

"Zoro!" Nami exclaimed in relief, her heart beating wildly in her chest as she held her hands in front of her mouth.

"Are you and Luffy okay Nami?" Zoro demanded, grunting with exertion as he continued to try with all his might to hold off Tetsuo. Nami nodded in response to Zoro's question, though he couldn't see it.

"I'm fine so far, but Luffy-"

"M'fine…don't worry Zoro." Luffy suddenly interrupted the navigator, reinforcing his statement with a small smile. Despite Luffy's weak voice suggesting otherwise, Zoro believed in Luffy's words, as he always trusted his captain blindly, no matter what. The swordsman squinted at Luffy out of the corner of his eye.

"That's my captain!" Zoro grinned proudly and at the same time he was infinitely grateful to hear these words from his captain's mouth, even if he knew deep down that it was another lie from Luffy, but admittedly he had been quite scared for him this time.

"Sabo, take these two to the ship. We'll follow when we're done here." Zoro added as he turned his attention back to Tetsuo with a sharp gaze, which the marine officer returned, his large dark bull eyes boring into Zoro's. Meanwhile, Sanji, Koala and Brook were still forced to take care of their own battles and keep the remaining standing soldiers from getting to Sabo, who was suddenly targeted by each of them.

"You don't have to tell me twice!" Right after Sabo uttered these words, he quickly grabbed Nami's arm, which took her completely by surprise and made her yelp in fright as he next used his fire powers to fly. Only in this way would it be possible for them to quickly cross the high walls of the base to the opposite side, and from there make their way to the Sunny.

The marines shot at them with everything they had, but Sabo's speed did not allow them to hit even one of them, even though Nami's heart almost stopped when one of the bullets nearly grazed her side. The orange haired navigator's shaky legs, be it from exhaustion or fear, almost gave way when Sabo set her down safely at a certain distance from the wall. Sabo eyed Nami anxiously with the fear that she would not be able to continue walking in her condition.

"Are you okay?" Sabo inquired, hoping to get a positive answer from the orange haired girl, since it would hardly be possible for him to carry his brother and Nami at the same time. Moreover, they had to hurry up now, because with every passing minute he could feel how Luffy's grip on his two shoulders was weakening more and more, which he did not like at all and gave him a queasy feeling.

Nami, supporting herself with both hands on her knees, nodded a little reluctantly and straightened up again, a determined expression adorning her face. The navigator refused to give up against her weakening body, because Luffy would have done exactly the same for any of his crew members, no matter what condition he was in. Furthermore, she was ashamed to show any weakness, since the torture she had to endure was almost nothing compared to what Luffy had to went through, and accordingly she was aware that Luffy's life was in serious danger. So they had no time to lose, which is why she pulled herself together and took a deep breath.

"Don't worry about me. I'll make it to the ship. Besides, it shouldn't be too far away anyway." She assured Sabo, which made Luffy's brother breathe a sigh of relief. But then his eyes fell on Luffy, who hadn't made a sound since they'd crossed the wall, except for his heavy panting, which echoed unbearably in Sabo's ears.

The realization gave him a shock and his eyes widened when he saw Luffy's eyes closed.

"O-oi Luffy! Open your eyes, you hear me?" The panic was evident in Sabo's voice as he tried to shake his little brother awake, even though it tore his heart to not be able to just let him rest, but it was just too risky to let Luffy fall asleep. Nami panicked as well, but quickly calmed down when she saw Luffy's eyelids slowly lift again as she stroked his bangs out of his face. He smiled slightly at her.

"Don't worry, I-I'm…awake." Luffy rasped, whereupon he coughed, turning his head away from Sabo in the process so as not to stain him with his blood. At this, Nami and Sabo clenched their teeth. Even though Nami was already used to Luffy continuously spitting blood, it was still no less worrisome to her. It couldn't mean anything good. Not in the least.

"Please hold on a little longer little brother!" Sabo pleaded with Luffy, too afraid that Luffy would not be able to hold on until they reached the Sunny. His grip on his brother's legs strengthened subconsciously as he looked back at Nami.

"Come on Nami! We really need to get to the ship now!" Shortly after Sabo had uttered these words, he ran as fast as his legs would allow him, closely followed by the navigator.

~Meanwhile on the mountain~

Chopper and Robin had already found the herbs they were looking for at the foot of the mountain without having to climb any further, but much to the little reindeer's chagrin he didn't have much time to search for other plants when they were unexpectedly surrounded by marines.

At first, Robin didn't find it difficult to keep the navy at bay until Chopper had gathered enough herbs, but more soldiers started to arrive, which gradually made things difficult for the archaeologist.

Chopper, meanwhile, tried to hurry and was hastily packing the herbs he had already picked into his bag. He would only need a few more, then it would be enough, but the marines would not leave them alone and the situation was getting worse. The two crewmates couldn't explain how the marines could track them down so quickly, since they hadn't seen anyone on the way here. But Usopp had already warned them that the soldiers could be lurking everywhere, only they hoped that Usopp and Jinbei were at least safe.

"Chopper, are you finally done? I could use a little help!" Robin called out to Chopper, her voice sounding strained as she continued to bravely fight the marines. Chopper, aware of the seriousness of the situation and knowing that he had to help Robin, panicked more and more and was torn about what to do now. The best thing would be to get out of this place quickly, but he had to make sure that he had enough herbs as possible, otherwise the whole action would be in vain and he would not be able to develop the cure for Luffy.

"I'm almost done Ro-" Chopper couldn't finish his sentence when he suddenly heard Robin cry out in pain, and just as he looked up, he saw the marines now targeting him as well. But his eyes searched for his comrade in panic as he simultaneously shifted into his human form, throwing his bag securely to the ground, ready to counterattack. Without hesitation, Chopper lashed out and had less trouble taking out the pesky weakening soldiers and gave his all to rush to Robin's aid.

"ROBIN!"

"I'm fine, don't worry!" Reassured Robin from above, as she had created wings with her powers to escape the hail of bullets from the soldiers at the last moment. Unfortunately, she had been too slow and a bullet had grazed her arm, but it didn't matter. But just as she was being targeted again and was about to block the attacks, she caught sight of a blue figure out of the corner of her eye that was all too familiar.

"Karakusa Gawara Sei Ken!"

Suddenly, all the soldiers who just were about to shoot their bullets at Robin were knocked out at once, and the initiator of this powerful attack was, of course, none other than Jinbei.

"Jinbei!" Robin and Chopper shouted at the same time, the joy and relief clear in their voices when they saw the fishman so unexpectedly in front of their eyes. Just the help they needed, yet they got a sinking feeling in their stomachs when they saw Jinbei's serious face. They immediately realized that it wasn't just a coincidence that he showed up to help them. Something must have happened. Judging by his facial expression, something terrible.

"Are you two alright?" Jinbei inquired anxiously, his serious expression unchanging. Moaning slightly in pain, Robin touched her hand to the spot on her arm where the bullet had grazed her earlier and nodded firmly, whereupon Chopper only agreed.

"We're fine, but why did you come here and where is Usopp?" The reindeer asked irritably, returning to his normal form and reaching for his bag, checking the contents.

Jinbei hesitated for a while with his answer, not knowing how to convey the terrible event to his friends, finding it hard to believe it himself. But they didn't have much time for further delays, as they had to meet at the Sunny immediately, hoping that the other crew members had managed to rescue Luffy and Nami by now.

Jinbei lowered his gaze as he began to tell Robin and Chopper, who were looking at him with expectant yet nervous looks, what had happened.

"We don't know how this could have happened, but Usopp and I found out earlier while eavesdropping on the marines, that Luffy and Nami were somehow captured by them."

Shocked gasps could be heard from Robin and Chopper, and their eyes had widened with every word Jinbei had said. Chopper felt an icy chill down his spine as the realization hit him that Luffy must surely be in mortal danger, as he was still recovering and could not leave his bed under any circumstances due to his illness. At that moment, he was still unaware of the actual extent of Luffy's deteriorating health and would surely lose it if he found out that he had been fighting.

"This can't be happening! We have to get them out of there fast. Luffy might-" Chopper didn't dare say the last part and tears already started to roll down his face. He didn't want to imagine how this dicey situation could end for Luffy, and he had only just gotten over the pneumonia. In addition, Chopper was very close to developing the medicine, because with the discovery, what he had made on this island, he had come a very big step far, so that it might already be possible for him to create the all-healing medicine.

"That won't be necessary for us. Usopp has gone to Sanji and the rest to tell them about the incident. He, together with Zoro, Franky and Brook, will free the two from the clutches of the marines. We, on the other hand, should hurry to the Sunny. Luffy and who knows maybe Nami will need your help, Chopper." Jinbei explained objectively, whereupon Chopper nodded sniffling and quickly wiped away his tears. It did him no good to cry now anyway. His captain needed a real doctor and not a crybaby at his side.

"Okay, then let's not waste any time, but watch out, the soldiers could still be lurking anywhere!" Warned the fishman, as Robin and Chopper nodded in understanding. In the next instant, they ran together as fast as they could towards the forest, where they would find the fastest possible way back to the ship with the help of Chopper's nose.

~Back with Sabo, Nami and Luffy~

Sabo and Nami continued to maintain their fastest pace as the rising panic and fear for Luffy's worsening condition drove them onward to Sunny. Sabo almost felt like crying when he felt Luffy's sluggish heartbeat against his back, as if his heart was about to stop at any moment. Suppressing his tears and swallowing a wave of nausea, he tried to keep up a conversation with Luffy the whole way, hoping that he wouldn't fall asleep that way. He kept squinting at his brother behind him, only to catch his half lidded eyes repeatedly falling shut. But it was obvious that Luffy was desperately trying with all his might to open them again and to listen to Sabo's soothing voice, although most of what he heard was muffled.

However, it gave Luffy an indescribably good feeling, to know that he was on the safe back of his only remaining big brother. The warmth and safety he always radiated. Luffy could feel it. At the same time, it reminded him of the good old times in their childhood, where he was constantly, as now, careless and reckless, often hurt himself and therefore carried by his brothers on their backs.

A tender smile crept onto Luffy's bloody lips at the precious memories. The only thing that made this situation different from the past was the fact that he was dying . The sensation of dying had become much too familiar to him through the last days and weeks, but this time he felt it differently. Stronger, if you could describe it that way. Luffy knew exactly that his body could not stand it after it could no longer maintain its gear form against the marine officer and immediately began to shut down. At that moment, it dawned on him that it was over for him. From then on, it was only a matter of time before his heart, already weakened by the illness, gave up completely. It was a miracle that it was possible for Luffy to survive Tetsuo's kicks, punches and knife wounds for so long.

Even though the young pirate captain knew that these were his last moments, he wanted to delay the unconsciousness, from which he would never wake up again, as much as possible and enjoy the closeness to his brother. Perhaps it would still be possible for him to say goodbye to his friends.

"Sabo..." Luffy breathed, barely audibly into Sabo's ear and tried one last time with the strength he could still muster to nestle tighter against Sabo's broad back, thus clasping him like a little monkey.

"Luffy, you still with me, right?" Sabo demanded, his throat tight, while he forced a strained smile onto his twitching lips, even though Luffy couldn't see it. The young revolutionary's smile suddenly widened as he finally saw the Sunny in sight, with only a few meters separating them from the ship. Nami, who was limping behind Sabo, was also pleased to see their ship, because her legs probably couldn't carry her any further. Her sheer will and the adrenaline in her blood was what kept her on her feet at all.

"Luffy, we're almost there! You just need to hang on a little longer, then your doctor will nurse you back to health, okay?" Sabo continued to talk to Luffy, pausing briefly to listen for a response from his brother, and getting anxious again when he didn't get one. Luffy, who heard the words a little delayed because his woozy mind took a little longer to register the words, nodded weakly after a while.

"Everything will be fine." Sabo then continued with relief. "You'll get through this and you'll also get through this disease, I'm sure of it. Everything will be fine, everything will be fine..." The blond haired repeated the last sentence over and over again, directed more to himself than to Luffy. After all, Luffy was all he had left. His only family. His only beloved little brother. If he were to lose him now, what would he do?

"I-I'm s'rry..." Luffy spoke again, his voice just above a whisper. Sabo's heart almost stopped for the umpteenth time as Luffy's frail voice reached his ears. Sabo didn't like the way his brother's words had a bitter aftertaste at all. It almost sounded as if he wanted to say goodbye. No, he would not let that happen.

Notnow.

Notlater.

Never!

"Why are you apologizing, Luffy? Look, we've arrived!" Sabo replied, ignoring the true meaning behind Luffy's apology, as he refused to listen to his brother's believed last words. Luffy definitely wasn't going to die, so he might as well apologize for whatever later, when he was feeling better.

Luffy felt the last bit of strength gradually leave his body, so he couldn't bring himself to lift his heavy head. Instead, he let his gaze wander over Sabo's shoulder and actually saw the blurry outline of the Sunny in front of them. A small smile formed on his lips as he also spotted Franky and Usopp on the grass deck waving at them. He was relieved that the two were okay. He only hoped that his other friends would make it here in one piece.

"Hey, Sabo, Nami! I'm so glad you're okay!" Usopp yelled with relief.

"Get up here quick! We've already finished off the soldiers and searched the ship for more!" Franky added, but both him and Usopp lost their joyful grins when they realized what a bad state their captain and navigator were in.

Sabo and Nami saw all the already eliminated soldiers lying around them and were glad not to have to deal with the navy again. Without giving them another glance, they boarded the Sunny in the next moment, where Sabo carefully placed Luffy on the soft grass floor. Nami sank exhausted to the ground next to Luffy and examined the body of her captain from head to toe. Now in the daylight his wounds were much more visible and he looked even worse than in the prison cell. In addition, the ground beneath him immediately became saturated with his blood, which was still oozing from the more deeper wounds.

Franky and Usopp's facial expressions revealed how shocked they were by Nami's, but especially Luffy's horrible sight. Worst of all, there was nothing they could do to help them and their ship's doctor had still not returned. However, none of them had to be doctors to realize that Luffy was on the verge of death and that if Chopper didn't show up soon, he would be dead.

"Where is your ship's doctor?!" Sabo asked louder than intended and hysterically looked around the ship for other members. Usopp just looked down regretfully and shrugged his shoulders cluelessly.

"I...I don't know. Chopper and Robin were supposed to be on the mountain looking for a healing herb, but Jinbei made his way to them to get them back to the Sunny, but none of them have returned since."

"Fuck!" Sabo cursed, slamming his fist on the ground in frustration, after which Luffy audibly gasped and slowly turned his head to his upset brother, who, like Nami, had also knelt on the ground next to him. This caused Sabo's gaze to turn to Luffy and he saw the corners of Luffy's mouth form into a slight smile, trying to cheer Sabo up, but not doing a very good job with his half lidded dazed eyes.

"Luffy!" Sabo exclaimed, reaching for Luffy's limp hand that he had placed on his stomach and taking it in his own. To his horror, he found that his little brother's hand was ice cold, having lost all it's warmth, which was no wonder with all the blood loss. Sabo felt like he was in a nightmare from which he simply could not wake up. He was trapped and had to watch his last beloved brother leave him forever.

Luffy wanted to speak his last words but found it increasingly difficult to even get oxygen into his lungs, which is why he started panting loudly. He also felt the stinging in his chest ache more with each inhale. His vision was completely blurred and he wasn't sure if he could keep his eyes open any longer. His sluggish heartbeat echoed in his ears like a ticking clock ticking away his last minutes. No matter how hard he tried to fight it, his body stopped listening to him a long time ago, and he couldn't even feel half of it anymore. He didn't even know if it would be possible for Chopper to still save him now. Therefore, it would be better if he died before he showed up here, as it would only be more painful for the little reindeer to despair of his injuries and realize how he could do nothing to heal him.

"Hey Luffy you gotta hang in there, ya hear me? I'm sure Chopper will be here any minute!" Usopp cried out and also knelt down next to his captain along with Franky. Together they all sat around Luffy's badly battered body and watched Luffy fight for his life while waiting for Chopper and the rest of their friends. Each of them was close to tears, but they tried to stay strong and not give up until the last second. Everything would be alright again.

"Luffy bro, please hold on!" Franky pleaded, repeatedly looking out for Chopper.

"Luffy if you dare to give up now, I will never forgive you and I will personally bring you back and kill you myself!" Nami threatened, but her threat sounded more like a desperate plea. Even though she herself was on the verge of unconsciousness, she could not take her eyes off her dying captain at that moment and fought convulsively against it. Guilt plagued her, since she alone was responsible for this dire situation. It was because of her that Luffy was in this terrible condition. Because of her, he would die.

"I-I don't eel s'good. M'cold a-and everythin f-feels so numb...I-I don't think I-" Luffy wheezed, but was interrupted by Sabo.

"Shut up! Don't you dare finish that sentence! You'll be okay!" Scolded the older of the two brothers, even though he didn't want to yell at Luffy in this state, but he couldn't take it any longer. The young revolutionary bent over Luffy and carefully lifted his limp body in his arms to give him some warmth. It was frightening how Sabo could feel Luffy's cold body through his clothes and no matter how much he tried to deny it, Luffy was indeed about to die.

Sabo supported Luffy's head with his left arm while apologetically stroking his tender wounded cheek with his other hand. Luffy looked up into his brother's teary eyes, while panting heavily, not resenting Sabo's shouting.

"I...I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to yell at you." Sabo apologized in a regretful voice. Luffy was so incredibly pale and his body felt so fragile in his arms that it broke his heart to even look at him, yet he didn't break eye contact for a single second.

"I beg you Luffy, don't leave me too. You are the only brother I have left. What am I going to do without you? What would Ace think of me if I let you die? How could I ever look Dragon in the eye again? What would even be the point of my life anymore? Please..." Sabo sobbed, and only now did he realize that he had started to cry, but he didn't care.

"Please don't die!"

Luffy's eyes also filled with tears and slowly began to stream down his cheeks. He wished he could do something to change this situation, to not let his brother and friends suffer because of him. Unfortunately, he was too weak and a lousy captain, friend and brother at that, so he could do nothing but lie motionless in his brother's arms and cry.

And he was the man who wanted to become the pirate king?

Ridiculous

He couldn't even beat that stupid disease or protect his friends. Someone like him deserved nothing but to die miserably.

"I...haah…I'm s-so s'rry...for everything." Luffy panted, letting his eyes wander to his friends before locking eyes with his brother again.

Nami, Usopp and Franky had also started to sob and cry and with every passing second and Luffy's breaths getting shallower, they lost more and more hope. In addition, there was still no sign of the remaining crew members. Was this really the end of their journey? Despite the fact that they had done everything in the last weeks to save Luffy? They had come so far, so why did they have to fail now?

"No no no Luffy! Don't you dare give up now! You've never given up before! You're way too stubborn for that, you stupid brother!" Sabo sobbed loudly, his heart hammering painfully against his rip cage. Luffy's eyes were now only open a crack, his vision almost black. His breath came only in short, small puffs of air that did nothing to fill his burning lungs with the oxygen they needed.

"T-Thank you…f-for lov-ing me...th-those…haah…were A-Ace's last words..." Luffy suddenly remembered the sorrowful last moments of his other big brother. So he could put himself in Sabo's situation very well, since he had to experience the same thing a few years ago. He knew exactly how bad it was to lose his beloved brother right in his arms. Only Sabo was not to blame for Luffy's death, quite different from what happened to Ace. Luffy still blamed himself for his death to this day. He had been too weak, just like now…

It really broke Luffy's heart to do the same to Sabo and let him experience something terrible like this. He didn't deserve it at all, but that's how harsh life was sometimes.

"Luffy p-please s-stop...save your breath." Sabo stuttered, sniffling heavily. He couldn't bear to hear those words come out of his brother's mouth, the remorse in his voice. The young revolutionary wiped the many tears from Luffy's face and then gently ran the same hand through Luffy's pitch-black hair. Rocking back and forth gently, he cradled Luffy in his arms, still hoping that help would appear, that some miracle would happen.

But none of this happened, while time was running out for Luffy, almost over. Despite his brother's pleas, Luffy was not deterred from speaking his last words.

"I h-have…hahh…to t-thank you guys, too." Luffy now began to speak again, gasping briefly before continuing. "Th-Thank you…haah…for b-being by…my side…hahh…for a-accompanying me…haahh…f-for putting up…with me a-and my selfish…decisions...haahh"

"Luffy don't say that! You're not going to die! Our journey will continue!" Nami sobbed, her mind still in denial.

"That's right! Please stop Luffy!" Usopp agreed, his tears streaming uncontrollably down his face. Franky was in no better state.

"You stupid little brother..." Cried Sabo, leaning closer to Luffy's face. Again he wiped the fresh tears from his brother's face and delicately ran his thumb over the scar under his left eye.

"But you've always been like that. So damn careless and reckless. Never listened to Ace and me. So stubborn...Now look what happened to you, but...you can't just leave now! I can't let you go...So please, stop saying those words like it's the last time...I'm begging you!" Sabo's voice trembled, his words were almost a painful whisper and he placed a soft kiss on Luffy's forehead, staying in that position for a short while until he broke away from him again to look back into Luffy's eyes. His thumb wiped away Luffy's rolling tears, but new ones kept following.

"You are and always were our little crybaby, Luffy. In the end, you never changed." A bitter chuckle escaped Sabo's throat, whereupon he sobbed heavily again.

Luffy grinned at that. As wide as he could and his tears stopped flowing at once. Then he took one last shuddering breath.

"T-Thank y-you…for lov-ing me. I'll s-see you…a-around...hahh"

With these words, Luffy's eyes finally fell shut, followed by an extended exhale.

No

No no no

NO

"Luffy?!" Sabo yelled at the top of his lungs, frantically trying to shake Luffy awake in his arms.

This couldn't be happening!

"Luffy, o-open your eyes again! Wake up, oh please wake up! D-Don't leave me!"

But no matter how many times the blond haired pleaded and begged, Luffy remained completely motionless.

This was a bad joke

The pain was too real and deep

A nightmare

The cruel reality

"AHHHH LUUUFFFYY!"

The heartbreaking cry of a brother rang out and reached the ears of the seven people who unfortunately had not managed to arrive in time.

TBC

*sniff* I actually cried myself while writing this…

Please don't hate me

See u next time!👋