One Piece: Strawhat Theater
"Our Mrs. Monkey"
Disclaimer: This is a non-profit fan-based work of prose. One Piece is the property of Toei Animation, Funimation, and Eiichiro Oda. Please support the official release.
A short flashback to Impel Down.
My muse is a bit out of control right now and I wanted to write something with Bon Clay back in the original run of this fic, so here we go. Hope you enjoy.
More Dressrosa is coming.
It had taken everything he had, and then some. But they'd made it. They'd gotten to the First Level of Impel Down. Crawled right back up from the depths of Hell. Robin would have liked that. She probably read a book about that at some point.
Luffy and his little band had made it to the top. They were about to fight on. Magellan was up ahead, and getting around him was not going to be easy.
Luffy looked over at Bon Clay, his old friend. The former Mister 2 of Baroque Works. The okama was panting hard, sucking in deep breaths.
"Ah, hey, Bon-chan?"
"Mm? Yeah, Luffy-chan?" Bon asked. Luffy led him a bit away from the others. Normally, he wouldn't care about blabbing about anything to anybody.
That's how Luffy was.
This though...
"Uh... I mean... You can still turn into Nami, right?" Luffy asked. Bon Clay raised his eyebrows.
"Eh? Sure! I still have orange girl's form. Why?"
"Well... I mean..."
"FRANKY! ROBIN!"
Luffy's entire crew had hit the gigantic man with everything they had. They'd thrown every attack, every strike, all their might against this emotionless juggernaut...
It hadn't meant a damn thing. The bastard wasn't even dirty.
One by one, his crew had vanished. The man held up his hand, and they just
disappeared.
Luffy's jaw dropped in horror as he saw Robin and Franky go next. Just like the others. Luffy had been fighting his damnedest, but no matter what he did, just like the rest, he'd been tossed aside like so much garbage. Like a leaf or a bug you'd swipe away from your food.
"LUFFY!"
Luffy jerked his head. He locked his eyes on the source of the familiar scream. His eyes narrowed to pinpricks.
"NAMI!"
Kuma advanced upon her, slow and relentless. Nami was on her knees, just as broken and shocked as he was, her ruined Clima-tact in pieces around her legs. He could see tears at the corners of her eyes.
Red descended over his vision and Luffy roared. He shot for Kuma with Gear Second, threw himself in front of his wife, and went right into his strongest attack.
"GUM GUM...!"
The memories of his friends filled his mind... But Nami, smiling, laughing, crying... That consumed him. He pushed all of it into his fists.
"JET GATLINNNNNGGGGG!"
He struck the approaching giant man with everything he had. His fists screamed in agony-He felt his rubber bones break-he kept going!
"NAMI! RUN!" Luffy screamed.
"I-I CAN'T JUST-!"
"RUN! RUN-!"
Kuma's hand moved so fast he couldn't even see it. He was slammed into the ground, forming a crater before he skipped away. He heard Nami screaming his name. He pulled himself up, his muscles burning like fire. He threw his hands at the source of the scream. His broken knuckles and bloody fingers hit soft warm skin. He looked up and saw her eyes.
They widened with shock, with hope, with joy.
He pulled as hard as he could.
They'd lost everyone else, but as long as he had Nami, as long as his wife was at his side-They would find them. THEY would find them! They'd find them all-!
Her smile turned to horror. She reached out for him, screaming, as though in slow motion. Luffy didn't see it, what was she-?
His hands snapped back to him, empty. He stared down at them, as his blood turned to ice.
She was gone.
No... No... No...!
Luffy looked up as Kuma turned to him. He lowered his hand.
"One left," he spoke.
One left. One left. Oneleftoneleftoneleftoneleftoneleft-!
"GIVE THEM BACK!" Luffy shrieked, attacking Kuma with everything he had left. "GIVE HER BACK! GIVE THEM ALL BACK!"
He pounded and cursed and kicked and punched and screamed at the man... Until he fell, broken, exhausted. He bowed his head, every inch of his body cold and shaking. He stared down at his hands.
His fucking useless hands.
"No... No..."
"Luffy-chan? Luffy-chan, are you all right?"
Luffy blinked. He looked into his friend's eyes.
"I... I've gotta save Ace," he said, "I've got to save him... But uh... I-I don't know when I'll see my friends again. I don't know when I'll see Nami again, I just... Could you...?"
Bon Clay smiled kindly. He touched his face. He flashed through Sanji, Zoro, Usopp, Chopper... Before ending it on Nami's form. He reached out and held Luffy's hand.
"I know you, Luffy-chan. And I know her," Bon Clay said warmly, in Nami's voice, "You will see them... You will see her again. They'll fight the entire world just to be with you... Especially her."
Luffy smiled, and nodded slowly.
"Thank you."
Bon Clay as Nami smiled broadly.
"What are friends for, Luffy-chan?"