Warning: themes of death. Be careful you guys! This chapter is a bit of a bummer/ sad. I'm sorry this is not going to be the fun chapter you were hoping for.
XXX
"Monkey D. Luffy," the giant man's voice rang out across the air, loud and gravelly. It reminded Luffy a little of his grandfathers. Although Garp was big, he wasn't this big. Seriously Luffy had never seen anyone so big. Any other time- another life maybe, he would have been transfixed with the giant man. But right now, he could care less about him or any of the scattering figures below.
His eyes shifted ahead of him once more towards the fire demon, the one that stood there smelling of ash and death. The one who had… who had hurt them.
He needed to find them, maybe… maybe they needed help. But he didn't know how. Luffy felt his eyes prickle with frustration. How was he supposed to do that? How was he supposed to do anything, he didn't know if he could even walk anymore. This was all he could do- go after this horrible demon person and stop him from causing any more harm.
The giant spoke again, and Luffy's brow furrowed as he turned back to the man. Their eyes locked and a giant hand was raised towards him, not close to the Sea King's height, but still surprisingly massive.
"Come with me," the old man continued. "This is no place for you right now."
There WAS no place for Luffy right now. He felt like a ghost, not quite dead but not alive either. For the last while he had started to disappear, getting more and more transparent until he would vanish altogether. What was left of him was just an afterimage, like the thunder after a lightning strike, it was noisy and sometimes intimidating, but in the end, it was nothing but the bang long after the lightning had run its course. Shanks had told him that once, a long time ago.
Luffy caught himself reaching up for his hat and forced his hand down. If he was just a boom- then at least he could be a loud one.
His friend slammed its tail against the ground, forcing the giant to take a step back.
"Not that one," Luffy reminded it, his voice soft and weak. But his friend heard him all the same, crawling once again toward the demon fireman.
'He smells like death and soot,' The creature hissed. 'He is one of the ones that did this to our home.'
Luffy didn't doubt it. This was a bad man. He had learned that the hard way during his time here.
'Hold on.'
Luffy's hands tightened on the creature's mane, as it lunged forwards to meet the fire demon dude's attack. The marine struck with no mercy, fire, and ash reigning down around them. At the same time, he lashed out the creature's giant claws swiped at him, and the man's attack was halted as he dodged.
"Monkey D. Luffy!"
Was that old guy still talking? Luffy looked down at him, a frown on his lips. What now?
"Stop this! The old man said. Call them off. They will destroy the island at this rate- and the catacombs."
Good- Luffy hoped so. He hated this place. Especially the tunnels. Also… he didn't know why the man thought he could get all the sea lizards to stop. Why didn't he do it himself if he liked this stupid island so much? Old people were lazy apparently.
Luffy said nothing and the man continued. "You're going to get yourself killed, come with me. We will watch over you." He held up his hand once more, asking Luffy to climb off.
The creature moved its tail once again forcing the man away as it growled, long and low at the old guy, a clear warning.
The people beside the giant seemed to take notice of Luffy at the same time, and their fear of the creature quickly morphed into confusion.
"Is that- a kid!"
"Jesus! What is he doing up there."
"Hey, kid!"
"That's not a kid- it's a demon. It came out of the ocean!"
"It's going to kill us all."
Luffy tuned them out. He had never cared what people thought of him. And now, with everything that had happened. He rarely bothered even listening to them. Although he had always found it annoying how they could do all this bad- act selfishly and hurt others, yet they never failed to call him a monster whenever they could.
Ace was right- people sucked.
Fine, what did it matter now? They could go on murdering and kidnapping and hurting people. He could be their monster if that was what they wanted.
"Brat!" Mustache said, "he's going to kill you!"
Luffy had figured that out himself. Contrary to popular belief, he wasn't a total idiot. But the thing was… he didn't much care.
The creature let out another roar as it surged forwards, the force of its mass cracking the stones beneath its great claws as it lunged toward the demon man. Luffy cried out, closing his eyes. He felt a wave of boiling heat fly past him, and he tightened his grip on his friend's head. Unable to stop himself from crying out as the demon landed a solid kick to the creature's body, the force of it sending them back a few meters. Luffy felt it reverberate through him, up his arms, rattling his broken bones together. He bit his lip as hard as he could to stop the next pained cry from leaving his lips.
But the demon was far from done, eyes glowing like hellish embers he followed up the kick with another, stringing in a combo of punches all aimed at Luffy's new friend.
The creature howled out in anger, as it was pushed partially back into the water. Luffy tightened his hands just in time to avoid being bucked off as Lizard shifted its stance, digging its hind feet into the ocean, anchoring them there.
When the dark spots cleared from Luffy's vision, an intense burning red took over. At first, he thought he was still seeing stars from the attacks, but he realized it was far worse. As he had done to his brothers, the demon was summoning forth his magma, building it like a tidal wave above his head.
"NO!" Luffy screamed, feeling Lizard shift underneath him once again, its muscles rippling as it twisted.
Luffy didn't close his eyes this time, watching wide-eyed, as the wall of magma trembled, then, like the release of an invisible dam, it rushed towards them all at once.
At the same second Lizard struck out. Its massive tail was currently submerged in the ocean whipped forward with incredible speed, bringing with it a wave of water that crashed against the magma.
There was a loud sizzling sound, and the heat quickly turned to steam, the water cooling a large portion of the blast, turning red-hot fire into molten rock. It wasn't enough though, and new lava flowed freely between the still-cooling rock wall, trickling to the ground as it flowed towards the ocean, turning sluggish as it cooled.
The creature growled, its legs having gotten spattered with magma, burning through its scales. Luffy frowned, putting his hand on the creature's head- asking if it was okay, but the great monster just shook it off, holding its ground half in the ocean and half on the ruined shores of the island.
The wall of cooling magma crackled, as the demon man emerged at the top of it, surveying the damage. His eyes locked with Luffy, and pure hate flickered across his face.
"SON OF DRAGON," he called. "YOU BOLDLY SHOW US WHAT YOU REALLY ARE, HELLSPAWN. YOU DRAG THESE MONSTERS FROM THE DEPTHS OF INFERNO WITH YOU. IN THE NAME OF THE GOVERNMENT, I WILL RID THE WORLD OF YOU!"
Luffy felt his eyes burn, wetness brimming up in his eyes until the pressure became too much and one spilled over his bloody soot-streaked cheek. He sniffed wiping his nose with the back of his bandaged hand.
How did he get this far outside of himself? He used to be tough, tougher at least. He had thought he had grown up since he was seven. But through it all, he was really just a crybaby. Who was he fooling anymore? Ace was the strong one. Not him. So then why… why was he the only one left.
These were angry tears- angry at that man, at his failure, his own helplessness. In his entire life, he had never felt like this. So full of hate and regret. It was like a poison, running through his body. He felt it clawing at his brain, and heart, threatening to overtake him again. Luffy had nothing to say to this man, to anyone of them.
If Lizard's friends brought down the entire damn island, he would be glad to see it go.
He heard them, the others. Fighting their own battles all around the base. He heard their cries of pain, their roars of anger, and hatred, all mirroring his own. They knew how it felt to lose your home, to lose your family. To be voiceless.
Lizard was right. Luffy was a bad human. They were small and selfish- and he was tired of them. He would rather be with the monsters. They did what they wanted, spoke few words, fought when they were angry, and looked after their own. They were the only ones that made any sense to him anymore. -And they were being killed by the humans.
Lizard saw this as well, its inhuman eyes taking in the carnage before once again focusing on the demon man. And for a second, Luffy and his friend understood each other perfectly. It was a weird feeling, but Luffy knew the creature's emotions as if they were his own- as if they had been written down somewhere only for him. He could feel the anger and loss, as clearly as he felt the demon man's bloodlust.
And Luffy knew this was how Lizard felt- his friend could always feel Luffy's fear and pain ever since they had met. It had taken Luffy a second to catch up, but for the moment the two of them were in harmony.
The creature understood that this demon before them was a very bad thing. Beyond just a favor to Luffy, or its protectiveness over its newest 'cub', no, Lizard knew the man before them was one of the ones who would bring its home crashing down around them. And it charged, throwing its head back into a roar that threatened to blow out what was left of Luffy's ear drums.
"ENOUGH!" the gravelly voice broke out from Luffy's right. And Luffy's neck prickled a second before he felt the wind rustle his hair.
Mustache had lost patience, jumping up with surprising agility, his hand stretched out, intent to remove Luffy from the creature's head.
But Lizard had sensed him coming and acted instinctively, rearing his head back as Luffy ducked down, pressing his face into the creature's mane to avoid the outstretched fingers. Like HELL he was going to let themtake him again! No, he was going to die here, underneath the sky, and free.
Lizard felt the same as he roared in fury at mustache this time, its claws coming down to swipe at him. The man jumped back, and Lizard followed him, stamping his front legs down like a cat attempting to squash a rather large bug.
The men around Mustache sprung into action, attacking the creature with painful-looking weapons. It cried out again and Luffy tightened his hands in anger. He wanted to help, to get them to stop. But he knew he couldn't. Right now, it was taking everything he had to just hold on. He was far too weak to stop anything anymore.
It was Mustache that stopped them, waiving them off as he turned once again to face Lizard, no longer coming at them.
"Monkey D. Luffy, we've met before." Mustache addressed Luffy again. "Do you remember me?"
They had absolutely not. Luffy would remember a mustache that hilarious.
"I'm Thatch's captain."
Thatch's Dad! Luffy remembered now. That call had seemed like a lifetime ago. But, he also couldn't bring himself to care all that much.
The man continued, apparently assuming he did. "Ace would want me to stop you," the man said. "You will not win this," he held up his hand once more. "Come with me, and we will protect you. They will kill you."
So everyone kept telling him. Honestly, it was getting kind of insulting they thought Luffy didn't already know that. What part about any of this made people think he wanted to be saved?
If Ace cared, then why didn't he just come and get Luffy himself? Ace always came to save him. And he wasn't here. So… so what did that mean.
When Luffy refused to move, only staring down at the giant man, Mustache's voice dropped in pitch so as not to be overheard. "It's not what you think. We can tell you what-,"
"Thatch's Dad-," Luffy cut him off, his own voice weak and hoarse. But even still, silence spread over the group. Something about being on top of a giant water lizard apparently made people want to finally start listening to him. "If you don't die, -take care of Thatch okay?"
Luffy vividly remembered his friend telling them that either they both got off this island- or not at all. For his friend's sake, Luffy really hoped that wasn't true.
Laughter broke across the clearing, a deeply disconcerting sound and both of them turned back to the demon man. His face looked angry as always, but he seemed to find the whole situation unbelievable.
"Of course!" he told Mustache as if the pieces were coming together in front of him. "Of course, was this you? First Rogers spawn, and now this- this thing! Is this why you're here? To set it loose on the world, do you think he will do your work for you? And you can sit back with your family of criminals and fake promises, and watch the destruction he brings?" He laughed again, and the noise made Luffy's skin crawl. "You couldn't control Fire Fist, he burned you, just like this one is going to. Look at him- it's more monster than human."
Mustache snorted. "My thoughts about you exactly."
The demon yelled out in anger, throwing forth flaming punches, the blazes hitting the creature's legs and chest. It roared out in pain again, seawater and blood seeping out from its jagged teeth as it reared back.
In the same second the man jumped up, molten magma dripping off of him like rain as he charged. But his target wasn't Lizard, rather he soared over its head, his eyes fixed on Luffy.
Once again there was nothing Luffy could do to protect himself. He watched the man come, his eyes wide, perfectly understanding what was about to happen.
Ace always saved him- Ace wasn't coming. So, Luffy would have to go to him.
CUB- the creature's furious roar filled Luffy's ears.
Those smoldering hands got close enough for Luffy to feel the heat.
Mustache moved faster than Luffy could track. He was on the ground one second, and the next between the two of them, knocking the demon man back to the ground like he was a fly. He landed between Lizard and Demon, his staff smacking the ground, and fracturing the air around them like it was made from glass. What an odd man! In another life, Luffy would have liked him.
The demon hissed, spitting up blood. "You show your hand, old man."
Luffy looked around in amazement as the cracks deepened. Far beneath him, the Marines had started fleeing from Mustache in terror. They looked so small from here. It was hard to imagine Luffy ever fearing them… well okay, he hadn't ever reached that point. That was reserved for one man in particular. But he had grown very weary of the others.
One marine below them didn't join the others. Rather he stood a ways away, letting the men race past him, his eyes fixed on Luffy.
Luffy met his eyes, only for a moment.
Before, back when everything had started. Luffy had felt everything, clearly. But at some point, someone had come and scooped out everything inside of him, and he had just been walking around hollow since then. So he turned his gaze away now.
He was a disappointment. He knew that all too well. He had let down just about everyone. But just about everyone had let him down as well- so he figured they were even.
It was pointless, all of it. He wasn't going to apologize for letting himself crack, and shatter like delicate china, nor for losing piece by piece of himself. And he wasn't going to apologize for what was left of him.
XXX
"Look Out!"
Jozu's arm tightened on Thatch's, pulling him back from the sheet of ice that erupted seemingly from nowhere, cutting them off.
"Thatch don't."
Big words considering this wasn't Thatch's idea. His brother had dragged away from that spot, fighting marines as they did so. Thatch hadn't wanted to go, but Jozu noticed the sea monsters, appearance on the island, and they heard from the marines that the full brunt of the attack would shift to Oyaji, meaning both navy admirals and the warlord would begin to target their father and nearby siblings now that Marco, Ace, and Sabo were gone.
And that was something they just couldn't allow.
So, Thatch had let Jozu drag him towards the fighting, only to find out that the largest of the Sea Kings had seemingly converged on that spot, waiting for its chance to strike their captain.
Thatch had rushed to help, only for Jozu to stop him, rather hypocritically. He heard his brother mutter something about the admirals, but it was already too late.
From his spot near the shore, Thatch could make out the giant figure of his father, utterly tiny compared to the monster, which had emerged from the water like some biblical terror. And beyond them were the spark and glint of magma and ice as they danced off the wind, targeting Thatch's family. And a ways away still was the warlord, terrorizing Thatch's brothers with unbreakable threads.
He stared at the hellscape before him, frozen for a moment. Even as Jozu shouted again. The glint of ice flashed, and within a second something very large and very fast came towards them.
It was beautiful in a way, like solid crystal. Although Thatch could feel the temperature drop from the proximity. It was an attack aimed at their father, one that had gotten knocked off course, and instead of taking out the giant, it was encasing the entire area in a thick wall of ice.
The consequences of standing too close to a massive fight such as this one. With no time to run Thatch stepped back, Jozu beside him already armoring himself with diamonds, getting ready to throw himself in front of Thatch. Although that would likely make no difference.
So enthralled with the ice, Thatch missed the shadow over their heads until five razor sharp claws descended over them.
Thatch's eyes grew wide as the Sea King's hand appeared, blocking out the outside world. For a second everything fell away, the sounds of battle, his father, and even the sky were blotted out as darkness fell. Thatch heard the blood rushing frantically in his ears, Jozu cussing up a storm behind him, as those claws tightened, and Thatch felt the inhuman hand lift them up.
He closed his eyes, recognizing that these might very well be his last moments. Taken out by a sea beast, of all things- after surviving Teach. Go figure.
But before he had a chance to contemplate what an odd fate it was, he felt them being lowered once more, and the claws parted around them, gaps of blue-sky peaking through.
Gently- like how one holds a butterfly within cupped hands, the creature released them back on the ground, near the shore and a ways from where the Navy had led their attack. Thatch could see the devastation where they were previously standing. The right side of the coast had gotten hit with a wall of ice, freezing a chunk of the ocean and creating a partial wall should anyone come to interfere.
What a fine mess they were in now. Stranger still, their lives had been saved by a monster. Why? For a later snack perhaps. Thatch turned to look back at the creature, his heart still beating like a hummingbird. Like the situation couldn't get any more confusing.
The great Sea King blinked at them, its eyes an inhuman yellow before it turned its attention back to the chaos.
Luffy sat atop the massive creature, very much not dead, although half-drowned.
Thatch blinked once, and then again, trying to clear his eyes. Luffy… like His Luffy? On top of that monster? Were they dead after all?
"Do you see that too?" Thatch asked, and Jozu nodded mutely, unable to come up with the proper words to answer. So, they weren't dead.
What? Why? How? What was Luffy doing up there? How had he gotten out of the water? Had the Sea King picked him up by accident? No, that didn't make sense, considering that giant dragon had saved them from the marine admiral.
Thatch remembered long-long ago, when Luffy had sat with his ear to the wall, hearing voices that weren't there. He remembered what Izou had said about finding him, soaking wet, in a giant puddle in the caves, talking to the ocean. Luffy had told Ace that it had been his friend. Thatch felt goosebumps break out across his arms at the thought. It wasn't that he hadn't believed him, but it was a tough pill to swallow.
Things slowly slid into place for Thatch like a puzzle. The monster hadn't saved them. His friend had. The same friend who had just broken down, been tossed into the ocean and left to drown alone and hurt. That same kid who just would never quit, who kept bouncing back no matter what life did to him, sat atop the great monster's head, looking very much like some type of king, commanding a powerful army. Once again Thatch wondered where in that little body did all that power and bravery come from.
There was no denying it anymore. Luffy and this…. this thing had some type of connection. Enough that Luffy had asked it to save them. Thatch could add it to the mysteries surrounding this kid. Honestly, it could be his long-lost uncle for all Thatch cared right now. He needed to get Luffy down from there, and far away from all of this as soon as possible.
The kid was a mess. Thatch could tell from all the way over here. His bandages were unraveling, torn, and bloody. He felt a spark of hope at the thought of being able to fix his mistake, although panic quickly set in as he realized it might already be too late for that.
Luffy was sitting between the ears of the massive Sea King, it was facing down two admirals, and a warlord. Three of the Navy's heavy hitters seemed concentrated in that area, going between the massive beast, Oyaji, and the handful of Whitebeards collected around their father.
Once again Thatch's gaze shifted to his captain. How long had it been? No matter how desperate the situation, Thatch felt a calm wash over him. A silent acknowledgment that everything would be okay. Whitebeard always knew what to do. Despite himself, Thatch felt his eyes prickle and his chest tighten. He had missed them, all of them. He hadn't realized how much until right this moment.
He felt himself move, not quite knowing what he intended to do. Jozu called after him, his brother's heavy feet pounding against the ground as he began to chase after Thatch, the two of them sprinting across the stone ground.
"Thatch Wait!"
Thatch ignored the advice, pausing at the edge of the battle, several meters from where his father stood locked in combat with the Marines.
Thatch hadn't realized he had spoken at all until Whitebeard froze, his back straightening. Thatch heard Jozu catch up to him, spitting up cusses, and on his other side he heard the sounds of war, the growling of the Sea King. But at that moment, none of it seemed to matter.
Whitebeard turned around, his eyes immediately fixing on Thatch. The two stared at each other for a moment, as if both second-guessing it. But in the next second Oyaji's face split into a warm smile as he stared at Thatch.
"My son," the man's voice was as deep as Thatch remembered it. He took comfort in the familiarity of the sound. "You came home."
Despite himself, Thatch felt himself tear up. He didn't need to be told, he already knew how much work his father must have put into finding him, enough so that he would go to war, willingly side with the Revolutionaries. A small part of Thatch wished he had died from that stab wound, to save his family the heartache and blood of this conflict. His one life wasn't worth theirs. But on the other hand, he felt overwhelming gratitude rush through him.
He had thought about seeing his captain again hundreds of times while here. And Thatch had worked out some type of thank you, some better thing to say. But at the moment he was absolutely exhausted in every possible way, and his head was empty. At that moment, all he could think to say was 'Thank you.' So that was what he did.
He wanted nothing more than to cross the distance between the two of them and greet his father properly, but Jozu put a hand on his shoulder, warning him against it. Their enemies were gunning for Oyaji, and older as he was, he was still one of the strongest on the sea. He could handle himself, but not if he had to protect them as well.
"We missed you."
Thatch nodded, not trusting his voice. He had missed them too. He knew that must have shown on his face as Oyaji smiled again.
"Are you okay?"
What an odd question. Thatch was rather sick of hearing it.
He shook his head, a frown tugging on his lips. No, Thatch really wasn't. "Marco-"
Oyaji opened his mouth, his eyes darting to the Marines several meters away, currently locked in combat with Thatch's brothers and the monster.
"-Is smart," the old man decided on.
Thatch nodded again, understanding what the man wasn't saying. He was supposed to trust in Marco, even when the situation seemed impossible. For everyone's sake, he hoped he was right. Thatch looked over at the giant creature.
"Luffy is my friend," he said, somewhat pathetically. Unsure of what he was even asking.
Still, the old man nodded all the same. "He fought to stay there. Until the creature tires or he changes his mind, it will be hard to get to him.
Jozu hissed, looking out at the row of Marines that were slowly amassing behind the admirals. "We need to get him quick."
"I'll hold them off," Oyaji told Thatch. "Maybe he will listen to you. Ask him to put an end to this."
"This?" Thatch blinked, looking out at the battlefield around them, where Sea Kings were being slayed and swarmed, although not before massive amounts of destruction. "Luffy didn't do this," he said surprised at his father.
"You sure?" Jozu asked. "He was furious before."
That he was, but no. No this was not Luffy. Grudge aside, this took far more effort, planning, and organization than Luffy had in him, especially right now.
"This isn't him," Thatch said again, and his father nodded, dropping it easily.
"Do you think you can talk to him?"
Thatch nodded, feeling the old spark of hope come back. He had to. He wasn't going to fail this time. One more chance. "Be careful," he told his father and the man laughed.
"Thank you for waiting for us to come get you. You won't have to wait much longer."
Thatch nodded. He already knew that.
XXX
Luffy was panting, his breathing strained and pathetic even to his own ears. His vision was getting spotty, but he forced his numb hands to keep holding on, even though Lizard was getting increasingly shaky underneath him.
His ears were full of the enraged cries of his friend, as his kin were slowly taken down, one by one. The humans, in typical fashion, were focusing on killing the monsters. All over the island Lizard's kin were fighting, their blood staining the water. But for every man they took out, they received more wounds to their rough scaley bodies, until some couldn't take it anymore, collapsing over on their sides, blood seeping from their gills.
Luffy wasn't watching. He didn't want to look anymore. Instead, he focused on Lizard, moving his hand from the creature's mane to place his palm on its neck in silent reassurance. There was nothing he could do for his friend, but he was right here. And that feeling, he knew it well.
Thatch was calling to him from somewhere on the ground. Honestly, Luffy wanted the man to run. That's what he had intended when he had asked Lizard to save them, for Thatch to get the hell away from here. He could leave with his family. He would be all right now. Luffy really believed that. He would see, everything would be okay. But he had to let Luffy go.
"Come with me." The words reached him even above the chaos of the battle. Luffy just shook his head. He wasn't going anywhere. No one seemed to realize that yet.
"Luffy Please!"
Luffy frowned, looking down at his friend one last time. Their eyes met, for a second before Luffy turned away. He was sick of saying goodbye to Thatch. There was nothing left to say except maybe, 'run'. But Thatch was finally back with his family where he belonged (even if they still kind of sucked), right where he was supposed to be.
Ignoring Thatch's cries, Luffy moved his hand, patting the Sea King's leathery skin. He wanted to wail right along with it.
Why was it that he was the only one who could hear them? Hear Lizard and his friends bleed and cry. Why wasn't anyone else listening? It was heartbreaking.
Lizard was angry now, angrier than Luffy remembered seeing him. The creature's movements were jerky as it launched out, snapping at the marines, and anyone who dared to get too close to them. Thatch's dad was holding off some of the scarier humans, but the magma man seemed to have his sights set on Luffy, his gaze never leaving him for very long. He wasn't letting up, and now his friends had joined him, this ice-pop man, and a guy who sewed really well? Honestly, Luffy had no idea, but they were really weird and really strong, and they were targeting the old man.
The endless magma attacks had burned Lizard's feet up pretty good. Even if he wanted to, he couldn't use his front legs that well anymore, his tail either. Luffy wanted them to stop hurting his friend. But there was little he could do about it other than hold on. He was useless as ever.
Below them, Mr. Sewing Kit sent a wave of wiggling snake-like threads toward the old guy, sending him reeling back a step. The pirates around him were quick to jump in to help. The old man fought them off, but Luffy could see the blood on his face. He was getting tired just like them.
In the moment of lapse, Luffy felt the back of his neck prickle. A warning rose up in his throat, but he barely got the chance to free it. In the blink of an eye, Iceman turned his attack on them egged on by some secret signal from the demon man, and a wall of ice and fire descended upon them.
Luffy heard himself scream, and the creature roared as it reared back, its damaged legs doing little to deflect the attack. Lizard trembled underneath him, and for a frightening moment, Luffy thought it would fall altogether. But it righted them, blood dripping from its mouth. Luffy saw that its right leg had been frozen to the ground in a massive pillar of ice, and the other had been badly burned, encased in bubbling magma.
The creature's cries were agonizing, and Luffy felt himself yelling as well. Telling them to stop. Like that had ever stopped them before.
GO, Lizard hissed.
Luffy shook his head, his hands tangling into the creature's mane. "No," his voice was soft and broken. Broken like the lizard. Nowhere to go, and not working right anymore. So full of unwanted rage, and unsure what to do with it. Luffy was staying.
The creature seemed to realize it as it roared again, snapping at the two men, its tail lashed out, sloppily dragging across the ground, intense scars running up its length. But the men were ready. They came at once. The demon man jumped, and the creature's tail came forward, smacking into him with full force.
Luffy heard the man's bones crack, the same moment he saw something gleam from the corner of his eyes. The lizard shuttered underneath him, trembling back as far as its bound limbs would let it. The same second the demon man hit the ground, the Lizard let out a whining hiss, a noise Luffy hadn't heard from it before.
Confused he leaned forward, as the creature opened its mouth- no noise coming out. Luffy watched in horror as blood dripped between its teeth once more, spilling to the ground in a puddle.
Luffy saw one of the ice spikes. It had started on the ground, having shot upwards at them. It had pierced Lizard right through the chest. Digging into its body several feet deep. Blood ran down the ice spear-like droplets of melting snow.
Below them, the demon man was rising to his feet shakily. Blood coated the side of his head, but he still wore that look, that hatred so clearly on his face.
"Stop," Luffy said, his voice drowned out in all the chaos. "Stop," he said again knowing no one would hear him. No one ever heard him. No one except Ace.
The two men seemed to regroup, coming down on the lizard once more in unison.
Luffy screamed, feeling the creature shutter underneath him as once again the creature was attacked by; first magma and then ice, deeply scaring its body.
It shuttered on its feet, making a low hissing growl. Its legs were still firmly stuck to the ground. Lizard wasn't going anywhere. Lizard was out of moves, and they knew it too.
Luffy closed his eyes, feeling his anger well up inside him again. Even as he saw the old man move, momentarily holding off the next attack as he shattered the air, splintering the ground beneath them and causing the marines the step back, wary of him.
Luffy felt his anger boil up and flow off of him, making those below them step back. Both the marine instantly looked up at him, their eyes narrowed.
Blood dripped from Lizard's gills as it made a series of muted growls. Blood dripped from its gills.
Beautiful- it was- beautiful, before the humans.
This island, Luffy realized with a start. It was talking about the island before it was discovered.
With a strangled noise, the creature moved, straining its front leg with enough power to send cracks through the ice. It took several tries and blood poured out from its wounds as it strained itself.
"Don't." Luffy warned even as the ice splintered, shattering apart. The creature made another strange noise, a breath of air escaping as it brought its claws up towards Luffy closing its hand around him.
He felt himself be lifted from his place on the creature's head and held at its chest. Lizard looked out at the island once more, at its kin fighting or dying, in the ruined waters of the island, and at the human swarms beneath them.
-They ruin everything… don't let them ruin you
Luffy wrapped his arms around one of Lizard's claws, letting him know he wasn't going anywhere. There was no need to worry. There wasn't enough of Luffy left to be ruined.
He remembered what his friend had told him about the tides, and how they shifted and flowed.
Below them the ice man had shifted his aim to the old man, attacking him with the flamingo man. And yet, even with the blood from Lizard spiling to the ground, even though Luffy didn't think he had anything left in him, the demon man was still staring at him, that hateful expression on his face.
Lizard felt the bloodlust too, tightening his grip on Luffy as the man struck.
For a second Luffy could see the blue sky from between his friend's claws. It was beautiful.
He felt the impact rattle his broken bones, then he felt the heat and smelled the searing acrid burning of his friend's scales. There was a sound, a low hissing like the last of the water being drained away. Then they were falling. The molten lava on Lizard's feet finally gave way as it tumbled backward, cracking loud enough to split the heavens.
Luffy felt them fall, he felt them collide with the ocean behind them, Lizard's feet sliding towards the sea. And the last thing he felt was those massive claws squeezing him one last time before losing their strength.
One more time water overtook him, and he slipped from his friend's fingers, falling into the blackness below.
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I know you guys! I know this was not how you wanted this chapter to go. I do have a plan. Just bear with me until 70!
Freaking One Piece is giving me life. Thank you, Oda, for giving Sabo a second to show the world what a badass softie he is. My love for flame boi grows every day.
So, my hope for this fic is for it to diverge with Blackbeard, and eventually realign with the cannon. And to do that, Luffy needs to get his butt kicked early so he can realize how weak he is, and go through all of this a couple of years earlier (and no beautiful flame boi's have to die). I feel like Luffy got sufficiently humbled- check. But I also need to get Ace to realize his life does have value and that he isn't some evil creature. Which… is going less well. I suppose the bandage got ripped off (for better or worse) and everything is about to be out in the open. So, there is the possibility for Ace to be proved wrong. But I need a good think about getting him the rest of the way. Any thoughts are appreciated!
As an aside, these are all Sea Kings. Luffy's friend kind of looks like a dragon (I have art of it I just need to finish it.) He just keeps calling it a giant water lizard because he is precious (and kind of dumb), and he has seen way more lizards than dragons.
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3nderAI: Glad you liked it. That must have been a long three days.
Acpola01; Aw thanks. That is very nice. Unfortunately I didn't get your email. . won't let you send it. I often just spell it out and write 'dot' c o m usually it won't catch it them.
Catspirit: Why thank you. Yes… unfortunately that one might have to wait little bit.
Aquarica: SO true. He really does. I am glad you liked it. The poor guys. They hve really been through it. And unfortunately its not ending here.
Eternal She-Wolf: haha, I love this description. It is so true. People and hyping him up a little too much now, when he wants hugs rather than epic war stories.
Yes, Luffy's time is ticking down.
NoUserWewk: almost at the fluff. Although it will be sad fluff before we just get normal fluff. I am glad you liked it.
Wishfull-star: so true, Luffy and his new buds. Luffy definitely needs some sense talked into him lol.
Rose Narcissus: Akainu is just getting more and more worried about Luffy as a monster in the future if he is allowed to grow up. He has no understanding of how things really work lol.
Yes, unfortunately it was Luffy who tripped the group up by trying to come find them. Poor things.
Lyrael White:Haha, I am actually glad to hear that. I ws going for a tragic story for this part, where everyone has good intentions, but things still go wrong.
Aimforthedogstar: That is so nice thank you. I am so glad you like it. More fluff to balance everything out, and yes, more snarky Sabo later on. You won't have to wait too much longer on Shanks.
Nancy2239 Oh, haha, don't wake up the house.